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RusData Dialine - Russian Press Digest, Russia
July 8, 2011 Friday
Moscow prepares proposals on Karabakh
by Sokhbet Mamedov
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
HIGHLIGHT: In Baku, Sergey Lavrov will talk about a new meeting
between the three presidents
Today, Russia's foreign affairs minister will travel to Azerbaijan on
a short work visit. In Baku, he will hold talks with representatives
of the country's leadership, in the course of which various approaches
to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement should be addressed. But
according to the head of the Center for Political Innovations and
Technologies, Mubariz Ahmedoglu, the main objective of Lavrov's visit
is to organize another meeting between the Russian, Azerbaijani and
Armenian presidents.
Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit was unscheduled.
Therefore, Azerbaijan's foreign affairs minister, Elmar Mamedyarov,
was forced to cut short his tour of France and Italy and return to
Baku. Nevertheless, the Azerbaijani minister was able to cross off all
of the main items on the agenda. In particular, in Paris he was able
to meet with French Foreign Affairs Minister Alain Juppe and discuss
the prospects for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as
France's new proposals.
The details of the current meeting with Lavrov, just as those of the
recent meeting between Lavrov and Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister
Eduard Nalbandyan, are not being disclosed. Lavrov is known to believe
that replacing the OSCE Minsk Group with any other structure would be
impractical, as it "only diverts attention from the root of the
problem." Meanwhile, experts say there is a possibility Moscow could
make new proposals to Baku and Yerevan. Moreover, it should be noted
that after the meeting in Kazan, which took place on June 24, the
countries co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group did not take a time out, as
they did before, instead deciding to intensify the negotiating
process.
This position was fully supported by the European Union, whose high
representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Catherine
Ashton, confirmed last Wednesday that the EU supports the mediating
role of Russia, and the personal involvement of President Dmitry
Medvedev, in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
According to Ashton, US President Barack Obama, Medvedev and French
President Nicolas Sarkozy's joint statement in Deauville indicated
that the time has come to reach an agreement, the absence of which
would cast doubt on the parties' obligations.
"The relations between the two states are complicated," said Ashton.
"The co-chairmen fully inform me and the European External Action
Service on the work that has been accomplished by them, and the many
difficulties they encounter. But despite this fact, the parties need
to double their efforts in order to reach an agreement before the end
of this year."
>From her statement, it can be concluded that the countries co-chairing
the OSCE Minsk Group will no longer tolerate further delay in finding
an agreement on the basic principles, and want to complete the process
this year. According to Azerbaijani analysts, the reasons for the
mediator's haste are understandable - next year, elections will be
held in a number of countries that are taking part in the negotiating
process, which will reduce interest in the Karabakh problem.
It is in this context that we should view Lavrov's unscheduled visit
to Baku, the goal of which, says the head of the Center for Political
Innovations and Technologies, Mubariz Ahmedoglu, is to schedule
another meeting between the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan and
Armenia.
July 8, 2011 Friday
Moscow prepares proposals on Karabakh
by Sokhbet Mamedov
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
HIGHLIGHT: In Baku, Sergey Lavrov will talk about a new meeting
between the three presidents
Today, Russia's foreign affairs minister will travel to Azerbaijan on
a short work visit. In Baku, he will hold talks with representatives
of the country's leadership, in the course of which various approaches
to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement should be addressed. But
according to the head of the Center for Political Innovations and
Technologies, Mubariz Ahmedoglu, the main objective of Lavrov's visit
is to organize another meeting between the Russian, Azerbaijani and
Armenian presidents.
Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit was unscheduled.
Therefore, Azerbaijan's foreign affairs minister, Elmar Mamedyarov,
was forced to cut short his tour of France and Italy and return to
Baku. Nevertheless, the Azerbaijani minister was able to cross off all
of the main items on the agenda. In particular, in Paris he was able
to meet with French Foreign Affairs Minister Alain Juppe and discuss
the prospects for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as
France's new proposals.
The details of the current meeting with Lavrov, just as those of the
recent meeting between Lavrov and Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister
Eduard Nalbandyan, are not being disclosed. Lavrov is known to believe
that replacing the OSCE Minsk Group with any other structure would be
impractical, as it "only diverts attention from the root of the
problem." Meanwhile, experts say there is a possibility Moscow could
make new proposals to Baku and Yerevan. Moreover, it should be noted
that after the meeting in Kazan, which took place on June 24, the
countries co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group did not take a time out, as
they did before, instead deciding to intensify the negotiating
process.
This position was fully supported by the European Union, whose high
representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Catherine
Ashton, confirmed last Wednesday that the EU supports the mediating
role of Russia, and the personal involvement of President Dmitry
Medvedev, in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
According to Ashton, US President Barack Obama, Medvedev and French
President Nicolas Sarkozy's joint statement in Deauville indicated
that the time has come to reach an agreement, the absence of which
would cast doubt on the parties' obligations.
"The relations between the two states are complicated," said Ashton.
"The co-chairmen fully inform me and the European External Action
Service on the work that has been accomplished by them, and the many
difficulties they encounter. But despite this fact, the parties need
to double their efforts in order to reach an agreement before the end
of this year."
>From her statement, it can be concluded that the countries co-chairing
the OSCE Minsk Group will no longer tolerate further delay in finding
an agreement on the basic principles, and want to complete the process
this year. According to Azerbaijani analysts, the reasons for the
mediator's haste are understandable - next year, elections will be
held in a number of countries that are taking part in the negotiating
process, which will reduce interest in the Karabakh problem.
It is in this context that we should view Lavrov's unscheduled visit
to Baku, the goal of which, says the head of the Center for Political
Innovations and Technologies, Mubariz Ahmedoglu, is to schedule
another meeting between the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan and
Armenia.