YEREVAN, MARCH 3, NOYAN TAPAN. At the March 3 joint press conference OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs characterized all past meetings both in Baku and in Stepanakert and Yerevan as rich and subject. The mediators reported that straight after the press conference they are again leaving for Baku where they are meeting with the President and Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan. The terms of a possible forthcoming meeting between Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will be also discussed in Baku. "We express a hope that both countries' Presidents will give a consent to meet in the coming months. We are leaving for Baku with positive feelings," Bernard Fassier stated. Meanwhile he did not render more concrete the terms of the coming meeting. "We are going to present the meeting dates to the Presidents and to give them a possibility to choose a term convenient for them." The problem of refugees took a special place at the press conference. According to Matthew Bryza, the OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-chair, the issue of return of refugees is a very important issue. It is of very much significance as one of the conflict consequences: "Refugees and displaced persons are a very important element in the process of conflict settlement, and the issue of refugees' return is touched upon at any discussions of the Nagorno Karabakh problem. Irrespective of the national belonging these people have rights, needs," M. Bryza stated. As to meetings with Nagorno Karabakh community, M. Bryza mentioned that the Co-chairs very attentively listened to the representatives of Nagorno Karabakh NGOs and intelligentsia. "They are involved in the process and we treat their opinion with respect," the American diplomat stated. He emphasized that the approaches to the conflict settlement should be acceptable for all sides and be based on the three main principles of Helsinki act: non-use of force, territorial integrity, self-determination right. As to the possibility of involving Nagorno Karabakh in the negotiations process, that is, the possibility of returning to the negotiations format of 1997, Russian Co-chair Yuri Merzliakov said that the negotiations process that started after 1997 and in which the Armenian and Azeri Presidents were already involved, "receives more impulses from these meetings than if Nagorno Karabakh again proposed its position within the framework of MG when in general it hardly gave anything." In his opinion, today the issue should be solved at another level, that is, there should be Presidents' consent on that problem.

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