July 7, 2004 - 18:30 AMT
VARDAN OSKANIAN: EU AND CE INITIATIVES TO SETTLE KARABAKH CONFLICT CANNOT REPLACE OSCE MINSK GROUP
The European Union (EU) and Council of Europe (CE) initiatives to settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict can supplement, however not substitute for the OSCE Minsk Group efforts, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian stated when asked by De-Facto news agency to comment on the notable activation of those European structures in the conflict settlement. Noting Armenia's positive attitude towards EU and CE initiatives, which come out in visits of representatives of those structures to the conflict region becoming more frequent, V. Oskanian emphasized that the resolution of the Karabakh conflict remains under the Minsk Group jurisdiction. The Minister reported that in July the "Minsk" Co-Chairs are expected to pay a recurrent visit to the conflict region, where the positions of the parties on the current stage of the settlement will be presented to them.