Press and Information Department
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of the Republic of Armenia
Tel. + 37410 544041. ext. 202
Fax. + 37410 565601
e-mail: [email protected]
web:
Minister Oskanian at OSCE 15th Ministerial
November 22, 2007
Minister Vartan Oskanian participated in the 15th Ministerial
Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE). Foreign ministers and high officials of all 56 member states
participated in the meeting, held in Madrid, November 29-30.
The Minister addressed the conference and spoke about issues
facing the organization this year, including reforms, election
monitoring and the Conventional Forces in Europe treaty. He also spoke
about Armenia’s upcoming presidential elections. The Minister’s
statement concluded with a explanation of Armenia’s position on the
current status of the document being negotiated with the mediation of
the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
During the course of the annual meeting, Minister Oskanian
participated in three meetings devoted to the Nagorno Karabakh
resolution process. On the eve of the Ministerial Council, on
Wednesday November 28, the Minsk Group co-chairs met with the foreign
ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. They prepared for the meeting
which took place the following morning, November 29, in which the top
diplomats of the co-chair countries France, Russia and the US –
Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and
US Deputy Secretary of State Nicolas Burns – joined co-Chairs
Ambassadors Bernard Fassier (France), Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia) and
Matt Bryza (US) to present the parties with a modified Document on
Basic Principles. The co-chair leaders explained that the document
represented their best effort to reconcile the outstanding differences
on the basic principles which the sides have been negotiating for
nearly three years. They expressed hope that by formally presenting
these ideas, they would ensure that the negotiations continue to move
forward from this point, rather than starting from scratch during the
upcoming electoral year in both countries.
At the conclusion of the Ministerial Council, on Friday,
November 30, the Chairman in Office of the OSCE, Foreign Minister
Miguel Angel Moratinos of Spain received the co-chairs and Minister
Oskanian of Armenia and Minister Elmar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan. He
reaffirmed the OSCE’s continuing commitment to work with the sides to
reach a lasting settlement.
During the Ministerial Council, Minister Oskanian held several
bilateral meetings. He met with Swiss President Calmy-Rey, US Deputy
Secretary of State Nicolas Burns, Kazakhstani Foreign Minister Marat
Tazhin, Romanian Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu, Iceland’s Foreign
Minister Ingibjorg Solrum Gilsadottir, NATO Special Representative
Robert Simmons, ODIHR Director Christian Strohal, OSCE Secretary
General Marc de Brichambaud and UNHCR Europe Director Udo Janz. He
also participated in a meeting of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization.
The Miniserial Council adopted a Ministerial Statement on the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The Statement reads:
"We note with satisfaction that Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to
continue the ongoing negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict during the forthcoming election year.
"We support the mediation efforts of the Co-Chairmen of the OSCE
Minsk Group and their development with the parties of a set of basic
principles for the peaceful settlement of the conflict. We are
strongly encouraging both sides to overcome the last remaining
differences and thereby to endorse the overall concept of the
settlement and to proceed on this basis with dafting a comprehensive
Peace Agreement."