April 18, 2008 - 18:38 AMT
Lord Russell-Johnston planning to meet new Armenian President
Issues referring to a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani delegations were discussed at the session of PACE Sub-committee on Karabakh.

Explaining why the meeting was postponed, Sub-committee chairman Lord Russell-Johnston said, "We took the decision over two reasons. The first is the current situation in Armenia. PACE October session also proved inconvenient, since Azerbaijan holds presidential election on October 15. Consequently, heads of delegations have chosen late January."

"The forthcoming meeting will not focus on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict only. Our mandate doesn't suppose search for ways of settlement. Our goal is establishment of ties between the MPs of both states," he said.

Lord Russell-Johnston also informed he intends to meet with Armenia's new President in the near future, presumably in late May. However, he doesn't plan a regional visit.