Steven Mann: “The Karabakh conflict can be solved till the end of this year”

Y.Merzlyakov informed that the conflict sides are in the decisive stage of the regulation process. He said that the next round of the negotiations between the presidents of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Armenia Robert Kocharyan in the frame of the CIS state heads meeting to be held in Kazan in August will take place. The foreign affairs ministers of the two countries will meet before this in August 23. Y.Merzlyakov also informed about the meeting of the co-chairmen with R.Kocharyan. He noted that discussions on details of the approach of the sides to solution of the conflict and decisive elements of the regulation process were held in the meeting.

Y.Merzlyakov touching the visit to Khankendi, said that they had interesting meeting with the head of the separatist regime Arkadi Gukasyan: “The position of the administration of Nagorno Karabakhis very important for us. We use it when working on the variants”.

The Russian diplomat also stressed that meeting with the administration of the separatist regime conformed to the credentials of the OSCE Minsk Group The answer of Y.Merzlyakov explaining the question about sides’ approaching closer to solution of the conflict was interesting: “The sides really made a compromise and real possibilities occurred for achieving progress in the regulation process”.

The American co-chairman S.Mann also gave an interesting explanation about solution of the conflict. He informed that intensity was restored in the talks process recently: “There are serious basis letting us hope that we will achieve regulation of the conflict till the end of this year. Very difficult question was not solved yet. The sides must reach understanding in these questions. At the same time, there is progress and probability on conflict’s being solved till the end of this year is great”.

/APA/