RESOLUTION OF ARMENIAN-AZERBAIJANI CONFLICT SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT UNDER ‘PRAGUE PROCESS’: AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTER

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Sept 4 2007

Belgium, Brussels / corr Trend A.Maharramli / Peaceful talks on
the resolution of the Armenian -Azerbaijani conflict over the
Nagorno-Karabakh should be carried out within the framework of the
‘Prague Process’, Elmar Mammadyarov, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister,
said in talks with Trend in Brussels.

Over the last few years peaceful resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict has been carried out under the ‘Prague Process’, which
envisages stage-by-stage resolution of the conflict.

So far, the essence of the plan has not been clarified because of
failure to coordinate its details.

The minister said that a meeting with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs
from France and Russia in Brussels on 3 September discussed the
mediators’ forthcoming visit to the region in mid-September. "A joint
discussion will be held during the visit. Now it is too premature
to speak about progress, because it can only be discussed after the
meetings," Mammadyarov said.

For the time being the date of the next round of talks between the
Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents is unknown. The co-chairs should
come with the relevant initiatives. "If we see any possibility,
the meeting may be held. In general, it is necessary to mobile every
opportunity and any milestone," Mammadyarov said.

The conflict between the two countries of South Caucasus began in
1988 due to territorial claims by Armenia against Azerbaijan. Armenia
has occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including the Nagorno-Karabakh region
and its seven surrounding Districts. Since 1992, these territories
have been under the occupation of the Armenian Forces. In 1994,
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which time
active hostilities ended. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (
Russia, France and USA) are currently holding peaceful negotiations.