MEETING BETWEEN ARMENIAN, AZERI LEADERS WILL BRIDGE THE GAP
Interfax
April 27 2009
Russia
There are positive trends in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process,
said Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian.
"Today there are some positive trends in the Karabakh process, since
the Azerbaijani president stated the desire to resolve the Nagorno-
Karabakh conflict in line with principles of international law, that is
on the basis of all principles. This is a very important and positive
trend," Nalbandian said in an interview with the state news agency.
The Armenian and Azeri presidents, who have already met three times,
will soon hold another meeting, he said.
"Hopefully, this meeting will be positive and constructive and will
enable more active talks and will intensify the progress and the
process of bridging the gap between the conflicting parties," the
Armenian foreign minister said.
The Armenian and Azeri presidents are due to meet in Prague on May 7.
*** The Co-chairmen of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group said they are optimistic about the resolution
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, during a press conference in Yerevan.
There are intentions and possibilities to settle this conflict,
U.S. Cochairman Matthew Bryza told the conference on Monday. U.S.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said recently that the conflict
might be resolved within the next few months, Bryza said, adding that
in his opinion that was realistic.
"The parties to the conflict understand that it is possible to make
progress, but it is still difficult to set a timeframe. One thing
is clear – the sides will concentrate on a peace agreement once
they coordinate positions on fundamental [settlement] principles,"
Russian Co- chairman Yuri Merzlyakov said.
The intermediaries hope for a fruitful and constructive meeting of the
Armenian and Azeri presidents in Prague on May 7, French Co-chairman
Bernard Fassier said.
‘The presidents may also meet in St. Petersburg in June, but everything
will depend on their will and mutual understanding," Fassier said.
The co-chairmen welcomed the closer relations between Armenia and
Turkey and the coordination of the normalization roadmap.
Merzlyakov rejected claims that Russia might withdraw its servicemen
from Armenia with the settlement of the Armenian-Turkish relations.
*** The roadmap for settling Armenian-Turkish relations does not
list any principles, or provisions, Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard
Nalbandian said.
The road map has no principles or provisions. It is a schedule of steps
the sides must make to enforce the reached agreements. Provisions
and principles will be laid down in an agreement or agreements,
which both sides will sign, Nalbandian said in an interview with the
national information agency on Monday.
There is not a single country that would not support or welcome
Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, he said.
Although, there is, perhaps, one country that has reservations –
Azerbaijan. I don’t think it is right, since the settlement of
Armenian- Turkish relations can only have a positive impact on
the region.
Azerbaijan is part of this region, the minister said.
Nalbandian also denied assertions that Armenia has agreed to the
settlement of relations after the events in South Ossetia, when
Armenia experienced problems delivering goods when motorways were
closed in Georgia.
You know very well that the Armenian president’s initative to settle
relations was proposed long before those events. That was not so.
The decision was made with the full awareness that we must settle
relations with Turkey, the Armenian foreign minister said.
Concerning the pessimistic assessment made in Armenia regarding the
establishment of relations with Turkey, Nalbandian said, if opinions
are aired that Turkey can deceive us, then Turkey will in the first
place deceive itself, the international community, the United States,
Russia and the European Union.
I hope, when we settle our relations, not only the Armenian
leaders will lay flowers at the tomb of victims of the genocide of
Armenians. We will be joined by Turkish leaders, he said.
He said that for the past few months, the president and the foreign
minister have been making statement to the effect that Armenia wants
to establish fully -fledged relations with Turkey and to settle them
without pre-conditions.
By making a joint statement with Turkey we are saying that we accept
the establishment of relations and the opening of the borders without
pre-conditions. I don’t think anyone has been deceived in Armenia,
the minister said.
A party in the governing coalition – the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation Dashnaktsutyun – announced on Monday that it was withdrawing
from the coalition and giving up all of its ministerial portfolios
and posts in the parliament.
The main reason for the withdrawal is disagreement over Armenia’s
foreign policy. The Federation agues that, the recognition of the
genocide of Armenians is a matter of national security. The party
is giving up all of its ministerial portfolios and posts in the
parliament, representative of the party’s supreme body, head of
the parliamentary foreign relations commission Armen Rustamian told
the press.
*** BAKU. April 27 (Interfax) – The co-chairmen of the OSCE
(Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) Minsk Group on
the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict resolution have agreed on a meeting
between Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh
Sargsyan in Prague on May 7, Russian co-chairman Yury Merzlyakov said.
"At their meetings with the [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairmen, Azeri
President President Ilham Aliyev and Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov confirmed the agreement to attend the meeting between
the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia due in Prague," Merzlyakov told
journalists at the Baku airport on Saturday.
The Prague meeting of the presidents will focus on their differences
on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict issue, he said. "Hopefully, there
will be results from this meeting," the Russian co-chairman said.
As for the next visit by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen to the
region, it will take place in May after the Prague meeting between
the Azeri and Armenian presidents, Merzlyakov said.
For his part, U.S. co-chairman Matthew Bryza also said he was satisfied
with the outcome of the Baku meeting. The meetings in Azerbaijan were
constructive, he said.
The Turkish-Armenian rapprochement has a positive effect on the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution, Bryza said.
French co-chairman Bernard Fassier also said the stabilization of
Turkish-Armenian relations will have a positive impact on the Nagorno-
Karabakh conflict resolution and stability in the region in general.
The meeting between the Azeri and Armenian leaders in St.
Petersburg in June will depend on the results of the Prague meeting,
he said.
There are reasonable hopes that the Azeri-Armenian conflict will be
resolved before the end of 2009, he added.
Resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is like building a house,
and it is a long process, he said.
Our visits and talks are already piling bricks but we not ready to
put on the roof yet, he said.
Hopefully, concrete and serious progress will be achieved before the
end of this year, the French co-chairman said.