"The main purpose of my visit to the region is the preparation for the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents in Paris February 10-11," OSCE Chairman-in-Office Karel De Gucht stated at today's joint press conference with RA FM Vartan Oskanian in Yerevan. In his words, the Presidents should demonstrate wisdom and political bravery to overcome the existing obstacles during the upcoming meeting in Paris. He also noted that the negotiations with the Armenian leadership inspire hope for achievement of an agreement on the principles of the Karabakh conflict settlement. According to him after achieving an agreement the OSCE will proceed to the settlement of other issues such as deployment of peacekeeping forces in the conflict region, restoration project, etc.

When commenting on the OSCE mandate for the peacekeeping mission Karel De Gucht stated the OSCE could play its role in the mission "though the organization does not have its own troops." As for Russia's participation in the mission the OSCE CiO noted that Russia is a OSCE member however the basis for the peacekeeping forces has not been determined yet.

When touching upon the meeting with NKR President Arkady Ghukasian, Karel De Gucht stated that Karabakh does not take part in the negotiations since it is a republic not recognized by the international community. However, he added, after the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents reach an agreement, Stepanakert can join the talks.

The OSCE CiO also noted the importance of opening the Armenian-Turkish border. "As far as I know the resolution of the problem is important for the lasting peaceful agreement on the Karabakh conflict," he underscored.