Aliyev, Sarkisian may meet again in July - mediators
Progress was achieved during the June 4 talks on
settling the Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict held by the
Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders, international mediators have
said, citing prospects for another presidential meeting as early as
next month.
The co-chairmen of the mediating OSCE Minsk Group - Yury Merzlyakov of Russia, Bernard Fassier of France and Matthew Bryza of the United States - said in a statement they intend to visit the region again in the near future to set the stage for another round of talks between Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian, which may take place in July.
The co-chairs are expecting at the upcoming meetings a breakthrough on the basic principles, which represent a set of guidelines on the conflict settlement submitted to Baku and Yerevan by the mediators in Madrid in late 2007.
The talks between Presidents Aliyev and Sarkisian took place on the sidelines of the 13th International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Discussions proceeded with the participation of the two countries` foreign ministers and the Minsk Group co-chairs.
Following the meeting held at the Baltiyskaya Zvezda hotel, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian described the talks as constructive but admitted that no tangible advances had been achieved.
"Although we can`t talk of any breakthrough or substantial progress today, the sides are moving forward and have agreed to continue negotiating," he said.
Nalbandian noted that the presidents had instructed their foreign ministers to keep on working in conjunction with the mediators to bring closer the positions of the conflicting sides and arrange the next meeting of the two presidents.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that the St. Petersburg meeting was more constructive than the previous one.
"The sides` positions are understood more clearly. This meeting could be described as constructive in the sense that it was clearer than the one held in Prague [on May 7]," he said.
Following bilateral talks, the two leaders had a meeting with their Russian counterpart, President Dmitry Medvedev, according to Natalya Timakova, the Russian President`s spokeswoman.
According to Timakova, "the very fact that dialog continues, the sides` displaying readiness for it and their accepting Russia`s mediating role in this is important."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia`s territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan`s internationally-recognized territory since the early 1990s in defiance of international law. The ceasefire accord was signed in May 1994, but over a decade of efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been, so far, fruitless.
The co-chairmen of the mediating OSCE Minsk Group - Yury Merzlyakov of Russia, Bernard Fassier of France and Matthew Bryza of the United States - said in a statement they intend to visit the region again in the near future to set the stage for another round of talks between Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian, which may take place in July.
The co-chairs are expecting at the upcoming meetings a breakthrough on the basic principles, which represent a set of guidelines on the conflict settlement submitted to Baku and Yerevan by the mediators in Madrid in late 2007.
The talks between Presidents Aliyev and Sarkisian took place on the sidelines of the 13th International Economic Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia. Discussions proceeded with the participation of the two countries` foreign ministers and the Minsk Group co-chairs.
Following the meeting held at the Baltiyskaya Zvezda hotel, Armenian Foreign Minister Eduard Nalbandian described the talks as constructive but admitted that no tangible advances had been achieved.
"Although we can`t talk of any breakthrough or substantial progress today, the sides are moving forward and have agreed to continue negotiating," he said.
Nalbandian noted that the presidents had instructed their foreign ministers to keep on working in conjunction with the mediators to bring closer the positions of the conflicting sides and arrange the next meeting of the two presidents.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that the St. Petersburg meeting was more constructive than the previous one.
"The sides` positions are understood more clearly. This meeting could be described as constructive in the sense that it was clearer than the one held in Prague [on May 7]," he said.
Following bilateral talks, the two leaders had a meeting with their Russian counterpart, President Dmitry Medvedev, according to Natalya Timakova, the Russian President`s spokeswoman.
According to Timakova, "the very fact that dialog continues, the sides` displaying readiness for it and their accepting Russia`s mediating role in this is important."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus republics reared up in the late 1980s due to Armenia`s territorial claims. Armenia has been occupying over 20% of Azerbaijan`s internationally-recognized territory since the early 1990s in defiance of international law. The ceasefire accord was signed in May 1994, but over a decade of efforts by US, Russian and French mediators have been, so far, fruitless.
Here we are to serve you with news right now. It does not cost much, but worth your attention.
Choose to support open, independent, quality journalism and subscribe on a monthly basis.
By subscribing to our online newspaper, you can have full digital access to all news, analysis, and much more.
Subscribe
You can also follow AzerNEWS on Twitter @AzerNewsAz or Facebook @AzerNewsNewspaper
Thank you!