DISCUSSIONS ON KARABAKH IN BRUSSELS

armradio.am
04.09.2007 17:53

September 4 in Brussels RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian had a
meeting with the Russian and French Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
Yuri Merzlyakov and Bernard Fassier, Press Service of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs informs. The meeting was attended by the Personal
Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

Issues related to the current state of settlement of the Karabakh
conflict, the opportunities for overcoming the misunderstandings
after the last meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents
were discussed during the meeting initiated by OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs. The mediators presented the results of yesterday’s
negotiations with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov.

If a decision on continuing negotiations on a peace settlement of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh is agreed by the
Co-Chairs in Brussels then the Foreign Ministers of both countries
may agree to continue negotiations, Vartan Oskanian, the Armenian
Foreign Minister, said to Trend News Agency.

We believe that we should continue negotiations to regulate the
conflict, Oskanan said.

No meeting is expected with the participation of Presidents from both
countries, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

War is not the way to settle the conflict. "We work jointly over the
issue to find a compromise acceptable to both sides and we should
talk over this compromise," Minister Oskanian said.

"There are issues which have not yet been touched upon. These issues
have been discussed by the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia
during their meeting in St.Petersburg. The Presidents tried to agree
on these issues, but without results. However, we will not reject
future attempts," Oskanian said.

Peaceful talks on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh should
be carried out within the framework of the "Prague Process," Elmar
Mammadyarov, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, told Trend in Brussels.

Over the last few years peaceful resolution of the Karabakh 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 forth with 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.