OSCE Believes Progress in Karabakh Issue Possible before Yearend

PanARMENIAN.Net - OSCE Minsk Group mediators have set an exact task of resuming the talks. "They believe that it is still possible to make some additional progress before the end of this year or before our parliamentary elections [due early next year] at the latest," Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told RFE/RL. In his words, the mediators are trying to arrange a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers as soon as possible. Oskanian noted that there are two major issues: firstly, the core problems over the principles in the document on the bargaining table should be revealed in order to focus on these. Secondly, the problem of deviation from the course of the talks by Azerbaijan.



Touching upon the possible meeting of Armenian and Azeri Presidents in Minsk at the CIS Leaders' Summit on October 17, Oskanian said, "Speaking of it is still early," indicating that the time for speaking about it will be only after the meeting of the Ministers, "the meeting of the Presidents should be held only in case there are more real opportunities for attaining additional progress."



The possible meeting of Armenian and Azeri FMs was also a point discussed at the meeting with the co-chairs, Oskanian informed. "However, the terms were too preliminary," he added. "The next place, where we will possibly be, is New York. We will be there, we will take part in the UN GA session. I do not rule out that if the co-chairs decide and we agree, we will meet in New York. However, there is not concrete communication yet," Oskanian stated.