KARABAKH SETTLEMENT IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT NAGORNO KARABAKH PARTICIPATION

“Three sides take part in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. It seems to me that at a certain stage in the future the Karabakh party will join the talks, as a whole range of issues cannot be discussed and solved without it,” stated OSCE Minsk Group Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov in an interview with Regnum news agency. The Ambassador also said he was sure that settlement is impossible without an agreement in principle between the parties. Y. Merzlyakov also noted that the parties themselves should work out a solution of the problem and it will demand concessions from both sides. Answering a question on the outcomes of the Prague consultations, Y. Merzlyakov called them positive, noting the first stage of the talks was highly efficient. The Minsk Group Russian Ambassador also said he hoped for progress in the negotiation process after the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan taking a time-out in Astana. Besides, in his opinion, one cannot do without Turkey’s participation in the process of preparation and implementation of a lasting and viable settlement.