TALKS ON KARABAKH TO BE CONTINUED AS PART OF PRAGUE PROCESS-FM

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
June 11, 2007 Monday 12:57 PM EST

The Azerbaijani-Armenian talks on the Karabakh settlement will be
continued as part of the Prague Process, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister
Elmar Mamedyarov said.

The main point of the Prague Process is to gradually solve all
problems, including the liberation of occupied Azerbaijani territories,
restoration of communications, and return of refugees and displaced
persons. "As for the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, this problem will
be solved after the Azerbaijani community returns to this region,"
the Azerbaijani minister told journalists on Monday.

Commenting on Saturday’s round of direct talks between Azerbaijani
President Ilkham Aliyev and Armenian leader Robert Kocharyan in
St. Petersburg, Mamedyarov said, "Unfortunately, I can’t say the
sides reached any breakthrough."

At the same time, he said every meeting gives a possibility to clarity
positions of another side.

"The fact that the discussions in St. Petersburg lasted for three
hours, including one-to-one talks between the presidents for an hour
and then with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen,
as well as the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, proves
that the talks were rather intensive," Mamedyarov stressed. "A lot
of questions have been discussed, mainly on the basic principles of
the settlement that should lead to concluding a peace agreement."

He expressed confidence that despite the lack of progress, "we should
not lose heart". "We believe that the talks will be continued,"
Mamedyarov stressed.

Earlier, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan said,
"Unfortunately, progress has not been achieved" at the
Armenian-Azerbaijani talks in St. Petersburg. "The existing
disagreements remain," he added.

At the same time, the Armenian minister pointed out, "The discussions
were very serious and intensive."

In his words, at the end of the meeting the foreign ministers and
mediators joined the presidents, and Kocharyan and Aliyev "held broad
discussions" with them. "Earlier, the presidents informed the mediators
about their talk," Oskanyan said.

He stressed that the ministers of foreign affairs would continue
the negotiations. However, the Armenian minister cannot say if the
presidents of the two countries meet till the end of the year.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress