NEW KARABAKH PLAN ‘LARGELY ACCEPTABLE’ TO AZERBAIJAN
Asbarez
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Mar 8th, 2010
PARIS (RFE/RL)-Azerbaijan reaffirmed its stated acceptance, in
principle, of a recently modified international plan to end the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after its Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
met the American, French and Russian mediators in Paris at the weekend.
In a short statement, the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
said they discussed with Mammadyarov the "updated version" of their
basic principles of a Karabakh settlement.
"They assessed the current stage of the negotiations and considered
comments of both the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides on the updated
Madrid Principles, which were presented to them by the Co-Chairs in
December 2009 and January 2010," read the statement.
The APA news agency quoted a spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry as saying Mammadyarov told the mediators that Baku "on the
whole accepts the document … barring a number of exceptions." "The
co-chairs pointed out that they will continue discussing the issue
with the Armenian side and will intensify the process," the official,
Elkhan Polukhov, said.
"The Co-Chairs plan to meet Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian
in Paris later this month for a similar discussion, prior to going
to the region," confirmed the mediators.
Nalbandian will accompany President Serzh Sarkisian on an official
visit to France that begins on Tuesday. An Armenian Foreign Ministry
spokesman could not say on Monday whether he will meet the co-chairs
on the sidelines of the trip.
The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents are understood to have
discussed the updated Madrid document at their January 25 talks in
Russia hosted by President Dmitry Medvedev. Russian Foreign Minister
Sergei Lavrov said they agreed to "prepare their own concrete ideas
and formulations" on their remaining disagreements.
Garnik Isagulian, an aide to Sarkisian, said last week that the
Armenian side has already sent relevant proposals to the mediators.
But he said he is unaware of their content.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
