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  • Vartan Oskanian: Common Verges Of Consent Started To Come In Sight D

    VARTAN OSKANIAN: COMMON VERGES OF CONSENT STARTED TO COME IN SIGHT DURING BRUSSELS MEETING

    Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
    Nov 15 2006

    BRUSSELS, NOVEMBER 15, NOYAN TAPAN. In the words of Armenian Foreign
    Minister Vartan Oskanian, "there were moderate expectations" from the
    Brussels meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadiarov.

    "I would not say that even if these moderate expectations were
    fulfilled completely, nevertheless, I can say that a little progress
    was registered," the Armenian Foreign Minister said in his interview
    to radio Liberty after the November 14 meeting.

    In his words, the negotiations should be continued, as common verges
    of consent seemed to come in sight during this meeting around proposals
    and thoughts discussed at the Moscow and Paris meetings. "I cannot say
    that this was a complete consent, but some verges started to show up."

    Vartan Oskanian considered it interesting that the OSCE Minsk Group
    Co-chairmen "after hearing all this informed us that they have made
    a decision to propose the Presidents to have a meeting during the CIS
    summit at the end of this month." "Maybe they have seen some positive
    moments in our today's discussions and proceeding from this, made a
    decision to invite the Presidents to such a meeting," V.Oskanian said.

    In the Foreign Minister's words, the Presidents will decide whether
    to accept the invitation to this meeting or not. "That's why the
    Co-chairmen will visit the region soon, during the coming week:
    they will be in Yerevan on November 21," he said.

    The Minister assured that expression of people's will in Nagorno
    Karabakh remains the principle of negotiations for Armenia. "This
    is one of the pivotal issues and indeed this is a necessity for the
    Armenian side," V.Oskanian said. "Be it through a referendum or in
    another way, the self-determination right of the Nagorno Karabakh
    people should be stipulated by this document that should serve as a
    means of solution. So, this issue remains on the agenda."

    In response to the question, was any compromise or softening
    noticeable in Azerbaijan's position during the meeting or at the
    negotiations preceding it, the Minister said: "I can say the following:
    the atmosphere was rather positive, it was a constructive meeting,
    rather a serious discussion developed, thoughts were voiced."

    "I cannot say that there are any concrete agreements, but in the
    "footnote" of the discussions it was felt that there was some
    similarity of approaches," Vartan Oskanian said. "You can consider
    this a flexible approach or a compromise, I do not want to qualify
    this in any way, I can only register that many common verges of
    consent seemed to have come in sight during this meeting."

    Estimating the Armenian Action Plan signed the same day within the
    framework of the European Union New Neighborhood Policy, the Minister
    emphasized that "by adopting this document Armenia established new
    relations from qualitative point of view with the European Union."

    "This opens serious prospects for us to integrate into these structures
    for even more, to deepen our relations," Vartan Oskanian said. "This
    program has a duration of five years, a serious financial support,
    is target and indeed, if it is implemented rightly, Armenia can make
    a great use of it."

    "I have repeatedly said that if we are able to completely fulfil the
    opportunities given by this program, in five years Armenia can be
    a different state in political and economic respect," the Minister
    said and emphasized that indeed we should pursue its fulfilment.

    Touching upon the forthcoming parliamentary and presidential elections
    in Armenia, Vartan Oskanian said: "Today one of the pivotal issues
    raised during the Armenia-European Union Cooperation Council meeting
    is also the coming elections. At any bilateral meeting I have had
    during the recent months one of the pivotal issues on the agenda was
    our forthcoming elections. Our elections are so much spoken about
    that indeed this does not permit us to be mistaken this time."

    In the Armenian Foreign Minister's words, attention, interest in the
    elections is too big: "And the losses we can have are also so big
    that indeed we should seriously think to do so with the whole nation,
    all political forces as to be able to indeed hold different elections
    from the qualitative point of view."

    "Armenia's further development, stipulation of our democratic
    institutions, implementation of programs greatly and considerably
    depend on the forthcoming two elections in Armenia, parliamentary and
    presidential," the head of the Armenian foreign political department
    concluded.
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