January 17, 2006 - 13:53 AMT
Merzlyakov: Oskanian-Mammadyarov Meetings to be More Intense in 2006
The next meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Vartan Oskanian in the framework of "Prague process" will commence in London in the latter half of the day on 18 January and will last on 19 January, OSCE Minsk Group Russian co-chair Yuri Merzlyakov told reported .The meeting will be held in the traditional format: co-chairs Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Steven Mann (US), Bernard Fassier (France), personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk, Elmar Mammadyarov and Vartan Oskanian. Refusing to inform about the details to be discussed, the co-chair hopes that the main principles on the regulation of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will be coordinated in this meeting.

According to him, agreement over these principles will have a positive impact on successful continuation of the process and will have a positive outcome. The co-chairs hope that the Minister will come to an agreement on holding the meeting of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia. "The negotiations are at a phase that it is necessary to submit the discussed issues to the level of Presidents," Yuri Merzlyakov said, noting that this meeting is expected in the former half of February. Hoping that 2006 will be a successful year for resolution of the conflict, Merzlyakov said the meetings between Elmar Mammadyarov and Vartan Oskanian will be even more intense. "We would like for the meetings of the Presidents to be more intense too, but their working schedule makes it impossible", the Russian mediator said, reported APA agency.