U.S. DIPLOMAT HAILS AZERI-ARMENIAN MINISTERIAL MEETING IN HELSINKI

Interfax
Dec 4 2008
Russia

U.S. Co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group on Nagorno-Karabakh Matthew
Bryza has hailed a meeting between the Armenian and Azeri foreign
ministers in Helsinki, seeing it as yet another step towards resolving
the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

It’s hard to say whether the meeting was or was not a success
because it is part of the general process and the next step after the
Azeri-Armenian summit in Moscow, the diplomat told a news conference
in Helsinki, the Azeri ANS television reports.

Bryza said he believed a regular top-level meeting was likely to
be held amid signs of growing trust between the Armenian and Azeri
presidents.

He stressed that the future peace agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh should
be based on the principle of territorial integrity.

The United States does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence
and hopes Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians will switch to the negotiating
process at a certain stage and in fact are already taking part in it,
Bryza said, adding that he often traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh to meet
with local leaders.

Apart from the principle of territorial integrity, the document should
also reflect the right to self-determination, he said.

Some progress has been made but differences remain and talks are the
only way of settling them, the U.S. diplomat said.