SERIOUS NEGOTIATION HELD DURING THE CO-CHAIRS’ VISIT TO THE REGION

armradio.am
19.09.2007 10:05

Serious negotiations were held during the current visit to the region,
which can serve as a basis for achieving progress in the settlement
process, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs declared in Baku yesterday.

The main efforts of the mediators are directed at eliminating the
discrepancies between the parties. French Co-Chair Bernard Fassier
expressed dissatisfaction with the coverage of the mediators’ activity
by some media. In particular, he accused the press of searching
for stir where it does not exist and called on journalists to check
the information before publicizing it. This was the case with the
coverage of Bernard Fassier’s opinion about the format of the talks
and participation of the Armenian community of Nagorno Karabakh in
the negotiations.

Yuri Merzlyakov added that currently the Co-Chairs are engaged in
"getting agreement on the basic principles." "The matter concerns the
text of the peaceful agreement. When the basic principles are agreed
upon, representatives of Armenian and Azeri communities will have to
take part in elaboration of the text of the peace treaty. The sooner
it becomes possible, the better," he noted. At the same time, Yuri
Merzluakov confessed that the process of agreeing upon the principles
is not simple. "There are several serious principles that still have
to be agreed upon," he said.

Matthew Bryza noted that the Presidents of the two countries should
make difficult decisions, and according to him, they can take these
decisions.

Bernard Fassier didn’t comment upon Ilham Aliyev’s statements on the
willingness to settle the Karabakh conflict in a military way and his
discontent with the Minsk Group’s work. "Today your President highly
assessed the Co-Chairs’ work and everybody is well aware of his words
about the necessity to settle the conflict in a peaceful way".