Armenia, Azerbaijan committed to ceasefire: Armenian president
Agence France Presse — English
January 24, 2007 Wednesday
Armenia and Azerbaijan are respecting a ceasefire in their row over
Armenian-controlled Nagorny Karabakh but there is little hope of an
accord, Armenian President Robert Kocharian said Wednesday.
Kocharian was speaking at talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin,
whose country is a close ally, and after border shootings earlier this
month claimed the lives of one Armenian soldier and one Azerbaijani
soldier.
The shootings were the latest in a series of sporadic killings since
the opposed sides fought a war in the 1990s that centred on the
mountain territory of Nagorny Karabakh.
"The main thing is that the ceasefire established in 1994 with the
help of Russia remains in force," Kocharian said at a joint news
conference with Putin after the two met at the Russian leader’s Black
Sea coastal residence.
"This means that the two parties are determined to respect the
peace process under the aegis of the Organisation for Security and
Cooperation in Europe," he said, referring to the pan-European security
body mediating in the process.
Kocharian added: "We have problems with Azerbaijan over Karabakh and
for the moment are not optimistic" that a resolution can be achieved.
Armenia and Azerbaijan, both ex-Soviet republics, signed a ceasefire
in 1994 but have cut direct economic and transport links and failed
to negotiate a return of the approximately one million people who
were driven from their homes in the conflict.
For his part Putin promised a doubling "very shortly" of Russian
investment in Armenia, adding that investment was planned by
telecommunications company Vimpelcom, aluminium giant Rusal and energy
giant Gazprom.
Total Russian investment in Armenia so far has reached 800 million
dollars (615 million euros), he said.
Kocharian said negotiations were underway with the Russian atomic
energy agency on developing uranium deposits in Armenia.