DIMITRIY RUPEL: “AGRESSIVE LANGUAGE AMONG PARTIES TO BE EXCLUDED”
YEREVAN, MARCH 31, NOYAN TAPAN. The OSCE continues to believe that
political way is the only one for solving the Karabakh
conflict. Stating about it at the March 30 press conference in
Yerevan, Dimitriy Rupel, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, the Foreign
Minister of Slovenia, called to cease attempts to resume the
fire. “Agressive language among the parties should be excluded, we
should aim to bring the parties closer through dialogue,” D.Rupel
said. According to him, he envisages to discuss the issue of attempts
to break the regime of cease-fire, which have recently become more
frequent, during his coming visit to Baku.
Concerning statements of Azerbaijan high ranked officials about the
necessity of solving the Kharabakh problem in the military way,
D.Rupel stated: “The OSCE does not believe in such means. We shall
make attempts to assure Azerbaijan that no means other than peaceful
negotiations are acceptable.” As for the involvement of Nagorno
Karabakh in the process of the negotiations, the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office mentioned: “I can imagine the situation when the
opinion of the interested parties will be asked. But the main players
in this game are Armenia and Azerbaijan.” According to him, the
Karabakh conflict is a “special case”, which cannot be compared with
other conflicts on the post-Soviet territory.
Both D.Rupel and Vardan Osakanian, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of
Armenia, expressed satisfaction with the results of D.Rupel’s visit to
Yerevan and called the meetings taken place of full value and
effective. According to them, at the meetings of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office with the Chairman the RA NA and the RA Foreign
Minister, the first and foremost issue was the peacesful settlement of
the Karabakh conflict.
Vardan Oskanian highly estimated the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group
in the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.
According to him, the Minsk Group has not exhausted itself, it is able
to play a great role in the process of settlement. He also expressed
confidence, that a meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
will take place in May: it may happen on May 9 in Moscow or on May 16
in Warsaw.