ACCORDING TO VARDAN OSKANIAN, OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS’ PROPOSALS ARE NOT FINAL

Noyan Tapan
Dec 18 2007

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The proposals made by the OSCE
Minsk Group Co-chairs lately will be conveyed to the Karabakh party
without fail.

RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian stated at the December 18 press
conference dedicated to summing up the results of his latest visits
to Madrid, Strasbourg, and Moscow.

V. Oskanian reminded journalists that during the meeting in Madrid,
Russian and French Foreign Ministers Lavrov and Kouchner, as well
as United States Under-Secretary of State Burns handed the text of
the main principles of Nagorno Karabakh settlement to him and Azeri
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadiarov. According to him, the document
includes proposals regarding non-coordinated issues. At the same
time, V. Oskanian said that this document is not final and is open
for further discussions.

The Minister highly evaluated the meeting of the OSCE Foreign Ministers
in Madrid. He said that though no political statement was made during
the meeting, the Ministers adopted a number of important documents
regarding fighting trafficking, environmental problems, and other
issues. The OSCE member-states reached an agreement in Madrid that
Greece will assume OSCE chairmanship in 2009, Kazakhstan in 2010,
Lithuania in 2011.

V. Oskanian said that issues related to the commitments assumed by
Armenia towards the Council of Europe, as well as issues concerning
the forthcoming presidential elections were discussed during the
meeting with members of the Ago Group. He assured that the Armenian
authorities will do their best to hold normal elections. "Armenia
has no way back," the RA Foreign Minister stated.