InternationalSerge Sargsian and Ilham Aliyev meet in Zurich
Both presidents have a clearer understanding of each other’s position, foreign ministers say
Published: Friday January 30, 2009
President Serge Sargsian meeting his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev in Davos, Jan. 28, 2009. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are in the background. Press office of the President of Armenia
Yerevan - Armenia's President Serge Sargsian met his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev on January 28 at the Radisson Hotel in Zurich. The presidents were in Switzerland to take part in the annual Davos World Economic Forum. This is the third meeting of the two presidents in the process of negotiations for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Previously they held talks in St. Petersburg in June 2008 and in Moscow in November 2008, where they signed a joint declaration along with the Russian president.
The Sargsyan-Aliyev meeting began with the participation of the foreign ministers of the two countries, Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mamedyarov, as well as the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov, Matthew Bryza, and Bernard Fassier, and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Armenia's president's press office reported.
Later, Mr. Sargsian and Mr. Aliyev continued their talks in a face-to-face format. After the private meeting of the presidents, the talks were continued in an extended format.
"The Armenian side assessed the outcome of the meeting in Zurich as positive and constructive. During the meeting, the two sides presented their positions on the current stage of the peace talks. The presidents of the two states directed their foreign ministers to continue the negotiations in cooperation with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. Serge Sargsian and Ilham Aliyev expressed satisfaction with the fact that the co-chairs are working toward the synchronization of the parties' positions. During the meeting, the parties agreed also on the upcoming visit of the co-chairs to the region," the press office reported.
Official reports from Azerbaijan are saying even less about the details of the negotiations. "The meeting was continued with the participation of OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. Current state and prospects of Armenia- Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh were discussed," official AzerTAc news agency said.
The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers noted that the Sargsian-Aliyev meeting was "useful and constructive" and the "tone and the atmosphere of the meeting were positive," Mediamax reported. Mr. Nalbandian noted that "the presidents stated that their meetings are regular and that fact attaches certain dynamism to the process.
"There is a certain progress, which is expressed in the fact that from meeting to meeting the presidents better understand each other's stances, the difficulties and the obstacles, which are there on the road to the settlement," the Armenian foreign minister stated, adding that the presidents discussed various issues that would bring their positions on the Madrid Principles closer together.
Armenia's foreign minister stressed that the matter now is coordination of the settlement principles. "Only after there is agreement on the principles, the sides will start working on the basic document."
Mr. Mamedyarov agreed with the words of his Armenian counterpart that the sides have started to understand each other better. "There is dynamics, there is movement and my Armenian counterpart and I should continue talks with the participation of the mediators," he noted.
The U.S. and French mediators Mr. Bryza and Mr. Fassier also stated that both presidents described their meeting as "positive and constructive" and noted the presence of dynamism in the settlement process.
"The meeting was positive and constructive. The presidents made progress in solidifying mutual understanding on several key elements of the basic principles, and in narrowing differences on some other issues," said Mr. Bryza to the Azeri Trend News Agency.
The co-chairs plan to visit the region within the next month to help sustain this positive momentum, he said.
