OSCE MINISTERIAL COUNCIL’S 17TH SESSION STARTS IN ATHENS
Noyan Tapan
Dec 2, 2009
ATHENS, DECEMBER 2, NOYAN TAPAN. OSCE Ministerial Council’s 17th
session started on December 1 in Athens. Armenia’s delegation led by
RA Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian participated in the session.
56 OSCE member countries’ Foreign Ministers, as well as high-ranking
representatives of over twenty international organizations participated
in the session.
On the first day of the session a meeting took place between OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairing countries’ Foreign Ministers, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, U.S.
Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg, RA and Azeri Foreign
Ministers Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadiarov. Co-chairing
countries’ Foreign Ministers on behalf of their Presidents expressed
support to the process of Nagorno Karabakh settlement and stressed
that the problem should be settled exclusively by peace.
A statement was adopted at the five-sided meeting, which expressed
satisfaction with the progress achieved during the frequent
meetings between RA and Azeri Presidents and called for keeping
the positive dynamics moving forward to final coordination of the
Basic Principles, on the basis of principles of non-use of force or
threat of force, territorial integrity, equality of peoples’ rights
and self-determination.
In the morning the same day E. Nalbandian took part in the unofficial
meeting of CSTO member countries’ Foreign Ministers, during which
the issues on the agenda of the OSCE Ministerial Council’s 17th
session were discussed for the purpose of clarifying and confronting
the positions. The Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Russia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan participated in
the meeting.
According to the RA government Information and Public Relations
Department, E. Nalbandian also had a number of bilateral meetings
in Athens.
At the meeting with Foreign Minister of Estonia Urmas Paet the
sides expressed satisfaction with the periodical contacts recording
that they give a good possibility to control the fulfillment of the
reached agreements and to outline new steps aimed at development of
the relations.
E. Nalbandian presented the latest developments in the Nagorno Karabakh
settlement negotiations to his Estonian counterpart, in particular,
the results of RA and Azeri Presidents’ meeting held on November 22
in Munich.
At the meeting with Foreign Minister of Slovakia Miroslav Lajcak the
interlocutors mentioned the readiness of undertaking active steps
to develop the bilateral relations, discussed the possibilities
of organization of high-level mutual visits, expansion of the
legal-contractual sphere, activization of the economic contacts and
promotion of cooperation in the humanitarian sphere.
M. Lajcak welcomed the steps aimed at normalization of Armenian-Turkish
relations and expressed his country’s support to that process.
RA and Turkish Foreign Ministers Edward Nalbandian and Ahmet Davutoglu
also met in the capital city of Greece. The Ministers touched upon
the process of ratification of the protocols signed on October 10
proceeding in the two countries.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
