Russia & CIS General Newswire
 Tuesday 11:54 AM MSK


OSCE Minsk Group sees need for Karabakh's role in settlement talks -
Armenian Foreign Ministry

YEREVAN. May 22

The co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group agree that the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic (NKR) should participate in talks aimed at settling the
Karabakh conflict, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan
said.

"The need for Artsakh [the Armenian name for Karabakh] to take part in
these talks is obvious to the [Karabakh settlement] mediators [from
the OSCE Minsk Group], as well. They [the mediators] have also talked
about the need for [Artsakh's] participation [in the talks],"
Kocharyan told reporters in parliament on Tuesday.

No progress can be achieved without Nagorno-Karabakh's involvement in
these negotiations, he said.

"Artsakh's non-participation in the talks stems from the destructive
stance pursued by Azerbaijan. The mediators know that Armenia cannot
hold talks in Artsakh's stead. Nagorno-Karabakh will join the talks as
soon as it becomes possible to make progress in the settlement
process," Kocharyan said.

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