FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN MEET IN MOSCOW

Noyan Tapan
August 1, 2008

MOSCOW, AUGUST 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The meeting of Armenia’s and
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Affairs Ministers Edward Nalbandian and Elmar
Mammadiarov started on August 1 in Moscow. As Radio Liberty reports
referring to Interfax the meeting is being held behind closed doors.

The Ministers are meeting in the private house of Russian Foreign
Ministry.

Then OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs Matthew Bryza, Bernard Fassier,
and Yuri Merzliakov, who have organized the meeting, will join them.

The day before the Co-chairs held a consultation, then Bernard Fassier
announced that after the meeting of the Ministers the mediators
will publish a communique where the results of the meeting will be
summed up.

During the meeting with Peter Semneby, EU Special Representative for
South Caucasus, held yesterday in Baku Elmar Mammadiarov expressed
an opinion that "manifesting a constructive position would be useful
for Armenia’s new authorities". "In conditions of the strengthening
of Azerbaijan’s positions waste of time is a great damage to the
opposite side," he announced.

Peter Semneby, in his turn, said that "Azerbaijan and Armenia should
settle the conflict in a peaceful way having the current basic
principles as a basis."