Armenia not to withdraw from negotiations
Within the framework of the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament in Strasbourg on September 21, Speaker of Armenia's National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan had bilateral meetings with Speaker of Finland's Eduskunta (Parliament) Eero Heinaluoma, President of the National Council of Austria Barbara Prammer, and President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Riccardo Migliori.
According to a press release of the National Assembly, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly highly appreciated Hovik Abrahamyan's speech at the conference. He condemned the Safarov incident, praising Armenia's decision not to withdraw from the negotiating process. Speaking about resolution of the regional problems, Mr. Migliori stressed the importance of the Armenian-Turkish normalization, pointing out the role of parliaments in this connection. As regards the Nagorno Karabakh problem, he expressed an opinion that the problem should be solved on the basis of the Madrid Principles.
Speaker of Armenia's National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan said that Armenia attaches importance to cooperation with the OSCE and the organization's assistance to the ongoing democratic reforms in Armenia. In his words, the Armenian side values the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, considering that mediation as the only efficient format of the negotiating process. He said that the recognition of the Karabakh people's right to self-determination and the exercise of that right form the basis of the Kabakh problem's solution.
«Armenia is committed to solving the problem by peaceful means only and attaches importance to the creation of an atmosphere of mutual trust in order to continue the negotiations in a constructive manner. Azerbaijan's conduct and the latest events related to the Safarov case endanger the negotiating process and pose a threat to the regional stability, » H. Abrahamyan said. A number of other issues were also discussed at the meeting.
