VARDAN OSKANYAN: NO ALTERNATIVE TO DIALOGUE IN THE SETTLEMENT OF THE KARABAKH CONFLICT
ArmRadio.am
08.06.2006 14:58
During the meeting in Bucharest Presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan did not manage to agree on questions not agreed upon in
Ramboulliet. The parties, however, decided to continue the talks.
“There is no alternative to dialogue in the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict. The parties agreed that the Foreign Ministers will hold
another meeting in case the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs consider it
is necessary,” Vardan Oskanyan said.
Mr. Oskanyan did not rule out the possibility of the meeting on the
level of Foreign Ministers and expressed the hope that it will be
possible to agree upon at least some document of principle in 2006.
“In Bucharest and Ramboulliet the Presidents did not manage to come
to an agreement on a very complex issue,” Vardan Oskanyan noted.
In response to the question what the hopes for positive resolution are
based on, the Foreign Minister said, “Every time when new formulations
or approaches on questions of principle are suggested, each of the
sides hopes it will manage to persuade the other party during the
meeting. This failed in Bucharest, we need to try again.”
RA Foreign Minister underlined that the position of the Armenian side
has not changed. Yerevan is ready to discuss issues of eliminating
the results of the conflict only in case Azerbaijan recognizes the
right for self-determination of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Vardan Oskanyan declared that Armenian does not feel pressure on the
part of the mediators and does not consider that the parties will
face such pressure in the future.