MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS: SARGSYAN-ALIYEV MEETING MARKS SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS

armradio.am
08.05.2009 11:57

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Ambassador Yury Merzlyakov of
Russia, Ambassador Bernard Fassier of France, and Deputy Assistant
Secretary of State Matthew Bryza of the United States – have issued
the following statement:

"The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs organized a meeting of Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan,
with their Foreign Ministers, on 7 May at the residence of the
U.S. Ambassador in Prague. This meeting of the two Presidents is
the fourth in less than a year. The Co-Chairs are of the opinion
that each of these meetings has brought the sides closer to a
breakthrough. Today’s meeting marks significant progress in that
regard.

The Presidents welcomed the Co-Chairs’ plan to intensify further
their shuttle diplomacy to assemble all the elements required for
a breakthrough.

The Co-Chairs look forward to their next trip to the region and
to prepare a further summit, as proposed to the Presidents, in
St. Petersburg in early June. The Co-Chairs expect that these coming
meetings will allow for the concrete realization of a breakthrough
on the Basic Principles by the end of the year."