Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Russia plays positive role at talks on Nagorno-Karabakh-Azerbaijan

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Russia plays positive role at talks on Nagorno-Karabakh-Azerbaijan

    ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
    March 21, 2007 Wednesday

    Russia plays positive role at talks on Nagorno-Karabakh-Azerbaijan



    Russia plays a constructive role at the talks on settling the
    Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict around Nagorno-Karabakh. This opinion
    was expressed by Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov,
    speaking on Wednesday in the Institute of Central Asia and Caucasus
    at the John Hopkins University in Washington.

    ``Guided by the experience of my talks with co-chairmen (Minsk Group
    of the OSCE on Nagorno-Karabakh), I can say that the Russian
    representative plays a very constructive role,'' the foreign minister
    noted. ``There was a meeting in Moscow before the last round of talks
    at the ministerial level in Geneva.

    ``Russia's position, which was corroborated by my meeting with
    Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, coincides with ours: a forward
    movement is necessary:'' ``I appraise Russia's role as positive,''
    the minister emphasized again.

    Mamedyarov noted that Azerbaijan has no greater priority task in
    implementing its foreign policy course than a settlement of the
    Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. ``Nagorno-Karabakh is a very sensitive
    question for the peoples of the two countries,'' he continued.

    ``We were close to concluding an agreement a couple of times over the
    past 15 years, during which the talks have been conducted, but some
    events, interfering with achieving peace, would pop up at the last
    moment. I personally believe that it is the most propitious time now
    to settle the conflict. We should do it step by step, moving to
    greater confidence between the two nations.''

    According to the minister, Baku claims that the earliest settlement
    of the conflict ``is in the interests of Armenia and its national
    security''. ``It's clear that a political decision should be made,''
    the minister added. ``A decision to consolidate gradually confidence
    between the two countries, to step up economic cooperation, to
    withdraw troops and to deploy international peacekeepers. These are
    actualities of life.

    ``The quicker the Armenian leadership understands this, the better it
    will be for Armenians themselves and for the region as a whole.''
    ``We continue work on principles of a settlement for the time
    being,'' the minister underlined. ``Much has been done, but we should
    do even more. We should look into the future.''
Working...
X