YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said on Friday that he and his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mamedyarov did not set a date for the next Armenian-Azeri summit on Karabagh during talks in Strasbourg the previous night.
The two men met in the presence of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on the sidelines of a regular session of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.
"Discussions focused on the proposals and ideas that have been on the table," he said–referring to the Strasbourg talks. "Overall–it was not a bad meeting. However–there are still many issues that have not yet been agreed on."
Oskanian said that that Baku and Yerevan have not yet laid the groundwork for the crucial summit between the two countries’ presidents.
"While not ruling out the possibility of such a meeting at this point–I can’t say for certain that it will take place–because a lot depends on the co-chairs’ high-level visit to the region," said Oskanian.
The co-chairs will begin their visit on May 25 together with more high-ranking diplomats–including US Assistant Secretary of State Dan Fried and Russian Deputy Foreign Minster Grigory Karasin. The mediators will discuss with the conflicting parties their new–unpublicized peace proposals put forward after the February meeting of Aliyev and Kocharian–which took place in Rambouillet–France.
"The co-chairs see a new momentum after Rambouillet and they believe that by raising the level [of their diplomacy] they can attract more attention and will try during their visit to create a situation that will convince the parties to agree to a meeting of the presidents," said Oskanian.