PRESIDENTS OF ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN MET IN PRAGUE
Anna Nazaryan

"Radiolur"
08.05.2009 10:18
Prague

The Presidents of the Armenia and Azerbaijan Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham
Aliyev had a meeting at the residence of the US Ambassador to the
Czech Republic.

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and the Foreign Ministers of the
two countries participated in the meeting. Neither the Presidents,
nor the Foreign Ministers made any statements for press. The Minsk
Group Co-Chairs told reporters the meeting was constructive.

US Co-Chair Matthew Bryza said they would work with the Ministers
within the coming months to clarify the remaining details of the
basic principles.

"They were able to reduce their differences on basic principles and
generally agree on the basic ideas they came here to discuss," said
US Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew Bryza, a Co-Chairman of the
Minsk Group.

"For the first time the Presidents agreed on basic ideas surrounding
these points," he told a news conference.

According to French Co-Chair Bernard Fassier, it is impossible not
to notice the progress. The Presidents are meeting more frequently,
and this is already an achievement. In general, all the disputable
questions have been agreed upon.

Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov informed about the possibility of
another presidential meeting in the near future.

"Most probably, the next meeting will take place in Saint Petersburg at
0Athe beginning of June. In any case, we will try to organize it. The
Foreign Ministers are expected to meet before that. We will meet the
Foreign Ministers, we will visit the region and try to organize the
meeting of Presidents," Merzlyakov said.

Asked whether the issues of Lachin corridor and the stats of Karabakh
are the most difficult points in the negotiations, Fassier said:
"You are better informed than me."

Bryza underlined that the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish
relations was a separate process. "The two processes develop parallel,
but at different paces," he said.

Following the Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting the President’s Press Office
issued a statement, which reads: "The Armenian side assesses the
meeting in Prague as useful, which enabled the parties to further
clarify the approaches on the basic principles of settlement of the
Karabakh issue and bring the positions closer on some points. The
Foreign Ministers of the two countries were instructed to continue
working with the Minsk Group Co-Chairs towards the coordination of
the basic principles of conflict resolution and prepare the next
meeting of the Presidents."