PRESIDENTS SATISFIED WITH WARSAW MEETING
New impulse to Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue.
Meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents taken place in Warsaw is the main subject of discussions in both countries. The statements pronounced in Warsaw allow hoping that a political solution will be found for the problem; however, it is too early to speak about a break in negotiations.
The Armenian party was not very willing to disclose the information about the Warsaw meeting. However, it can be judged from the statements of the Azerbaijani side that there is a certain progress. Ilham Aliyev, who used to say that negotiations were in a deadlock, now assures there were possibilities for finding ways to settle the conflict.
Everything was more or less clear until the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers started to do contradicting statements. Eldar Mamedyarov, FM of Azerbaijan said the Presidents discussed ''concrete ideas presented by the Minsk group co-chairs in Prague''. Thus, he confirmed the information of the Russian mediator Yuri Merzlyakov that the mediators had presented new proposals. Only two weeks ago Mamedyarov was denying the existence of new initiatives. Vartan Oskanyan continues to insist that ''no concrete ideas were discussed during the Warsaw meeting''.
We shall note that after the Paris meeting the Russian co-chair of the Minsk group made an almost sensational statements saying that the mediators had presented new proposals that seemed optimistic even to the FMs of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Oskanyan and Mamedyarov denied this information while the two other co-chairmen were keeping silence. So, if up to now there was an evident contradiction in the statements of the mediators and Ministers, now the conflict parties contradict themselves. It is difficult to explain it. In Baku they think that the Armenian Minister does not want to publicize the fact that there are new proposals because he doesn't know yet how it will affect the moods of the opposition.
We think that everything will be clarified at the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to be held on May 12-13 in Strasburg with participation of the mediators. Informing about it, Vartan Oskanyan noted that the Ministers would arrive at the meeting having been instructed by their Presidents.
Everything was more or less clear until the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers started to do contradicting statements. Eldar Mamedyarov, FM of Azerbaijan said the Presidents discussed ''concrete ideas presented by the Minsk group co-chairs in Prague''. Thus, he confirmed the information of the Russian mediator Yuri Merzlyakov that the mediators had presented new proposals. Only two weeks ago Mamedyarov was denying the existence of new initiatives. Vartan Oskanyan continues to insist that ''no concrete ideas were discussed during the Warsaw meeting''.
We shall note that after the Paris meeting the Russian co-chair of the Minsk group made an almost sensational statements saying that the mediators had presented new proposals that seemed optimistic even to the FMs of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Oskanyan and Mamedyarov denied this information while the two other co-chairmen were keeping silence. So, if up to now there was an evident contradiction in the statements of the mediators and Ministers, now the conflict parties contradict themselves. It is difficult to explain it. In Baku they think that the Armenian Minister does not want to publicize the fact that there are new proposals because he doesn't know yet how it will affect the moods of the opposition.
We think that everything will be clarified at the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to be held on May 12-13 in Strasburg with participation of the mediators. Informing about it, Vartan Oskanyan noted that the Ministers would arrive at the meeting having been instructed by their Presidents.
