Spanish Chairmanship says Armenia made election progress and OSCE willing to help further

YEREVAN, 5 June 2007 - Armenia made commendable progress during last month's parliamentary elections and the OSCE is willing to help the country continue that trend in next year's presidential poll, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, said today.

Minister Moratinos, speaking during a visit to Yerevan, also said he was encouraged intensive mediation efforts by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs - France, Russia and the United States - had brought Armenia and Azerbaijan closer to a framework agreement on the basic principles for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"Peace would bring immense benefits to all sides and the region as a whole," the Chairman-in-Office said. "The road to peace lies through compromise. I hope the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will be able to take an important step along that path when they meet in St Petersburg."

In meetings with President Robert Kocharian, Prime Minister Serge Sargsyan, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan and other officials, Minister Moratinos noted OSCE and other international observers had reported a positive trend in May's parliamentary elections.

"The important thing now is to follow up on the observers' recommendations. We are ready to continue supporting Armenia's efforts to improve election procedures and legislation further, not least with next year's presidential election in mind," the Chairman-in-Office said.

Minister Moratinos is being accompanied on his trip and at the talks by the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Goran Lennmarker, who has considerable experience in the region.

The Minister noted the OSCE, with the assistance of its Office in Yerevan, was doing valuable work in other areas such as the environment and community policing in Armenia. This would all help cement reforms that are crucial to the South Caucasus and the OSCE as a whole.

The Chairman-in-Office also met Arkadi Ghukasian, the leader of Nagorno-Karabakh, and representatives of several political parties.

The delegation held a similar range of talks in Azerbaijan on Monday.