Interfax News Agency, Russia
Oct 23 2008

Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan interested in resolution of Karabakh
conflict – Russian MP

MOSCOW Oct 23

The intended meeting of the Armenia, Azeri and Russian presidents on
the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement will add further impetus to talks and
will contribute to easing tensions in the region, State Duma Defense
Committee Chairman Viktor Zavarzin said.

"I am certain that the intended meeting of the three presidents will
contribute to improving the situation and the negotiating process in
general; moreover the parties are interested in this," Zavarzin told
journalists in Moscow on Wednesday, commenting on Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev’s comment about the possibility of a meeting between
the three presidents.

Co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group, which sponsors the Nagorno-
Karabakh settlement, "decided to activate ‘shuttle’ diplomacy in order
to try to finally agree on basic settlement principles and at least to
maintain the negotiating process, at the same trying to preserve all
positive achievements in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement secured in
the past few years and not to allow to ‘reset’ the already agreed upon
basic principles," said Zavarzin, who took part in work of the Minsk
Group.

"The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict can only be resolved through agreements
with strict compliance with international principles, while all
parties concerned should be satisfied," the MP said.