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.