" />
OSCE CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE: «I WOULD LIKE TO SEE 2005 AS A TURNING-POINT IN KARABAKH SETTLEMENT»April 5, 2005 - 08:11 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - In talks today with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, continued to pursue ways of reaching a lasting solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. According to a press release of the OSCE Office in Baku, the Chairman-in-Office reaffirmed his conviction that every existing avenue to accelerate this peace process should be explored to the full. "I encourage all parties to seek the resolution of this issue through political dialogue. Any means other than those of a peaceful nature are not part of the OSCE's vocabulary," Rupel said. He called for the stabilization of the situation along the frontlines. "To defuse the present tension and start developing confidence between the sides, cease-fire violations must stop." "I would like to see the year 2005 as a turning-point in the process of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The personal engagement of the two Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia is an important milestone on the path to this objective." "We hope that the peaceful resolution of the conflict will have the full support of the community of Nagorno-Karabakh", he stressed. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Armenia to participate in key EU meeting for the first time ever National Assembly speaker Alen Simonyan has said that Armenia will for the first time participate in the Conference. U.S. reacts to Russia’s criticism of upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting Matthew Miller has weighed in on Russia’s criticism of an upcoming Armenia-EU-U.S. meeting. Lavrov sees ‘collapse’ of Russia’s ties with Armenia Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has underscored heightened tensions between Russia and Armenia. Russia warns Armenia against “falling into West’s trap” Zakharova maintained, however, that anything that will benefit the people of Armenia can only be welcomed. |