VARTAN OSKANIAN: WE SEE NO POSSIBILITY TO DEVIATE AND GO BACK IN ISSUE OF KARABAKH

Noyan Tapan
Mar 21 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Certainly, Armenia is for the
negotiations over Nagorno Karabakh settlement to finish as quickly
as possible and the quicker the sides reach an agreement the
better. Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian stated this at the
March 21 press conference.

However, in his words, unfortunately, the sides "are not so close to
agreement" and the last meeting between the two countries’ Foreign
Ministers in Geneva is the evidence of the fact that there are still
many disagreements over various issues.

"After the Geneva meeting I myself had declared that it was rather
complicated and difficult meeting. I cannot say that we registered
progress during that meeting. Therefore a decision was made to hold
the next meeting soon and to register progress, and so, to pave the
way for a possible meeting of the Presidents after the parliamentary
elections," V. Oskanian mentioned. At the same time he stated
that Armenia will be guided by the document on the negotiations
table, the main axis of which is the problem of Nagorno Karabakh
self-determination.

As regards possible parallels between Nagorno Karabakh and
Kosovo conflicts, V. Oskanian said that each conflict has its
peculiarities. "The Nagorno Karabakh problem has its peculiar way
and it precisely goes by the self-determination path. Irrespective
of the fact how the Kosovo problem will be solved, we do not see a
possibility of deviating and going back in the issue of Karabakh,"
the Armenian Foreign Minister stated.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress