PETER SEMNEBY: EU IS WILLING TO ASSIST ALL KARABAKH CONFLICT PARTIES
MOST ACTIVELY

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, NOYAN TAPAN. Regional problems and Armenia’s
relations with neighboring countries were discussed during the March
23 meeting of the Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and the EU
Special Representtaive to the South Caucasus Peter Semneby who is on a
one-day visit to Armenia. According to the RA MFA Press and
Information Department, the sides spoke about the upcoming
parliamentary elections in Armenia, attaching importance to their
holding in line with international standards. The interlocutors
exchanged ideas on latest developments in negotiations on the Nahorno
Karabakh conflict settlement. The German Ambassador to Armenia Heike
Renate Peitsch participated in the meeting. On the same day the
meeting of the NKR President Arkady Ghukasian with P. Semneby took
place at the Permanent Reprsentative Office of the NKR in
Armenia. During the meeting, the Karabakh side reasserted its position
on the conflict settlement: it is impossible to reach a full and final
solution of the problem without the participation of the NKR as a full
and equal party in negotiations and the existence of an atmosphere of
mutual trust between the parties. On behalf of the EU P. Semneby
expressed a willingness to assist all the conflict parties most
actively in order to reach a compromise solution and overcome the
consequences of the conflict. The sides underlined the importance of
direct links between the EU and Nagorno Karabakh. At P. Semneby’s
suggestion, possible projects to be implemented by the EU in Nagorno
Karabakh were discussed. According to a press release of the NKR
Permanent Representative Office in Armenia, on the same day
A. Ghukasian met with the Personal Representtaice of the Acting OSCE
Chairman Andrzej Kasprczik and discussed the present stage of the
Karabakh conflict. The sides addressed the current issues related to
monitoring of the contact-line of the NKR and Azerbaijani armed
forces.