TALKS BEGIN NEAR MOSCOW BETWEEN RUSSIAN, AZERI, ARMENIAN PRESIDENTS

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS General Newswire
November 2, 2008 Sunday 3:01 PM MSK
Russia

Talks on Nagorno Karabakh settlement between Russian, Azeri and
Armenian presidents Dmitry Medvedev, Ilham Aliyev and Serge Sargsyan
began at Meiendorf Castle near Moscow on Sunday.

Medvedev announced in Yerevan last week his plans to invite the Azeri
and Armenian presidents to Russia to discuss the Nagorno Karabakh
problem.

The events in South Ossetia in August showed that, "all disputable
issues must be tackled based on international principles," the
Russian president said then. "Nothing else exists that would bring
about positive results," he said.

"We are at an advanced stage now, and both parties are prepared
for talks," Medvedev said, when asked by Interfax to comment on the
current state of Karabakh settlement.