Armenian Public TV, Armenia
Oct 30 2008

Armenia confident Moscow meeting to further Karabakh settlement

[Presenter] Before the tripartite meeting between [Russian President
Dmitriy] Medvedev,[Armenian President Serzh] Sargsyan and [Azerbaijani
President Ilham] Aliyev to be held in Moscow on Sunday [2 November],
the foreign ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan will meet in
Moscow on 31 October. They will prepare the presidents’ meeting. On 1
November, the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers will meet the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

[Correspondent] The Armenian foreign minister is sure that the
tripartite meeting between Medvedev, Sargsyan and Aliyev in Moscow
will open a new page in the Karabakh settlement process. The
settlement format has not changed, says Minister [Edvard] Nalbandyan,
adding that Yerevan welcomes the Russian president’s initiative to
boost the talks.

[Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan, addressing journalists
at a news conference] We think that the talks are at a very important
phase, we think the talks may be boosted especially after Russian
President Medvedev’s initiative, and we hope that the meeting of the
presidents will add momentum to step up the talks.

[Correspondent] The minister dismissed the reports that the Karabakh
settlement was discussed during the meeting between the Armenian,
Azerbaijani and Turkish foreign ministers in New York in
September. The meeting lasted only 15 minutes and discussed Turkey’s
initiative to set a platform for stability and cooperation in the
Caucasus. Turkey may only assist in the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict, Nalbandyan said, by normalizing its relations with Armenia,
opening the border and influencing Azerbaijan’s position in order to
make the Karabakh talks more constructive.

[Nalbandyan] Today we are in talks with Turkey with regard to the
establishment of diplomatic relations, the opening of the border and
Armenian-Turkish relations in general without any precondition. This
means exactly that there can be no precondition that may be linked
with the Karabakh settlement.

[Correspondent] The minister does not share the views of some analysts
that Armenia’s foreign policies were more predictable 10 or 15 years
ago than today.

[Nalbandyan] Maybe, 10 or 15 years ago, not many things were
planned. That’s why they could be more predictable. Our foreign
policies are sustainable, if someone notices a change in relations
with Russia, I would like to assure you that this change can only be
aimed at the further strengthening, expansion and deepening of our
allied and strategic relations with Russia.

[Correspondent] Nalbandyan dismissed the statements of the radical
opposition that the settlement of the Karabakh conflict is a matter of
two or three months. The real picture is that it is possible to reach
an agreement with Azerbaijan and this may happen if the neighbouring
country [Azerbaijan] shows political will and starts to move towards a
settlement instead of initiating destructive steps by making various
statements in international organizations, the minister said.