Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Dec 3 2008

Final Resolution to Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict Hardly be Found in
Helsinki – OSCE Chairman-in-Office
04.12.08 02:51

Finland, Helsinki, 4 December/ corr TrendNews E.Gusatinskaya / `Good
job was done and progress was achieved this year. I believe the
[Armenian `Azerbaijani] Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be settled
soon. However, it will hardly possible to find final solution to the
dispute tomorrow [4 December] in Helsinki,’ OSCE Chairman-in-Office
Alexander Stubb said at a news conference on 3 December.

The 16th meeting of the OSCE Council of foreign ministers begins in
Finland on 4 December incorporating 50 foreign ministers, 1,200
delegates and over 2500 journalists.

Stubb appreciated work of the Minsk Group calling it `most appropriate
format for settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh problem’.

According to Stubb, one of main themes of the summit to open in
Helsinki will be lingering conflicts in former Soviet Union, first –
situation in South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as well as Nagorno-Karabakh
and Transdniestria. `Resolution of lingering conflicts in South
Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Transdniestria should not be outsourced,
although OSCE was not able to prevent war in Georgia this summer,’
OSCE chairman-in-office said. `Now chances to reach consensus is
better than they were lately,’ he said.

On 3 December Helsinki hosted first meetings, including meeting
between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia – Elman
Mamedyarov and Edward Nalbandyan, as well as Mamedyarov’s meeting with
co-chairmen of OSCE Minsk Group – Yuri Merzliakov, Russia, Matthew
Bryza, the United States, Bernard Fassier, France, and personal
representative of OSCE chairman-in-office , Andrzej Kasprzyk.