OSCE MINSK GROUP RUSSIAN CO-CHAIR SPEAKS OF KARABAKH SETTLEMENT DEADLOCK

The negotiation process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement has almost reached a deadlock, for neither Armenia nor Azerbaijan wish to slightly deviate from their stands, as reported by RIA Novosti, co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group for the Karabakh settlement, RF MFA Ambassador for special missions Yuri Merzlyakov stated. “Evidently the situation is such that both parties stiffened to their positions and there is no movement at all”, he noted. In Merzlyakov’s words, the only alternative available is to resume negotiations between the parties to conflict. “It should not be done publicly, the parties just should be given the opportunity to fix and discuss a number of urgent issues to be spoken about. But no we can observe complete absence of any agenda”, Russian MFA Ambassador said. At the same time he did not rule out the possibility of conducting a meeting of foreign ministers in the near future. “We hope to chose one or two questions for continuation of the dialogue”, Merzlyakov reported. To remind, a special meeting on Karabakh problem resolving with the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, EU’s special representative for South Caucasus Heikki Talvitie, OSCE acting chairman’s private representative Andjey Caspship as well as Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers’ deputies Tatul Margarian and Araz Azimov was held in Geneva yesterday. In the words of the meeting participants, the parties stuck hard to their positions.