The format of talks on Karabakh should be acceptable to all parties, Lajčák says
13.03.2019,
15:38
Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said today that he will have another meeting with Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov.
YEREVAN, March 13. /ARKA/. Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said today that he will have another meeting with Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov. He was speaking at a joint news conference in Yerevan with visiting OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Miroslav Lajčák, who serves as Slovak Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Asked whether that meeting may be held in Slovakia’s capital Bratislava, Mnatsakanyan said Bratislava is a good city for visits and work.
“We confirmed our readiness to continue working within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group format (for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict) and I think we could show how seriously we are focused on a settlement,” said the Armenian minister.
“We are moving towards a new stage of negotiations and meetings in a constructive spirit. As for the features of the meetings, we very carefully coordinate all the issues with the co-chairs, after which we synchronously present all the questions regarding the venue, time and dates of the meeting and do not rush into these issues. Work is being done and I don’t think it is worthwhile to talk about this further,”said Mnatsakanyan.
Earlier the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev agreed to hold a meeting on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. It will be their first meeting to be held under the auspices of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.
Armenia should determine the format of the Armenian side’s participation in the Karabakh talks, that will be acceptable to all parties, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Miroslav Lajčák said. This was his answer to a reporter’s question that the international community in the talks is represented by the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Armenia is represented by its prime minister and Azerbaijan by its president, and who should represent the interests of the people of Karabakh and how?
“I want to say that there is a whole process that is carried out within the framework of accepted traditions and can achieve certain results. Of course, the Armenian government should decide the format, but any possible change in the format of the negotiations should be acceptable to all parties,” said Lajčák.
He noted that a lot of time was devoted to discussing this issue and expressed hope that the Armenian authorities have the right decision to continue negotiations in an appropriate or existing format. -0-
Asked whether that meeting may be held in Slovakia’s capital Bratislava, Mnatsakanyan said Bratislava is a good city for visits and work.
“We confirmed our readiness to continue working within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group format (for the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict) and I think we could show how seriously we are focused on a settlement,” said the Armenian minister.
“We are moving towards a new stage of negotiations and meetings in a constructive spirit. As for the features of the meetings, we very carefully coordinate all the issues with the co-chairs, after which we synchronously present all the questions regarding the venue, time and dates of the meeting and do not rush into these issues. Work is being done and I don’t think it is worthwhile to talk about this further,”said Mnatsakanyan.
Earlier the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev agreed to hold a meeting on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. It will be their first meeting to be held under the auspices of the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.
Armenia should determine the format of the Armenian side’s participation in the Karabakh talks, that will be acceptable to all parties, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Miroslav Lajčák said. This was his answer to a reporter’s question that the international community in the talks is represented by the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Armenia is represented by its prime minister and Azerbaijan by its president, and who should represent the interests of the people of Karabakh and how?
“I want to say that there is a whole process that is carried out within the framework of accepted traditions and can achieve certain results. Of course, the Armenian government should decide the format, but any possible change in the format of the negotiations should be acceptable to all parties,” said Lajčák.
He noted that a lot of time was devoted to discussing this issue and expressed hope that the Armenian authorities have the right decision to continue negotiations in an appropriate or existing format. -0-
