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Another Window Of Opportunity Opens Before Oskanian-Mameyarov Meetin

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  • Another Window Of Opportunity Opens Before Oskanian-Mameyarov Meetin

    ANOTHER WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY OPENS BEFORE OSKANIAN-MAMEDIAROV MEETING
    By Aghavni Harutyunian

    AZG Armenian Daily
    19/05/2006

    It seems new developments are expected in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
    settlement or, perhaps, such an impression is being shaped at some
    levels of the settlement process. Particularly, when the meeting
    of foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan is being prepared,
    taking the advantage of the 116th session of the CE Foreign Ministers'
    Committee, Matthew Bryza, US Deputy State Secretary for European
    and Eurasian Affairs, stated the following: "The sides are more than
    close to coming to agreement."

    According to RFE/RL, Bryza also said that particularly, USA,
    observes the coming period of few months as another opportunity
    for settlement. Bryza believes that the authorities of Armenia and
    Azerbaijan should display political courage to overcome the last
    contradictions.

    It's noteworthy that Bryza expressed such optimism also in the course
    of his visit to Yerevan after the negotiations in Rambouillet. But
    his recent statements seem to be more optimistic.

    At the same time, Peter Semneby, EU Special Representative to the
    South Caucasus, said in the interview to the Russian Nezavisimaya
    Gazeta that the conflicts of this region will not be settled without
    hard work and mutual trust. Moreover, both EU and Russia, as well as
    the regional countries should spare no efforts for that. But Semneby
    didn't exclude the threat of new escalation of the conflicts unless
    they are unsettled.

    It's worth mentioning that at present, Mr. Semneby sees no prospects
    for membership of the South Caucasus states to EU and states that
    that will be hard to apply the a similar with the stability pact in
    the Balkan states in our region. Though EU suggests more profound
    relations to the South Caucasus states within the framework of the
    EU New Neighborhood Program, it doesn't envisage a prospect for the
    membership to EU.

    Besides, Semneby stated that EU is going to render financial assistance
    of several hundred millions of Euros to each South Caucasus states
    in 2007-2013.

    Thus, if the prospect of EU membership was one of the key issues on
    the settlement process of the Balkan states, EU leaves "the frozen
    conflicts" in the South Caucasus to the regional states. At the same
    time, the European and the American diplomats do not forget to remind
    about "the notorious window of opportunity" just before the meeting
    of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Though the very
    sides in conflict do not make any progress in the negotiations, the
    international participants of the settlement process speak of only
    final settlement in their statements.
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