Promising milestones appear in Nagorno Karabakh resolution process, Russian FM assures

"Promising milestones appeared in the process of resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in 2005 as a result of achievement of a considerable mutual understanding on coordinating the key principles, which could lay a basis of an agreement on the resolution on the conflict, at a top level meeting held in Warsaw on 15 May and in Kazan on 27 August under the aegis of international mediators – the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs from Russia, the United States and France," Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, told Trend. He was commenting on the resolution of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

According to Lavrov, on some part it occurred as a result of steady attention to the issue on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, including the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries, in particular, Russia, in the contacts with the leadership of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"As you apparently know, Russian President Vladimir V. Putin will meet with the Armenian President, Robert Kocharian shortly, while in February Putin is scheduled to pay a visit to Azerbaijan. Of course, during the meetings Russia will insistently recommend the sides not to lose a real chance for achievement of a break in the negotiation process through accomplishment of acceding the major principles of Nagorno Karabakh conflict resolution this year," the foreign minister underscored.

According to Lavrov, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs have proposed to the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia holding a meeting in February 2006, not waiting for an opportunity, as usual, in the form of international summit. "The two Presidents have given their principle agreement to the proposal," the Russian minister underlined.

The consultations between the Foreign Ministers of the two countries with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs with respect to set up preparations for the forthcoming meeting of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Presidents started in London on Wednesday.