Baku, 20 September 2008 [16:14]
TURAN

The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen are expected to meet with Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers at the 63rd session of UN General Assembly in New York at the end of September, Bernard Fassier, French co-chairman of OSCE Minsk Group, said at a press conference in Baku on Saturday.

Speaking about results of his current visit to the region, Fassier said he arrived in Yerevan on Monday and from there made his way to Hankend, where he met with Bako Saakian, leader of Karabakh separatists on Tuesday.

On Wednesday Fassier returned to Yerevan to meet with Armenian President, Foreign and Defense Ministers and head of Armenian Church. On Thursday Fassier arrived in Tbilisi and on the same day in the evening he arrived in Baku and had a conversation with Matthew Bryza, U.S. co-chairman of OSCE Minsk Group.

In Baku Fassier has met with Defense Minister and Sheikh Allakhshukur Pashazade. As Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov was in London, Fassier talked to him by phone. On Friday evening he met with President Ilham Aliyev in Sheki.

Fassier claims that after the events in Georgia situation in the region has “seriously changed,” creating “favorable” conditions for progress at the Karabakh conflict settlement talks. The latest events in Georgia have confirmed the co-chairmen’s warnings that the conflict does not have a military solution. “War will be suicide for everyone, regardless of winner,” said Fassier. He added that Azerbaijani and Armenian economies have suffered from a short-term war in Georgia.

Fassier called improvement of relations between Turkey and Armenia another important change in the region. Fassier was optimistic about the second meeting between Ilham Aliyev and Serzh Sarkisian till end of this year. Till that time the mediators intend to continue work on the Madrid proposals, “correct them and, possibly, add some new elements.”

Fassier did not go into details, but added that this is the matter of the concept of the conflict settlement based on 3 of 10 principles of Helsinki Final Act of 1975 – refusal of use of force and threat to use force; territorial integrity of states and right of nations to self-determination. Fassier said the co-chairmen hope to “combine” these principles. Speaking about other elements of the Madrid proposals, Fassier stressed the necessity of liberation of Azerbaijani regions “around Nagorno Karabakh.”

Fassier added that “intermediate settlement till future self-determination of Nagorno Karabakh’s population” is also proposed. But despite journalists’ persistent requests, he did not clarify what he meant by “intermediate settlement.” Fassier characterized “Madrid proposals” as a stage-by-stage settlement option.

Unlike his U.S. counterpart, Fassier positively assessed Turkey’s initiative “Platform of Stability and Cooperation on the Caucasus.” Fassier actually disagreed to Matthew Bryza’s statement that Minsk Group’s activities will depend on fulfillment of the plan of Russian troops’ pullout from Georgia. “In addition to U.S., Minsk Group is also comprised of 10 states,” he said.

Fassier added that the co-chairmen have been acting in contact with other Minsk Group members. French co-chairman said the meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers and co-chairmen is scheduled for the end of next week.

Asked about reasons of meetings with the two countries’ religious leaders, Fassier made it clear that this has been done to involve people diplomacy into the process.