ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: BAKU GOES BACKWARD

REGNUM
September 15, 2006

"Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group are seriously discussing the
issue of next meeting of Armenia and Azerbaijan’s foreign minister,
but our position is unambiguous: the meetings should not turn into
an end in itself," Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan has
announced answering questions of reporters in Yerevan on September 14.

"We are ready for a meeting at any time, however, favorable conditions
is needed to achieve a result.

Azerbaijan spares no effort to draw away attention of the international
community from the MG process. It is a fact," the minister says. "As
it is already known, the UN that earlier rejected putting the ‘frozen
conflict’ issue on the session agenda initiated by GUAM yesterday
suddenly changed its mind. With a several votes advantage the issue
was put on the agenda. This is a situation when an attempt is being
made to divert attention from the Minsk Group," the foreign minister
notes adding that the meeting of foreign ministers is still under
question, until there is no clarity in what direction the processes
in the UN are developing. According to the minister, Azerbaijan, that
earlier gave its consent on most issues in the document proposed by
the Minsk Group, including a referendum, self-determination etc., now,
probably, wants to go backwards and for achieving this goal it has
chosen attempts to withdraw attention from the Minsk process and take
the issue for consideration at the UN. So, the current situation should
be assessed and after that our future steps are to be determined, the
foreign minister notes. The official also says that current results
in the conflict settlement do not claim for changing the strategy at
present moment.

Speaking on a possibility of sending Armenian peacekeeping troops to
Lebanon, Vardan Oskanyan noted there has been no such decision made
yet. "Until the mandate is clarified, Armenia will make no decision,"
Oskanyan says adding that even before the operation Lebanon addressed
Armenia asking for to send its sappers to demine its territories,
as Armenia has some experience of such activity. "Later on, when
Israel gives relevant maps and the situation is fully under control,
Armenia will be able to take part in demining," the foreign minister
explained, Arminfo reports.