RUSSIAN AND FRENCH CO-CHAIRS OF OSCE MINSK GROUP
CAN BE REPLACED – AZERI DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER

TREND, Azerbaijan
Aug 3, 2006

Azerbaijan passed its position to US co-chairman of OSCE Mink Group
Mathew Bryza regarding the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,
said Araz Azimov, President’s special representative o Nagorno-Karabakh
and deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Trend reports with reference
to ATV channel.

Azimov said following the replacement of US co-chair Russian and
French co-chairs may get replaced as well. "From this point of view
Bryza’s visit to the region opens some prospects", Azeri official said.

Commenting Mr Bryza’s statement saying ‘status of Nagorno-Karabakh
shall be determined by its people, including those left homes in 1988’,
Azimov said people living in there shall be treated as ‘population’,
not ‘nation’. "We think Azeri and Armenian community alike shall
be accounted for in this process", said Azimov. The question of
Nagorno-Karabakh status, he added, shall be considered just in a view
of returning occupied grounds to Azerbaijan.