JOINT STATEMENT BY THE OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
March 15 2007

( Osce ) – The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Vartan
Oskanian, and Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, met in Geneva on March
14 under the aegis of the three Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group –
Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Ambassador Bernard Fassier
(France), and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza
(USA) – and in the presence of the Personal Representative of the
OSCE Chairman in Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.

The two ministers had a frank and constructive discussion about
items raised by the parties since the meeting of Presidents Aliyev
and Kocharian in Minsk on November 29, 2006.

The ministers provided each other a better understanding of their
respective concerns that will allow the parties to pursue discussions
on the basic principles for a future settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, as proposed by the Co-Chairs, which remain the core of
the negotiations.

In that respect, the two foreign ministers agreed to meet again in
April 2007 and possibly later in May to prepare grounds for a future
presidential summit.