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Vartan Oskanian: talks not deadlocked, window of opportunity is open

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  • Vartan Oskanian: talks not deadlocked, window of opportunity is open

    Public Radio, Armenia
    Dec 1 2006

    Vartan Oskanian: The talks are not in a deadlock, the window of
    opportunity is open
    01.12.2006 17:35

    Tatul Hakobyan
    "Radiolur"

    Only two days have passed after the meeting of Presidents Robert
    Kocharyan and Ilham Aliyev, and in this period there have been
    diverse analyses and statements regarding the negotiations on the
    Karabakh issue. Azerbaijan is making optimistic statements on the
    highest level, asserting that the parties are close to the settlement
    of the conflict. What is the position of the Armenian side? In
    response to the question, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
    said, `the Minsk meeting was positive. It was held in a rather
    constructive atmosphere. The Presidents mainly focused on the
    questions, which remain unsettled. Despite the fact that the positive
    course of the talks is obvious, it would not be correct to say that
    the Presidents agreed upon the disputable questions. There still
    remain discrepancies on some principles. Nevertheless, the talks are
    not in a deadlock. We did not have the confidence after the previous
    meetings, but this time we can assert that the negotiations are not
    in a deadlock. The Presidents will soon give instructions to the
    Foreign Ministers to continue the talks and there will be precise
    instructions on which issues to focus and what kind of approach to
    take in order to register further progress in the negotiation
    process.'
    The Foreign Minister noted that there is a 2.5-page document on the
    bargaining table. Azerbaijan's position is the same, Armenia's
    position has not changed either. Baku insists on territorial
    integrity, while Yerevan adheres to the right of self-determination
    of peoples. `There is only one way of combining these two seemingly
    contradicting principles, and this way is the referendum. And since
    the idea of referendum has found expression in the document on the
    table, I can say that we see the perspective that these two
    principles can be combined. Thus, NKR people should be given the
    chance to determine which one they prefer: the territorial integrity
    of Azerbaijan or the self-determination of Nagorno Karabakh.'
    Turning to the contemporary topic of open windows, Vartan Oskanian
    said, `Even if the window is closed, it can always be opened.
    Progress can always be achieved under the conditions of existence of
    political will. I think the window is open.'
    Minister Oskanian turned also to the topic of murders of Armenians in
    Russia, characterizing these as painful phenomena.
    What kind of shifts will be registered in Armenia's foreign policy
    after the parliamentary elections in 2007 and the presidential ones
    in 2008? Vartan Oskanian does not think there will be abrupt changes
    in the foreign policy priorities.
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