RETURN OF TERRITORIES MAY BE DISCUSSED AFTER KARABAKH STATUS IS DEFINED

PanARMENIAN.Net - The recurrent meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijan Foreign Ministers in Paris was positive and constructive, RA FM Vartan Oskanian stated at a press conference in Yerevan today. In his words, final solution has not been found yet, though some common ground calling for further talks has been established. At the same time he noted that concessions should be made both by the Armenian and Azeri parties. Without specifying the issues the parts agreed on the Minister stressed that the issues discussed included all the elements of the package settlement: starting with the security of Nagorno Karabakh and finishing with the refugees' problems. "It's not time yet to make public the outcomes of the negotiations on the Karabakh conflict settlement", he stressed. However the political status of Nagorno Karabakh was certainly in the highlight of the discussions, he noted. When commenting on the possible deployment of peacekeepers in the conflict zone Vartan Oskanian noted that this issue can be considered only after the most important questions referring to the settlement are settled. As for returning the territories to Azerbaijan, the Minister said that first the status of Nagorno Karabakh should be defined. Besides, the RA FM assessed the statement by Elmar Mamedyarov, who said that the initiative to settle the Karabakh conflict belongs to Azerbaijan, as a mere attempt to enlist the support of the voters and start the election campaign. At the same time he noted that Elmar Mamedyarov is a good interlocutor, who has close relationships with the President, and all the issues receive quick response.