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OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS MET THE NKR PRESIDENT IN YEREVAN

Politics

After the one-hour meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs with the NKR President Arkadi Ghoukasyan in the NKR representation in Yerevan the Russian co-chair, Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov announced that he has nothing to tell the journalists. “No we must go on to the RA President. Today we will answer only the questions of the journalists from Karabakh”. In fact, there were no journalists from Karabakh.

The journalists from Armenia only managed to find out that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have not made any written offer to the NKR President. “The offers were only oral”, Ambassador Merzlyakov said. Asked the question why the co-chairs meet the NKR President in Yerevan and not in Stepanakert President Ghoukasyan said, “They apologized for not being able to go to Karabakh because of the shortage of time. Besides, here in Yerevan they saw the representation of NKR which means that the Nagorno Karabakh Republic is a strongly established state”.

“WE ARE STILL FAR AWAY FROM THE SETTLEMENT OF THE KARABAKH CONFLICT”, NKR PRESIDENT SAYS

“No new offers were represented to me. We simply discussed all the issues connected with the settlement of the Karabakh conflict”, the NKR President Arkadi Ghoukasyan announced after the meeting with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. During the meeting President Ghoukasyan had expressed his discontent mentioning, “The aggressive announcements from the Azeri side do not contribute to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict and because of them all the discussions may result in vain”.

The NKR President assured the co-chairs that the negotiations cannot result efficient without the participation of the Karabakh side. As for the settlement of the issue in 2006, Ghoukasyan mentioned, “The co-chairs agree that the year 2006 is an optimal period for settling the conflict, as there are not elections in the countries concerned. As for whether the conflict will be fully settled in 2006 or not, only Nostradamus can say that”.

Mr. Ghoukasyan himself thinks that we are still far away from the settlement of the conflict. “Karabakh has many problems not with Armenia but with Azerbaijan, and if Azerbaijan wants to settle the conflict, they must speak to Karabakh. I asked the co-chairs a question why Azerbaijan does not take that step”. The co-chairs had left the President’s question without answer.

The NKR President claimed that he does not have any disagreements with the RA President as to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict. He also mentioned that he does not share the opinion of the RA former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan that we can no more gain what we could gain in 1997 in the Karabakh issue, “Levon Ter-Petrosyan has the right to have his own point of view, but I am convinced that today we can get more than in 2006”.

The NKR President reminded once more that the areas announced as “occupied” by Azerbaijan are a security zone for Karabakh. “It is useless to discuss any issue without discussing that of the status of Karabakh. Any settlement of the issue presupposes compromise, but as for what the compromise must be, that’s to be decided during negotiations. The only thing I can assure you of is that Karabakh will never, no more form part of Azerbaijan”.