March 26, 2004 - 18:34 AMT
AZERBAIJAN WAS NOT READY FOR MEETING IN PRAGUE, EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE SUPPOSES
The refusal of official Baku to take part in the meeting of the Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers planned in Prague March 29 may testify of the "unavailability of the country for a meeting of the kind", EU special representative for the South Caucasus Heikki Talvitie told journalists in Yerevan today. At the same time he noted that the matter only concerns the postponement of one meeting what cannot be viewed as suspension of the negotiation process on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. In Talvitie's opinion, the meetings are essential and their absence hinders the mediators to work out the base for the negotiations.