Karabakh conflict sides fixed progress in 2008, Bryza says

PanARMENIAN.Net - The main achievement in 2008 for the Nagorno Karabakh peace process has been the emergence of a constructive relationship between Presidents Sargsyan and Aliyev, the OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-chair said.



"While I would not yet say that the two leaders trust each other sufficiently to reach the compromises required to finalize the Basic Principles, I am pleased by the willingness each President is showing to work through the remaining difficult issues with his counterpart. In short, the psychological atmosphere may now be right to catalyze tough decisions," Matthew Bryza said.



"As Presidents Sargsyan and Aliyev noted in the November 2 Moscow Declaration, the sides should continue and intensify their efforts to finalize the Basic Principles in close cooperation with the Minsk Group Co-Chairs. The parties have made considerable progress. To finalize their work, they will need to prepare their societies for difficult compromises that will bring peace, stability, and prosperity. The Minsk Group Co-Chairs will facilitate this work in early 2009 by traveling again to the region and preparing the ground for another meeting between the Presidents. It is up to the Presidents to decide whether they wish to meet on the margins of the World Economic Forum in Davos," he said, the Azeri Press Agency reports.