WASHINGTON (VoA)–OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Matthew Bryza declared in an interview with the Russian service of the Voice of America that the settlement principles discussed during the past two years “will help determine the status of Nagorno Karabakh through a nationwide referendum.”
“For two years we have been negotiating the principles suggested by the OSCE Minsk Group. These principles will enable to finally determine the status of Nagorno Karabakh through a nationwide referendum, which will be held on the background of other important events: rearrangement of Armenian troops on territories surrounding Nagorno Karabakh and creation of a corridor between Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia, as well as deployment of peacekeeping forces in the region. It is impossible to predict how Nagorno Karabakh will vote. I can say that the parties are close to an agreement and we hope the process will restart in the fall,” said the American diplomat.
Commenting on the suggestion on Karabakh’s participation n the negotiation process, Matthew Bryza noted that “in the past Nagorno Karabakh participated in the talks and its participation in the future is not ruled out.”
Bryza expressed hope that the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet again in a few months, Mediamax reports.
“We must emphasize the great work the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan did last year and to praise the Presidents who managed to make the dialogue move from the dead point,” said the American mediator.
“I don’t think elections will hinder the negotiation process. Before the parliamentary elections in Armenia we worried that that the negotiation process would be stalled for some time. It did not happen. Now we are waiting for the presidential elections. Certainly, any election campaign restricts the framework of political maneuvers, but there are no grounds to think that the presidential elections in Armenia.
