The OSCE Minsk group has not finished its work, claim the Co-Chairs. Today they announced that the Armenian and Azeri Foreign Ministers will meet in Moscow on October 6.
[…]
Bernard Fassier, French Co-Chair says that he didn’t announce in Baku that Karabakh cannot participate in the negotiation process at present. He didn’t answer the same question in Yerevan either. He didn’t exclude the possibility that peaceful troops may be located in vacated territories by 2006.
Tomorrow the Co-Chairs will leave for Karabakh. Mr. Bryza assured that the Co-Chairs are of the same opinion on all questions, and there is no discord among them. “I can assure that the Karabakh conflict settlement has not a military solution,” said Matthew Bryza. Bernard Fassier said that unless Armenians and Azeris are ready to live side by side as neighbours, the Karabakh conflict won’t be settled. As for the time when the conflict will find its final solution, Mr. Fassier said, “Let’s live and see.”
Personally, I also view Chirac’s recent visit to Armenia and his planned trip to Azerbaijan in this context as well. Perhaps we should also view reports that much of the territory outside of Lachin is being depopulated — as I wrote about in articles for Eurasianet and the Institute for War & Peace Reporting (IWPR) — in this light too.
