ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN AGREE TO CONTINUE NEGOTIATIONS ON NAGORNO-KARABAKH IN ON THE BASIS OF THE MINSK GROUP OF THE OSCE

DEFENSE and SECURITY
April 7, 2008 Monday
Russia

Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to conduct negotiations on
Nagorno-Karabakh regulation on the existing base of principles of the
Minsk group of the OSCE, said co-chairs of the Minsk group in their
official statement published on the official website of the OSCE.

Co-chairs Yury Merzlyakov (Russia), Bernard Fassier (France) and Mathew
Braiza (US) released such statement after the meetings in Bucharest in
the framework of the NATO summit with President-elect of Armenia Serzh
Sarkisyan, President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliev and foreign ministers
of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Vardan Oskanyan and Elmar Mamedyarov.

Leaders of the two countries and co-chairs of the Minsk group of
the OSCE agreed to continue negotiations on the existing base, to
provide more details for the document on the table of negotiations
and to take additional steps for achievement of peaceful regulation.

Hence, the intermediaries announced expedience of organization of
an Armenian-Azerbaijani meeting on the supreme level in the shortest
possible time.

The co-chairs confirmed that peaceful resolving of the conflict
required political compromise to be achieved through negotiations on
the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh.