Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Sept 12 2008

Armenia Approaches Question of Recognizing New Republics with
Responsibility: Foreign Minister
12.09.08 21:57

Georgia, Tbilisi, 12 September /corr. Trend News N.Kirtskhalia /
Having a problem with Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia approaches the
question of recognizing self-proclaimed republics with responsibility,
the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Eduard Nalbandyan, said in Tbilisi on
12 September.

"We hold intensive negotiations with our Azerbaijani friends with
regards to the future of Nagorno-Karabakh on the basis of three
principles," he said, noting that Armenia did not recognize
"Nagorno-Karabakh Republic", proceeding from "the punctiliousness and
caution".

At the same time, he noted that Armenia very carefully approaches the
question of recognition, and this is testified by the fact that until
now Yerevan has not recognized Kosovo as well. "I think that everybody
will understand why our approach is so careful and I consider that it
is not worthwhile to openly speak of settlement of such questions," he
said, answering the question of the possibility of recognizing
Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Nalbandyan said that at the meeting with the Foreign Minister of
Georgia Ekaterina Tkeshelashvili this evening, he acquainted his
counterpart with the recent negotiations regarding the
Nagorno-Karabakh problem solution. "We also discussed the Turkish-
Armenian relations," he said.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia stated that the President of Armenia
Serj Sarkisyan will arrive in Tbilisi on the first visit in the next
days.

In her turn, Tkeshelashvili said that she made and does everything in
order "not to take steps, which can bring harms to partners".
"Precisely through this the fact is explained that Georgia attempted
to minimize the damages, caused by the military aggression of Russia,
to our neighbors," she said.