April 26, 2005 - 08:44 AMT
MERZLYAKOV: ARMENIAN AND AZERI PRESIDENTS ALWAYS HAVE DISCUSSION SUBJECT
«Getting to know the details of the situation is more successful during private conversations between Armenian and Azeri Foreign Ministers. At the current stage it is important to us to clear out the stands of the parties in detail for us to be able to present those to the parties to conflict and to find common points,» Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov stated, APA reported. In his words, after Frankfurt the Co-Chairs will meet with Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian in one of the European cities. Answering the question «Can the London and Frankfurt meetings lead to a personal meeting of Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian?», the diplomat answered: «The Presidents always have subject for discussion, and we - the Co-Chairs - have what to tell them. Yuri Merzlyakov also clarified the issue of return of three Azeri captives to the Azeri party. It should be reminded that during his latest visit to Yerevan OSCE Chairman-in-Office Dimitrij Rupel spoke of the final solution of the problem of return of captives, however the boys are still held captive. In Mr. Merzlyakov's opinion, the return of the captives is complicated by the situation on the cease-fire line. Answering the question «why the OSCE monitoring is not held at the part of the contact line, where the cease-fire is being broken?» Merzlyakov said: «Monitoring is held after arrangements with the parties. Fire at the contact line from both parties stops as soon as field assistants of Personal Representatives of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk appear.»