BRYZA HOPES TO REMAIN IN THE MINSK GROUP
By Kim Gabrielian

AZG DAILY
04-03-2009

Karabakh conflict

"The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs’ recurrent visit to Stepanakert aimed
at presenting the new possibilities in Karabakh conflict settlement
perspective", the Co-chairs and NKR President Bako Sahakian made a
statement after a three-hour meeting.

According to the Russian Co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov, the meeting was
meaningful; there were concrete issues about concrete projects. "There
are objective conditions to reach a settlement, but evidently, there
are no subjective conditions. It is the political will of the sides
to take sometimes difficult but necessary decisions", the Russian
diplomat added.

The NKR President presented information on economic and social
situation of Karabakh.

The mediators hoped that after meeting with the RA President Serzh
Sargsian it would be necessary to visit Baku to discuss some issues.

To the question of the journalists, why the Minsk Group Co-chairs
visited the region separately last fall, the French Co-chair
Bernard Fassier answered that the Co-chairs trust each other, and
the separate visits were the results of continuous discussions,
by mutual arrangement.

The representatives of the mass media were interested in the US
Co-chair Matthew Bryza’s comments on the US Department of State report,
which presents facts about discrimination against ethnic minorities
in Azerbaijan. According to the US diplomat, it is not an unusual
thing, as the Department of State publishes annually similar reports
on present situation in different countries.

What about the increase in firings on the front line, the Co-chairs
said that the violations of the ceasefire didn’t increase, in the
past the sides didn’t merely make official announcements.

To the question of "Azg" daily, whether it might be Matthew Bryza’s
last visit to the region as a mediator, the Co-chair answered with a
characteristic smile, ‘I hope not. I like my work that I am doing for
four years. Taking into account that I am in the US new government
team, I anticipate remaining in the Minsk Group. In any case, I
want it’.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress