AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA RECOGNIZE PROGRESS AT TALKS ON KARABAKH

Interfax
Feb 4 2009
Russia

Baku and Yerevan have recognized progress at the recent talks on
the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement held by the presidents and foreign
ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Switzerland.

"New as well as older principles were discussed," Azeri Foreign
Minister Elmar Mamedyarov told journalists. There are certain unsettled
issues in the basic principles that were discussed at presidential
level, he said.

"Each of the presidents expressed his opinion in an atmosphere of
mutual understanding. Naturally, this is a complex process but we
should be moving forward. There is no alternative to it," Mamedyarov
said.

"Both presidents recognized certain dynamics in tackling the Karabakh
conflict meaning that the sides are beginning to understand each other
better from meeting to meeting and trying to resolve the existing
problems," Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandian said.

"I want to say that currently the settlement principles are being
developed. After the key principles are agreed the sides will start
work on basic documents," Nalbandian said.

U.S. cochairman of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza spoke of the
productiveness of the presidential meeting.

There is development, dynamics has increased, and this is a positive
element, he said.