RA Foreign Minister comments on joint statement on Karabakh issue made in Deauville

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian commented on the statement made in the sidelines of the G8 Summit in Deauville by the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries with respect to the Karabakh conflict resolution.

Specifically, Nalbandian said: “We highly appreciate the efforts of Presidents Medvedev, Obama and Sarkozy directed at the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

The statement made today in the sidelines of the G8 Summit in Deauville by the leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, contains important messages and may become an impulse to the settlement of the issue.

Armenia has always been in support of the settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh through exclusively peaceful means and has repeatedly proven that in practice, therefore, it is clear to whom is addressed the unequivocal message of the statement in this regard.

Armenia has given a clear answer to the latest version of the basic principles proposed by the three Co-Chairs as a basis for the negotiations of the settlement of the issue. If Azerbaijan gives an unequivocal agreement, then it will be possible to register a progress in the process of the settlement. It is apparent to whom is addressed the message included in the statement in this regard, too.”

United States, French and Russian leaders called on Armenia and Azerbaijan on May 26 to move toward a peaceful resolution of the long-standing conflict over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"We...are convinced that it is time for the sides in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh to take a decisive step toward a peaceful resolution (of the conflict)," said a joint statement by Presidents Barack Obama, Nicolas Sarkozy and Dmitry Medvedev at the G8 summit in the French resort of Deauville.

"We firmly call on the leaders of the sides to prepare their people for peace, not war," the statement said.

"We call on the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia to demonstrate political will and finalize...the basic principles (of a peace agreement) during the forthcoming summit in June."

The presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are slated to meet in June in the Russian city of Kazan, the next in a series of trilateral meetings on the frozen conflict.