ARMENIAN MINISTER, US SECRETARY OF STATE DISCUSS KARABAKH, TIES WITH TURKEY

Mediamax News Agency
July 15 2008
Armenia

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Edvard Nalbandyan and US
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice highly assessed the efforts of
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in the settlement of the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict.

As Mediamax was told in the press service of the Armenian Foreign
Ministry today, during the meeting, which took place in Washington DC
on 14 July, Rice and Nalbandyan stated the importance of continuing
the talks based on the Madrid proposals, which make it possible to
reach progress in the peace process.

The Armenian foreign minister stated the readiness of the Armenian side
to establish diplomatic relations with Turkey without preconditions
and to open the border, and informed the US secretary of state of
the efforts taken by Yerevan in this direction.

Edvard Nalbandyan expressed his hope that the candidature of the
new US ambassador to Armenia would be approved in the near future by
the Senate.

On 14 July, the Armenian foreign minister also held meeting with the
US president’s Deputy Assistant on National Security James Jeffrey
and the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of
Representatives, Howard Berman.