KARABAKH TALKS SEEN AS POSITIVE
The Moscow Times
Aug 4 2008
Russia
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan struck a positive
tone and pledged to keep talking about a possible peace deal for the
frozen conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh after they met for talks in Moscow
on Friday.
"If we feel we have found a common platform, then nothing is
impossible," Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said afterward.
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said Friday’s meeting
had proved useful and that consultations should be continued in a
similar format.
"There are sensitive issues. We are trying to create all the conditions
for the continuation of negotiations," he added.
The closed-door talks were facilitated by Russia and were attended
by U.S. and French diplomats. They mark a new attempt to end deadlock
over the conflict in the sensitive Caucasus region.
Karabakh, an Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan, broke away
following a war soon after the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The
region, backed by Armenia, claims full independence but is not
internationally recognized.
A cease-fire was agreed on in 1994, but Nagorno-Karabakh and a vast
surrounding area are under separatist control.