ARMENIA USA: KARABAKH SETTLEMENT ONLY THROUGH PEACE TALKS

Jerusalem Post
July 15 2008
Israel

On July 14 the Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian met
with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice discussing of further
developing the relationship between Armenia and USA and asserting
that the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict that involves
Azerbaijan can be only achieved through peace negotiations and not
by force.

At the beginning of the meeting Edward Nalbandian said Armenia attaches
importance to multifaceted relations with the United States and will
pursue the development and reinforcement of friendly partnership
relations and deepening of cooperation between the two countries.

The heads of foreign agencies of Armenia and the United States noted
that the history and traditions of Armenian-American relations, the
existing contractual-legal field, demonstration of political will in
the direction of expansion of cooperation provide an opportunity to
develop the bilateral relations in different spheres.

The interloccxutors discussed the latest developments in the settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. In this regard it was noted that the
issue can be solved exceptionally in through peaceful talks under way
within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. The parties appreciated
the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and stressed the importance
of continuing the negotiations on the basis of the Madrid proposals,
which create an opportunity to register progress in the peace process.

Turning to the perspectives of normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations, Minister Nalbandian reconfirmed the willingness of Armenia
to establish diplomatic relations and open the Armenian-Turkish border
without any preconditions and presented the steps Armenia takes in
this direction.

The interlocutors turned to the process of confirmation of the new
US Ambassador designate to Armenia by the Senate. In this regard,
Minister Nalbandian expressed hope that the Ambassador will soon be
confirmed and the will arrive in Armenia, which will have a positive
influence on the further reinforcement of bilateral relations.

Following the meeting Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Armenian
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian signed on July 14, 2008, the
"Joint Action Plan between the Government of the United States of
America and the Government of the Republic of Armenia on Combating
Smuggling of Nuclear and Radioactive Materials."

This political agreement expresses the intention of the two governments
to cooperate to increase the capabilities of the Republic of Armenia
to prevent, detect, and respond effectively to attempts to smuggle
nuclear or radioactive materials. With this agreement, the U.S. and
Armenian governments are significantly enhancing their collaborative
efforts to combat the threat that nuclear or highly radioactive
materials could be acquired by terrorists.

This is the fifth agreement of this nature that has been concluded by
the U.S. government’s Nuclear Smuggling Outreach Initiative. Previous
agreements were completed with Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia, and the
Kyrgyz Republic. To date, eight countries and three international
organizations have partnered with the U.S. government to provide
assistance to support implementation of these agreements.