IN VARTAN OSKANIAN’S WORDS, LOGICAL PROPOSAL, INTERESTING IDEAS ARE ON NEGOTIATIONS TABLE

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Nov 14 2006

BRUSSELS, NOVEMBER 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The Foreign Ministers of Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia held a press conference in Brussels on November
13. At the press conference headed by European Union External Relations
Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the Armenian and Azeri Foreign
Ministers were very well inclined towards each other, however, their
interpretations seriously differed from the statements published at
previous similar meetings, Radio Liberty states.

Both ministers appreciated in their preliminary interpretations the
Actions Plan of the European Union Neighbourhood Policy.

Do the interpretations seemed to be friendly mean anything for the
Karabakh negotiations to start on Tuesday? Foreign Minister of Armenia
Vartan Oskanian answered this question: "We do not know what will
tomorrow happen. A logical proposal, interesting ideas are on the
table, one must normally sit, negotiate and express will. So that,
it was expressed by our statement today."

In the opinion of Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mamedyarov,
"the issue must be observed within that context that the time already
push us forward, and the understanding also grew that one must move
from the dead point, from there where they stopped in the issue of this
conflict." "And in the given case, I think, there is good possibility,"
the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan said.

As for the Actions Plan of the European Union Neighbourhood Policy,
Vartan Oskanian mentioned: "Our relations are given a new quality,
it is a rather voluminous document, great possibilities are put by
this document, integration processes are started, so that one must
concentrate and do the best."

"We want not only to sign but to completely use, as it really will
bring Armenia to a new qualitative level in 5 years, both politically
and economically," the Foreign Minister of Armenia stated.

In an exclusive interview to Radio Liberty, Benita Ferrero-Waldner
characterized singing of the Actions Plan as a "new stage." "We
today start a new stage. We want to move our values: human rights,
democracy, hegemony of law, to those countries," Mrs.Ferrero-Waldner
stated. "We listen to their wishes as well. But it is important for
us to stimulate the regional cooperation," she said.

Peter Semneby, the European Union Representative to South Caucasus,
explaining, what the Actions Plan of the European Union Neighbourhood
Policy will give Armenia, said: "The European Neighbourhood Policy,
first of all, will give some money, but this money must be used to
change these societies, Azerbaijan and Armenia, to make them more
European."

Semneby also said that the European Union will with great attention
observe the parliamentary and president’s elections expected in
Armenia: "Those will be important exams for Armenia."

The Armenia-European Union meeting is expected on November 14, during
which the Actions Plan of the European New Neighbourhood will be
adopted. And in some hours after it, the Karabakh negotiations with
the participation of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan
as well as of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen, will start at the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium.