Yuri Merzlyakov: "Madrid document is not the Ten Commandments"

"It we consider our activity through the past year in the chronological order, the first significant event in it became the representation of the document, containing proposals of the three co-chairs countries on the basic principles of the peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict by the Foreign Ministers of Russia and France and assistants US Secretary of State to the Foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan. These official proposals were called Madrid document", said Merzlyakov.

He added that from the very beginning the co-chairs explained that it is not an ultimatum, while the regulations it contain are not Ten Commandments.

"It contains formulations of basic principles, which have been either partially coordinated or at least based on some mutual understanding between the parties or are proposals of the co-chairs on some basic principles, that cause serious differences among the sides", said Merzlyakov.

Within a year after presentation, the co-chairs are convinced that this step allowed to transfer the basic principles of the Karabakh settlement from the category of negotiation developments to the category of official proposals of Moscow, Washington and Paris, including all elements of balanced compromise. This document is consigned by the OSCE Secretary General.

"We consider that the official transfer of this document was extremely necessary. It allowed to preserve the basis for further negotiations, developed through the past three and half years and passing serious tests in 2008 especially in period before the presidential elections in Armenia (February) and Azerbaijan (October)", said he.

Merzlyakov noted that the important events occurred after their previous report to the OSCE permanent council both in the South Caucasus on the whole and Armenia and Azerbaijan in particular and they influenced the negotiation process on the Karabakh conflict and the mediation activity of the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs.

/Panorama.am/