FOREIGN MINISTERS OF AZERBAIJAN AND ARMENIA TO MEET IN BELGRADE
Next meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Elmar Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanian, is said to take place 18 April in Belgrade with participation of the OSCE co-chairs, AZERTAC correspondent reported, quoting the Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov as saying.
Mr. Merzlyakov also expressed hope that next visit of the co-chairs to region would take place prior to the next meeting of the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, supposedly, in late May-early June.
Commenting the item whether there is move in the negotiation process and when it might finish, the Russian co-chair said that it is difficult to forecast the events. “If to set aside all objective conditions for coordination of the basic principles of settlement, there are versions at the moment. I consider, that all depend on political will of the parties. That is, to make truly significant, last steps towards each other to coordinate these principles. And if this will happen, we shall have hard work to draw up the agreement, where, of course, also will appear many problems and contradictions. But, the major is that if we shall now coordinate these principles, that is the major items of the future settlement, this will give opportunity to our successors, the new leadership of Armenia, and the Azerbaijani side, not to make certain steps back”, Mr. Merzlyakov emphasized.
Asked whether the parliamentary elections in Armenia will pull aside the process of negotiation, Yuri Merzlyakov said that “this would not happen, as the process goes on at the level of foreign ministers, independent of elections, and this is very important”.
Yuri Merzlyakov also expressed deep satisfaction with statement of the Azerbaijan’s foreign minister E. Mammadyarov that Russia actively takes part in the talks. “It is very pleasant that Mammadyarov so highly assessed our activity, and I appreciate the statement of the Azerbaijani foreign minister”, said Mr. Merzlyakov.
