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Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian have agreed to meet in Prague on May 7 to discuss resolution of the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict, an international mediator has said.
"Certainly, there are results. We have held quite lengthy talks with President Ilham Aliyev and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, and the confirmation [to hold another round of presidential talks] was the result," Yury Merzlyakov, the Russian co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group brokering the peace process, told journalists on a visit to Baku.
Merzlyakov added that the two leaders will discuss issues of Garabagh settlement that had not been earlier agreed upon, voicing hope that the negotiations would be productive.
The meeting of Presidents Aliyev and Sarkisian will take place on the sidelines of a summit of the European Union leaders and partners.
The US, Russian and French co-chairmen of the Minsk Group paid a visit to Baku on Thursday and Friday during which they held meetings with Azerbaijani leaders. Prior to arriving in the Azerbaijani capital, the co-chairs visited Yerevan and Khankandi, the center of the self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh republic. The mediators headed to Yerevan again on Saturday.
Bernard Fassier, the French MG co-chairman, told reporters he hoped major progress would be achieved in the conflict settlement by the end of 2009. He also said very conducive conditions have emerged for reaching a solution to the long-standing dispute and that the mediators are working hard to reach that objective.
Mathew Bryza, the US co-chairman, said he had left Baku in a "good mood" after holding talks here. During a further visit to Armenia, he went as far as saying that the Garabagh conflict may be settled over the next few months.
"We cannot cite a specific timeframe, but I hope that reaching a solution is possible within several months," Bryza told a news conference in Yerevan on Monday.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a cease-fire in 1994, but Armenia continues to occupy Upper Garabagh and seven other Azerbaijani districts in defiance of international law. Peace talks have not yet resulted in resolving the conflict.

`New phase`
The talks on settling the Garabagh conflict are entering a new phase, Bryza told Radio Liberty.
He noted that the two countries` presidents had taken one year to become acquainted with each other and study one another`s positions. "Now, we are launching a new stage [in the conflict resolution] by holding more detailed and profound discussions regarding other elements of the main principles that need to be resolved."
Bryza said the MG co-chairs` main goal was to foster agreement between the sides on three main principles reflected in the Helsinki Final Act - territorial integrity, self-determination of nations and non-use of force.
Asked about the summit on the Garabagh problem planned for St. Petersburg, Russia in June, Bryza told reporters "ask Russia this question."
Bryza added that the presidents of the MG co-chairing countries - Barack Obama, Nicolas Sarkozy and Dmitry Medvedev - are also expected to meet to discuss a Garabagh settlement.
While in the Armenian capital before the Baku visit, Bryza said both countries are close to signing a preliminary agreement on settling the Garabagh conflict. The co-chairs said only a few of the main principles of the peace process remain to be agreed upon.
Regarding the mediators` visit to Khankandi, Bryza said the visit sought to enquire "what the people living there think."

Medvedev-Sarkisian discussions
As the co-chairs held talks in Baku, Russian and Armenian Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Serzh Sarkisian discussed the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict in Moscow.
The Armenian leader thanked Russia and its president in particular for the invaluable contribution made to the Garabagh settlement.
Touching on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev`s recent visit to Russia, Sarkisian said: "I have to say with a great deal of satisfaction that during the Azerbaijani president`s visit, your position remained unchanged and resolute when this problem came on the agenda. And, this position is that the conflict must be settled on the basis of all principles of international law. I am delighted that there is another country in the South Caucasus that deems Russia as its strategic partner, and this shows Russia`s increasing role and opportunities in the resolution of the Upper Garabagh conflict."
President Aliyev described Russia as "Azerbaijan`s neighbor, friend and strategic partner" and pledged to do his best to maintain this high level of partnership during talks with his Russian counterpart in Moscow on April 17.
President Medvedev told the press following talks with the Armenian leader that the current meeting, as well as earlier negotiations with President Aliyev, had demonstrated that the parties were trying hard to make a constructive effort toward a solution of this complicated conflict. "I think the steps being taken in this area are hope-inspiring."
Moscow has lately intensified its efforts toward settling the Garabagh conflict, Russian experts say. They note that St. Petersburg will host the June talks between the Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders. The Russian president might attend the meeting as well. If Moscow manages to accomplish results during the trilateral talks, it will assert itself as the leading peace-making force in the turbulent region. Analysts believe that one of the main reasons for Russia`s recent involvement in the Garabagh peace process is that, following its brief war with Georgia in August 2008, the superpower is trying to repair its image by acting as a peacemaker in the South Caucasus.