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THE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS HAD VERY HONEST AND OPEN TALKS WITH THE ARMENIAN LEADERSHIP
ArmRadio.am
08.06.2007 11:53
"We held very honest and open talks with Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian," American Co-Chair
of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza stated to a press conference
in Yerevan.
He said, qualitative changes took place in the works of the Minsk
Group - it began to work more actively.
"As you know, I am optimist by nature; however I do not see special
progress after the meeting between Armenian and Azeri Presidents
in Saint Petersburg. The circle of differences becomes narrower,
but they exist.
Namely for that reason we've arrived in the region to settle a number
of issues," Bryza said.
The American diplomat particularly underlined that he had not told
anything about returning the 7 regions around Nagorno Karabakh to
Azerbaijan. "I was speaking about returning territories without naming
any figures, and I do not think that I have disclosed anything from
the negotiation process.
The OSCE Minsk Group perfectly knows that there exist Nagorno Karabakh
territories, which are occupied by Azerbaijan. But negotiations over
them are under the competence of Foreign Ministers of both countries,"
the American diplomat underlined.
He also noted that every side of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has
its own stance.
"The issue of Nagorno Karabakh status and its security is the main
one not only for the Karabakhi population, but also for the OSCE
Minsk Group," Bryza said. According to the American diplomat, the
Presidents must settle all issues, the Minsk Group just offers them
ways of resolution.
"Proposals of OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
settlement lie on the bargaining table, and we think that they may
become a basis for working out principles of conflict settlement,"
French Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier stated
to a press conference in Yerevan. He said, it is possible to
reach agreements on basic principles, and "that's why we are
optimists." "Armenian and Azeri Presidents must evaluate our proposals
and decide what points they agree and what points they do not agree
on. And this does not depend on the Minsk Group," Fassier noticed.
He underlined that a "breakthrough" in talks is possible when
Presidents begin to trust each other and come to a balanced and just
solution. Then Armenian and Azeri Foreign Ministers will begin to
work out a peace treaty," the French mediator underlined.
As for the participation of Karabakh representatives in the
negotiation process, Bernard Fassier once again repeated that sooner
NKR participates in talks, the better. "Now we discuss this issue with
the Azeri side. But we have not reached the point yet to speak about
details of agreement. We are preparing bases, and nobody, including
the Minsk Group knows when the sides will come to a solution," the
Co-Chair said, adding that meetings with Arkady Ghukasyan are necessary
for clarifying issues concerning the stance of Nagorno Karabakh.
"From the legal viewpoint the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Region
(NKAR) was a part of the Azerbaijani SSR. Now Nagorno Karabakh is an
unrecognized state and the issue of its borders and who it belongs to
is an issue of international law," Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group Yuri Merzlyakov stated to a press conference in Yerevan. He said,
after the collapse of the USSR Karabakh turned into a subject from the
object of international law. "That's why the issue of who it belongs
to is so painful. At the press conference in Baku I underlined that
Nagorno Karabakh was part of Azerbaijani SSR and not of Azerbaijan,"
he added.
At the same time the Russian mediator noted that OSCE Mink Group
recognizes the principle of territorial integrity of states. "If
not this, can you imagine what would happen in the whole world? I
perfectly know that till 1917 Nagorno Karabakh was part of the Russian
Empire. The history is necessary in order to settle conflicts, but it
is necessary to proceed from international law," Merzlyakov underlined.
ArmRadio.am
08.06.2007 11:53
"We held very honest and open talks with Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian," American Co-Chair
of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza stated to a press conference
in Yerevan.
He said, qualitative changes took place in the works of the Minsk
Group - it began to work more actively.
"As you know, I am optimist by nature; however I do not see special
progress after the meeting between Armenian and Azeri Presidents
in Saint Petersburg. The circle of differences becomes narrower,
but they exist.
Namely for that reason we've arrived in the region to settle a number
of issues," Bryza said.
The American diplomat particularly underlined that he had not told
anything about returning the 7 regions around Nagorno Karabakh to
Azerbaijan. "I was speaking about returning territories without naming
any figures, and I do not think that I have disclosed anything from
the negotiation process.
The OSCE Minsk Group perfectly knows that there exist Nagorno Karabakh
territories, which are occupied by Azerbaijan. But negotiations over
them are under the competence of Foreign Ministers of both countries,"
the American diplomat underlined.
He also noted that every side of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict has
its own stance.
"The issue of Nagorno Karabakh status and its security is the main
one not only for the Karabakhi population, but also for the OSCE
Minsk Group," Bryza said. According to the American diplomat, the
Presidents must settle all issues, the Minsk Group just offers them
ways of resolution.
"Proposals of OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
settlement lie on the bargaining table, and we think that they may
become a basis for working out principles of conflict settlement,"
French Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier stated
to a press conference in Yerevan. He said, it is possible to
reach agreements on basic principles, and "that's why we are
optimists." "Armenian and Azeri Presidents must evaluate our proposals
and decide what points they agree and what points they do not agree
on. And this does not depend on the Minsk Group," Fassier noticed.
He underlined that a "breakthrough" in talks is possible when
Presidents begin to trust each other and come to a balanced and just
solution. Then Armenian and Azeri Foreign Ministers will begin to
work out a peace treaty," the French mediator underlined.
As for the participation of Karabakh representatives in the
negotiation process, Bernard Fassier once again repeated that sooner
NKR participates in talks, the better. "Now we discuss this issue with
the Azeri side. But we have not reached the point yet to speak about
details of agreement. We are preparing bases, and nobody, including
the Minsk Group knows when the sides will come to a solution," the
Co-Chair said, adding that meetings with Arkady Ghukasyan are necessary
for clarifying issues concerning the stance of Nagorno Karabakh.
"From the legal viewpoint the Nagorno Karabakh Autonomous Region
(NKAR) was a part of the Azerbaijani SSR. Now Nagorno Karabakh is an
unrecognized state and the issue of its borders and who it belongs to
is an issue of international law," Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk
Group Yuri Merzlyakov stated to a press conference in Yerevan. He said,
after the collapse of the USSR Karabakh turned into a subject from the
object of international law. "That's why the issue of who it belongs
to is so painful. At the press conference in Baku I underlined that
Nagorno Karabakh was part of Azerbaijani SSR and not of Azerbaijan,"
he added.
At the same time the Russian mediator noted that OSCE Mink Group
recognizes the principle of territorial integrity of states. "If
not this, can you imagine what would happen in the whole world? I
perfectly know that till 1917 Nagorno Karabakh was part of the Russian
Empire. The history is necessary in order to settle conflicts, but it
is necessary to proceed from international law," Merzlyakov underlined.