Nagorno-Karabakh conflict could be close to resolution, Armenian Foreign Minister tells OSCE

VIENNA, 17 April 2007 - The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict could be very close to a resolution, and Armenia is committed to working with the peace plan negotiated by the OSCE Minsk Group dealing with the conflict, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told the OSCE Permanent Council today.

"We could be close to a resolution. I have been Minister for nine years now. Five years before being appointed Minister I was the chief negotiator on the Karabakh issue. I have seen all the proposals that have ever been produced by the mediators. I can assure you we have never been this close," Minister Oskanian said.

He told the Permanent Council, the 56-country Organization's main decision-making body, that the proposal now under consideration was well-balanced.

"This gives something to everyone and denies every maximalist demand the sides might have. It is a balanced approach and we hope we will be able to continue to make progress on the basis of this document," he said.

The Minister said he would travel from Vienna to Belgrade for talks with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, and that he would "reaffirm our commitment to every single principle that has been inscribed in that document. We will never backtrack on our promises. We will continue to reaffirm our position."

Minister Oskanian also discussed Armenia's 12 May parliamentary elections, saying the country was committed to ensure they would be free and fair.

"This is a huge test for Armenia's democracy and I firmly believe that we together - the government, the opposition, the public and the OSCE - we together can indeed hold a normal election that will greatly contribute to Armenia's further democratization processes," he said.

The work of the OSCE Office in Yerevan has been and continues to be very useful for the country, he said, adding that Armenia views the Organization as indispensable. However, he also noted that his country wants the OSCE to continue the reform work it had started based on recommendations developed by a panel of experts.