AZERI, ARMENIAN LEADERS AGREED TO MEET ON MAY 7
AzerNews Weekly
April 29 2009
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian
have agreed to meet in Prague on May 7 to discuss resolution of the
Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, an international mediator has said.
"Certainly, there are results. We have held quite lengthy talks with
President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, and the
confirmation [to hold another round of presidential talks] was the
result," Yury Merzlyakov, the Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk
Group brokering the peace process, told journalists on a visit to Baku.
Merzlyakov added that the two leaders will discuss issues of Garabagh
settlement that had not been earlier agreed upon, voicing hope that
the negotiations would be productive.
The meeting of Presidents Aliyev and Sarkisian will take place on
the sidelines of a summit of the European Union leaders and partners.
The US, Russian and French co-chairmen of the Minsk Group paid a visit
to Baku on Thursday and Friday during which they held meetings with
Azerbaijani leaders. Prior to arriving in the Azerbaijani capital,
the co-chairs visited Yerevan and Khankandi, the center of the
self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh republic. The mediators headed to
Yerevan again on Saturday.
Bernard Fassier, the French MG co-chairman, told reporters he hoped
major progress would be achieved in the conflict settlement by the
end of 2009. He also said very conducive conditions have emerged
for reaching a solution to the long-standing dispute and that the
mediators are working hard to reach that objective.
Mathew Bryza, the US co-chairman, said he had left Baku in a "good
mood" after holding talks here. During a further visit to Armenia,
he went as far as saying that the Garabagh conflict may be settled
over the next few months.
"We cannot cite a specific timeframe, but I hope that reaching
a solution is possible within several months," Bryza told a news
conference in Yerevan on Monday.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing
of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh
and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international
law. Peace talks have not yet resulted in resolving the conflict.
`New phase` The talks on settling the Garabagh conflict are entering
a new phase, Bryza told Radio Liberty.
He noted that the two countries` presidents had taken one year
to become acquainted with each other and study one another`s
positions. "Now, we are launching a new stage [in the conflict
resolution] by holding more detailed and profound discussions regarding
other elements of the main principles that need to be resolved."
Bryza said the MG co-chairs` main goal was to foster agreement between
the sides on three main principles reflected in the Helsinki Final
Act – territorial integrity, self-determination of nations and non-use
of force.
Asked about the summit on the Garabagh problem planned for
St. Petersburg, Russia in June, Bryza told reporters "ask Russia
this question."
Bryza added that the presidents of the MG co-chairing countries –
Barack Obama, Nicolas Sarkozy and Dmitry Medvedev – are also expected
to meet to discuss a Garabagh settlement.
While in the Armenian capital before the Baku visit, Bryza said both
countries are close to signing a preliminary agreement on settling
the Garabagh conflict. The co-chairs said only a few of the main
principles of the peace process remain to be agreed upon.
Regarding the mediators` visit to Khankandi, Bryza said the visit
sought to enquire "what the people living there think."
Medvedev-Sarkisian discussions As the co-chairs held talks in Baku,
Russian and Armenian Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Serzh Sarkisian
discussed the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict in Moscow.
The Armenian leader thanked Russia and its president in particular
for the invaluable contribution made to the Garabagh settlement.
Touching on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev`s recent visit
to Russia, Sarkisian said: "I have to say with a great deal of
satisfaction that during the Azerbaijani president`s visit, your
position remained unchanged and resolute when this problem came on
the agenda. And, this position is that the conflict must be settled on
the basis of all principles of international law. I am delighted that
there is another country in the South Caucasus that deems Russia as
its strategic partner, and this shows Russia`s increasing role and
opportunities in the resolution of the Upper Garabagh conflict."
President Aliyev described Russia as "Azerbaijan`s neighbor, friend
and strategic partner" and pledged to do his best to maintain this
high level of partnership during talks with his Russian counterpart
in Moscow on April 17.
President Medvedev told the press following talks with the Armenian
leader that the current meeting, as well as earlier negotiations
with President Aliyev, had demonstrated that the parties were
trying hard to make a constructive effort toward a solution of this
complicated conflict. "I think the steps being taken in this area
are hope-inspiring."
Moscow has lately intensified its efforts toward settling the Garabagh
conflict, Russian experts say. They note that St. Petersburg will host
the June talks between the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders. The
Russian president might attend the meeting as well. If Moscow
manages to accomplish results during the trilateral talks, it will
assert itself as the leading peace-making force in the turbulent
region. Analysts believe that one of the main reasons for Russia`s
recent involvement in the Garabagh peace process is that, following
its brief war with Georgia in August 2008, the superpower is trying
to repair its image by acting as a peacemaker in the South Caucasus.