Trend, Azerbaijan
July 9 2009

Armenia’s mood on Karabakh issue considerably improved: OSCE MG U.S. Co-Chair

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 9 /Trend News, E.Tariverdiyeva/

Armenia’s mood concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement has
been considerably improved, said Matthew Bryza, the U.S. Co-Chair of
the OSCE Minsk Group, before his visit to Baku from Yerevan, where the
mediators held talks on the Karabakh settlement yesterday.

"I think it will lead to some progress in the talks. I hope the U.S.,
French and Russian presidents will express their opinion on this issue
at the G-8 summit," Bryza said.

Leaders of Russia, the United States and France may issue a statement
on the Nagorno-Karabakh at the G8 summit in L’Aquila, the Assistant to
the Russian president, Arkadiy Dvorkovich, told journalists, RIA
Novosti reported.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. – are
currently holding the peace negotiations.

Bryza just said that the Azerbaijani president’s statement is fertile
ground to develop a "framework agreement" to resolve the conflict. "We
have designed a" framework agreement", some points of which do not
satisfy Armenia, but there are also some points with which they
agree," the co-chair said.

An advance, observed in the Karabakh settlement, indicates that the
two presidents and two ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan are very
serious about their work, and both countries support a peaceful
resolution to the conflict, believes Bryza.

The next negotiations between the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents
will take place in Moscow, he said.

"Constructive negotiations were held in Yerevan and we hope for such
negotiations in Baku which will enable us to achieve further
progress," Bernard Fassier, the French Co-Chair told journalists.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress