U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE ATTACHES IMPORTANCE TO PROCESS OF NAGORNO KARABAKH PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT DURING MEETING WITH RA PRESIDENT

Noyan Tapan

Se p 25, 2008

NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 25, NOYAN TAPAN. RA President Serzh Sargsyan, who
is in New York to participate in the 63rd session of the UN General
Assembly, met with Jan Peter Balkenende, the Prime Minister of the
Netherlands, in September 24. During the meeting, the sides highly
evaluated the level of the political dialogue between Armenia and the
Netherlands and mutually expressed interest in further deepening of
the relations.

S. Sargsyan expressed gratitude to the government of Holland for
technical assistance provided to Armenia and said that economic
cooperation has good prospects, which requires work to be done in
that direction. Holland is the third among the European Union member
countries by the index of commodity circulation with Armenia, and
Armenia is a member of the World Bank Dutch Group.

The RA President expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister of the
Netherlands for a balanced approach to the settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. He also informed Jan Peter Balkenende about Turkish
President’s visit to Armenia at his invitation.

The Prime Minister of the Netherlands welcomed the current dialogue
between Armenia and Turkey. Touching upon discussions of the problem
of Armenian Genocide in the parliament of the Netherlands, the Dutch
Prime Minister said: "Of course, we are well aware of the issue of
Genocide, it is important to be sincere and honest with the history."

The Dutch Prime Minister expressed gratitude to the RA President
for assistance to citizens of Holland in the period of the
Georgian-Ossetian crisis, thanks to which hundreds of citizens of
Holland being in Georgia had a possibility to return to the homeland
through the territory of Armenia.

The RA President invited the Dutch Prime Minister to Armenia, which
will give a possibility to more minutely discuss the prospects of
further deepening of the political dialogue between the two countries
and the prospects of economic cooperation.

According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA President’s
Press Office, the same day S. Sargsyan also met with the OSCE Minsk
Group Co-chairs. Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, also took part in the meeting. Issues
regarding the negotiations process of the Nagorno Karabakh settlement,
as well as the possibility of the next meeting of Armenian and Azeri
Presidents were discussed.

S. Sargsyan also met with President of Serbia Boris Tadic. During the
meeting, the Presidents attached importance to further deepening of
cooperation between Armenia and Serbia in political, economic, and
cultural spheres and said that there is rather great potential in
that direction, the efficient realization of which needs exact steps.

At Serbian President’s request S. Sargsyan presented Armenia’s position
on Nagorno Karabakh settlement, Armenian-Turkish relations, and latest
regional events. The interlocutors held the same opinion that solution
of the current problems through negotiations, establishment of peace
and stability in the region are an important precondition for progress,
development, and implementation of regional initiatives.

The Serbian President emphasized the unique role the Serbian community
can have in the issue of further development of Armenian-Serbian
relations. B. Tadic invited S. Sargsyan to visit Serbia on an
official visit.

The same day S. Sargsyan met with President of Latvia Valdis
Zatlers. The two countries’ Presidents expressed satisfaction with the
current level of relations between Armenia and Latvia. They attached
importance to cooperation within the framework of the European Union
New Neighborhood Policy. S. Sargsyan considered instructive Latvia’s
experience in the direction of European integration. V. Zalters,
in his turn, expressed readiness to assist Armenia in that direction.

A number of regional problems were also touched upon during the
meeting.

Valdis Zalters invited the RA President to Riga.

In the second half of the day S. Sargsyan received U.S. Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice in her residence. A wide range of issues
related to Armenian-American relations and regional developments were
discussed during the meeting.

S. Sargsyan expressed gratitude to the U.S. government for assistance
provided to Armenia. In response, the U.S. Secretary of State said
that Armenia records progress in political reforms, which is a good
basis for providing permanence of such assistance.

The sides touched upon the process of Nagorno Karabakh problem
settlement proceeding within the framework of OSCE Minsk Group. The
RA President reaffirmed Armenia’s readiness in the issue of peaceful
settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh problem through negotiations and
compromises. C. Rice attached importance to the process of Nagorno
Karabakh problem peaceful settlement and emphasized that such a
solution of the problem will contribute to establishment of peace
and cooperation in the region.

The Secretary of State congratulated the RA President on the occasion
of his initiative aimed at normalizing relations with Turkey and
expressed the hope that Turkish President’s visit to Armenia and
latest Armenian-Turkish meeetings lay a good basis for cooperation.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress