Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
June 9 2006

Armenian officials issue divergent statements on Garabagh

Baku, June 8, AssA-Irada

Armenian officials have issued divergent statements on the Upper
(Nagorno) Garabagh conflict.
Minister of Defense Serzh Sarkisian alleged that Azerbaijan `is
missing its chance’ to solve the dispute in peace. He said President
Robert Kocharian had informed him about the results of Sunday’s round
of talks between Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Bucharest.
Sarkisian noted that he was unaware of the details of the talks as he
did not attended them.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian said the next round of
talks on Garabagh will be held between the two countries’ foreign
ministers in the near future. The exact date of the meeting is yet to
be set, he said.
Commenting on the Armenian officials’ statements, the Azeri Foreign
Ministry spokesman Tahir Taghizada said Armenia is the one taking a
heavy toll from the unsettled status of the conflict.
`The prolonged settlement of the conflict is certainly a problem for
Azerbaijan. But first of all, this is a big problem for Armenia, as
it is left out of regional projects,’ he said.*