VISIT OF THE OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRMEN TO THE NKR

Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
2011-06-09 14:58

Within their regional visit, Co-Chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group
Robert Bradtke (USA), Igor Popov (Russia), and Bernard Fassier were
on a visit to the Nagorno Karabakh Republic on June 8-9.

NKR President Bako Sahakian received the mediators to discuss issues
related to the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement and regional
processes. According to the Central Information Department of the NKR
President’s Office, the meeting participants noted that there was no
alternative to the peaceful settlement of the conflict. Introducing the
position of official Stepanakert, the head of state emphasized that
it would be impossible to achieve any breakthrough in the conflict
settlement process without the participation of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic in all the stages of the negotiation process.

NKR Foreign Minister Georgy Petrosian, Personal Representative of
the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk, and other officials
participated in the meeting.

***

“As you know, a few days ago, our three Presidents adopted a
significant joint declaration at the Great 8 Summit in Dovile, in
which they emphasized that there was no alternative to the peaceful
settlement of the conflict. This is a very important fact. They also
stressed that it was preferable to approve the basic principles of
the settlement as soon as possible in order that the elaboration of
the peaceful settlement project could be started”, stated OSCE Minsk
Group Co-Chairman from France Bernard Fassier after the meeting with
the NKR President.

“We discussed with President Sahakian the events, which had taken
place since our last meeting in April. From the diplomatic point of
view, that was a very tense period. I had a chance to inform President
Sahakian about the visits of Ministers Nalbandian and Mamedyarov to
Washington. In particular, one of the most important moments at the
meetings of Secretary of State Clinton with each of the Ministers was
that she emphasized the unacceptability of the use of force. And as
the Presidents noted in Dovile, the use of force led to the emergence
of the existing unacceptable situation. The use of force will not
resolve the issue and will only bring to more deaths and sufferings.

And the USA are firmly committed to the peaceful settlement of the
Karabakh issue”, said American Co-Chairman Robert Bradtke.

Russian mediator Igor Popov added, “We also spoke about the Russian
efforts directed to the soonest accomplishment of the work over
the basic principles of settlement. I informed that on April 22,
a meeting of the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan and Armenia, with
the participation of Sergey Lavrov, took place in Moscow, at which
the project was discussed. The next meeting of the Ministers should
take place in the nearest future. In the focus of attention will be
discussion of the final formulations to be proposed at the next summit
in Kazan. We proceed from the fact that the Dovile statement of the
three Presidents, in which the soonest accomplishment of the work over
this document is noted, will give additional impetus to this work. We
hope that the parties will display a constructive approach in Kazan”.