ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER’S WORKING VISIT TO HELSINKI STARTS

Noyan Tapan

Dec 4, 2008

HELSINKI, DECEMBER 4, NOYAN TAPAN. RA Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian, who is in Helsinki on a working visit, on December 3 met
with OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut. The latter
informed him about his intention to visit Armenia soon.

E. Nalbandian said that Armenia attaches importance to OSCE’s role
in providing security and cooperation in Europe and considers that
the organization needs reformation to more efficiently respond to
the current problems.

The current security system in Europe was touched upon at the
meeting. The RA Foreign Minister emphasized that the European security
system needs perfection, and the organization member countries should
exert joint efforts to make it more active and effective.

Issues connected with OSCE Yerevan Office’s activity and raising its
efficiency were also discussed at the meeting.

The same day E. Nalbandian met with Goran Lenmarker, OSCE PA Rapporteur
on Nagorno Karabakh issue. The latest developments in the negotiations
on Artsakh problem settlement were discussed at the meeting. Attaching
importance to the declaration signed by the Presidents of Armenia,
Azerbaijan, and Russia on November 2 in Moscow, E. Nalbandian said
that the misrepresented commentaries upon the declaration voiced by
Azerbaijan and its attempts to disregard the provisions stipulated
by the document undermine the efficiency of the process and recording
of progress.

G. Lenmarker, in his turn, reaffirmed that OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
has always supported Nagorno Karabakh settlement only through peaceful
negotiations.

According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA Foreign
Ministry Press and Information Department, the same day E. Nalbandian
and Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadiarov met with OSCE Minsk Group
Co-chairs Yuri Merzliakov, Bernard Fassier, Matthew Bryza, and Personal
Representative of OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Casprzyk. Issues
related to Nagorno Karabakh settlement were discussed during the
meeting. They attached importance to the preservation of the positive
spirit formed as a result of Armenian and Azeri Presidents’ meeting
held on June 6, 2008 in Saint Petersburg and on November 2 in Moscow,
continuation of the negotiations on the basis of Madrid principles,
with the assistance of MG Co-chairs for the purpose of bringing close
the approaches of the sides, settling the problem peacefully.