PRAGUE, WARSAW, STRASBURG...
Next round of Karabakh talks may be more important.
The second meeting of the FMs of Armenia and Azerbaijan took place in Strasbourg within the frames of the session of Foreign Ministers of the Council of Europe member-countries. No information available about the results of the meeting.
We shall remind that the Azeri Minister said recently that the most important issue to be discussed in Strasburg was the possibility of exchange of territories for communications. The matter concerns an idea according to which the Armenian forces will cede to Azerbaijan seven regions that make a security zone around the NKR, in exchange Baku removes the blockade. It should be clarified that the activation of the communications is more important for Azerbaijan and not so much for Armenia because the railway passing via Meghri is the only way to have links with the enclave of Nakhichevan. Thus, proposing such an interesting ''exchange'', in Baku they should not expect any result.
However, President Aliyev confirmed on the eve of the meeting that the idea would be discussed in Strasburg. The Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk group Yuri Merzlyakov clarified the issue. He said that the agenda of the meeting would be ''free''. Parties and co-chairs may propose everything they want, according to him. However, if Mamedyarov proposes the idea of the security zone in exchange for restoration of railway communications, it does not mean that the discussion will take place. The Armenian party has always stated it is not going to discuss such proposals. The issue will be closed as soon as Vartan Oskanyan voices the official position of the Armenian party. So, there is an impression that Mamedyarov's statement was supposed only for the local audience.
And what was discussed in Strasburg? We shall remind that according to Merzlyakov, the ideas proposed by mediators during the Paris meeting of Ministers and discussed further on by Kocharian and Aliyev were the subject of discussion. He said only that it was an attempt to find a ''compromise variant between the package and stage-by-stage versions'' of the conflict settlement.
The approaches of the parties to the proposed ideas may become clear during the next round of high level talks. And if a progress is achieved, Kocharian and Aliyev will commission their delegates, Tatul Margaryan and Araz Azimov, to continue the negotiations. By the way, according to the press, the delegates did not meet separately in Strasburg which means that the parties are not sure that Margaryan and Azimov will have to continue the interrupted contacts.
However, President Aliyev confirmed on the eve of the meeting that the idea would be discussed in Strasburg. The Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk group Yuri Merzlyakov clarified the issue. He said that the agenda of the meeting would be ''free''. Parties and co-chairs may propose everything they want, according to him. However, if Mamedyarov proposes the idea of the security zone in exchange for restoration of railway communications, it does not mean that the discussion will take place. The Armenian party has always stated it is not going to discuss such proposals. The issue will be closed as soon as Vartan Oskanyan voices the official position of the Armenian party. So, there is an impression that Mamedyarov's statement was supposed only for the local audience.
And what was discussed in Strasburg? We shall remind that according to Merzlyakov, the ideas proposed by mediators during the Paris meeting of Ministers and discussed further on by Kocharian and Aliyev were the subject of discussion. He said only that it was an attempt to find a ''compromise variant between the package and stage-by-stage versions'' of the conflict settlement.
The approaches of the parties to the proposed ideas may become clear during the next round of high level talks. And if a progress is achieved, Kocharian and Aliyev will commission their delegates, Tatul Margaryan and Araz Azimov, to continue the negotiations. By the way, according to the press, the delegates did not meet separately in Strasburg which means that the parties are not sure that Margaryan and Azimov will have to continue the interrupted contacts.
