OSCE HEAD DENIES PRESSURE ON AZERBAIJAN AHEAD OF KARABAKH TALKS IN MOSCOW

ANS TV
July 17 2009
Azerbaijan

[President] OSCE Secretary-General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut,
who is paying an official visit to Azerbaijan, met President Ilham
Aliyev today. At the meeting, they discussed the current state and
prospects of the negotiations held within the framework of the OSCE
Minsk Group on a peaceful solution to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict
over Nagornyy Karabakh.

Marc Perrin de Brichambaut has explained his visit to Baku on the
eve of a meeting of the presidents of the two countries over the
settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict [in Moscow on 17 July]
while he did not go to Yerevan as follows:

[Brichambaut, speaking in English with overlaid translation
into Azerbaijani] I have been visiting countries of the region at
different moments. The main goal of my visits has always been to boost
relationship and cooperation between OSCE missions and state agencies
in those countries. My visit was scheduled two months ago. The fact
that this visit is happening at the time of the next meeting on the
settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict is a coincidence.

The OSCE does not put pressure on its member countries. It establishes
cooperation with member states in order to build stability.