New OSCE MG suggestions unrelated to Azeri offers in Kazan, analyst says

PanARMENIAN.Net - New offers to be submitted by OSCE MG co-chairs to conflicting parties do not refer to Azerbaijan’s suggestions advanced at Kazan meeting, CIS States Institute’s Yerevan subsidiary director stated.

In a conversation with a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, political analyst Alexander Markarov commented on French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe’s statement suggesting additional offers to achieve agreement on Karabakh issue will be submitted to conflicting parties.

“Were the offers coordinated by the co-chairs they would’ve been included in June 24 negotiation package,” he remarked.

Markarov disagreed with the suggestion that France is attempting to assume leadership among mediators in Karabakh issue talks. “Although Russia was the locomotive in the negotiations, the country closely contacted with the other mediators, always presenting a coordinated position during talks,” the analyst stressed.

The summit between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia in Kazan on June 24 completed without an agreement on basic principles of Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement. “The countries’ leaders registered mutual understanding on a range of problems, the resolution of which boosts creation of conditions for approving main principles. The meeting participants considered the course of works carried out with the aim of coordination of the project with basic principles,” according to the statement. The Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan expressed gratitude to the Russian, French and U.S. leaders, the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs, for ‘their constant attention to Nagorno-Karabakh problem’ and highly praised personal efforts of the Russian President in support of agreements.

Later on Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian noted that the June 24 meeting was not a breakthrough, as Azerbaijan proved unready to accept the final version of the basic principles suggested by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs. Instead, the Azerbaijani leader attempted to impose 10 new proposals, thus precluding the possibility of any agreement on the issue,” he added.