ARMENIAN MINISTER READY TO MEET AZERBAIJANI COUNTERPART

Interfax
Jan 22 2009
Russia

Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandian has said he is ready to
meet his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov.

"Azerbaijan has given its consent to the meeting and I have nothing
against it. Hopefully the meeting will take place in Zurich before
the meeting of the presidents of the two countries," he said at a
Wednesday press conference.

He said the cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk group did not propose any
changes to the negotiations. "The cochairmen of the Minsk group did
not propose any changes to the negotiating process to settle the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict to us. The talks took place on the basis of
the Madrid principles and the provisions recorded in the declarations
adopted in Moscow and Helsinki," Nalbandian said.

He said Armenia and Azerbaijan should be taking confidence-building
steps. "Azerbaijani propaganda is not promoting the negotiating
process," he felt.

Speaking of the chances of a framework agreement on key principles
of the settlement in Karabakh Nalbandian said that "the chance will
appear when Baku demonstrates a constructive approach."

"However, I won’t be making any guesses about when such a document
can be signed," he said.

The Armenian official also stressed the importance of the involvement
of Karabakh in the talks. "Armenia attaches significance to the
involvement of Nagorno Karabakh in the talks. It is difficult to
imagine the solution of the issue without it. Besides, the people of
Nagorno Karabakh should decide themselves how they want to see their
future," he said.