Published since 1951
Published on November 28, 2006
Aliev, Kocharian In Fresh Karabakh Talks
- The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan were meeting in the Belarusian capital Minsk late Tuesday for crucial peace talks which international mediators hoped will produce a breakthrough in their long-running efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliev came face to face for a third time in less than a year on the sidelines of a summit of former Soviet republics making up the Commonwealth of Independent States. An Armenian diplomatic source told RFE/RL that the talks, held at the Russian embassy in Belarus, began in the presence of Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the chairman-in-office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Belgian Foreign Minister Karel de Gucht. French, Russian and U.S. diplomats co-chairing the OSCE’s Minsk Group were also in attendance before the two leaders continued their discussions in a tête-à-tête format, the source said. Kocharian’s spokesman, Victor Soghomonian, was quoted by the Russian Regnum news agency as saying that no statements are likely to be made after the talks. The Minsk talks were widely seen as the last real chance to settle the Karabakh conflict before national elections that are due to take place in Armenia and Azerbaijan next year and in 2008. The mediators have indicated that failure to cut a framework peace deal now would keep the conflict unresolved at least until 2009. They arranged the latest Armenian-Azerbaijani summit during a visit to Baku and Yerevan last week. It followed a series of negotiations between the foreign ministers of the two South Caucasus states. Those talks reportedly centered on what the Minsk Group co-chairs call “complementary elements” to their existing peace plan that was discussed by Aliev and Kocharian during their two previous encounters earlier this year. The two men failed to reach any far-reaching agreements, contrary to unusually high expectations of a breakthrough in the Karabakh peace process. The Minsk Group plan calls for a gradual resolution of the dispute that would lead to Armenian withdrawal from most of the Azerbaijani districts surrounding Karabakh and culminate in a referendum on the disputed territory’s status. Officials in Yerevan have said the peace formula is largely acceptable to the Armenian side. Official Baku’s position on the issue is more ambiguous, with Aliev repeatedly stating that he will never recognize Karabakh’s secession from Soviet Azerbaijan. The unpublicized “complementary elements” are aimed at helping the parties bridge their differences. Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov indicated after their recent talks that they managed to make further progress towards that goal. However, Kocharian sought to cool fresh talk of Karabakh peace during a visit to Germany earlier this month, saying that he is not optimistic about the success of the Minsk meeting. (Itar-Tass-Photolur photo: Kocharian and Aliev line up for a photo session during the CIS summit in Minsk.)
- By Harry Tamrazian in Prague and Emil Danielyan
Headlines for November 28, 2006
Aliev, Kocharian In Fresh Karabakh Talks
By Harry Tamrazian in Prague and Emil DanielyanThe presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan were meeting in the Belarusian capital Minsk late Tuesday for crucial peace talks which international mediators hoped will produce a breakthrough in their long-running ...Iran Lauds Armenia For UN Support
Emil Danielyan
A visiting high-ranking Iranian official thanked Armenia on Tuesday for supporting his country in the international arena just days after Yerevan refused to join Western powers in condemning Tehran’s ...Opposition Party ‘Paralyzed’ By Office Lockout
By Anna Saghabalian
An Armenian opposition party led by former Foreign Minister Raffi Hovannisian claimed on Tuesday that it is unable to prepare for next spring’s parliamentary elections due to its continuing inability ...
Most read news (last 7 days)
ANNUAL TELETHON RAISES $13.7 MILLION FOR KARABAKH
By Ruben MeloyanIran Lauds Armenia For UN Support
Emil DanielyanSENIOR DASHNAK MEMBER EXPECTS NO “SHOCKING CHANGES” IN ELECTIONS
By Ruzanna KhachatrianHERITAGE PARTY DECRIES PROSECUTOR-GENERAL’S DECISION
ARMENTEL’S CURRENT TARIFFS TO REMAIN UNCHANGED UNTIL MARCH
By Astghik BedevianPROSECUTORS COMPLETE PROBE INTO TAX OFFICIAL MURDER TIP-OFF
By Karine KalantarianAliev, Kocharian In Fresh Karabakh Talks
By Harry Tamrazian in Prague and Emil DanielyanARMENIAN DRAM TURNS 13
By Shake AvoyanOpposition Party ‘Paralyzed’ By Office Lockout
By Anna SaghabalianEX-PREMIER, EX-FOREIGN MINISTER DO NOT RULE OUT ELECTORAL BLOC
By Ruzanna Khachatrian
© AUA
Today in Armenian history- 1918 Death of Gegham Ter Karapetian, a literary figure in the provinces of the Ottoman Empire. He was a revolutionary figure and the representative for Moosh (Western Armenia) in the Ottoman Parliament.
- 1967 Solemn inauguration in Yerevan of the Genocide Monument. It is dedicated to the memory of the one million victims of the Armenian Genocide committed by the Turks - starting in 1915.
- 1974 The "Russia" movie theatre is opened in Yerevan.
- 1989 The USSR Supreme Soviet liquidates its Volsky Committee in Artsakh.
Forum most active discussions
ARMENIAN NEWS
INTERACTIVE NEWS
INFORMATION
MY ARMTOWN
How to quit smoking?
How to write in Armenian on Windows XP?
All materials published on this website are taken from open sources and are copyrighted by their respective owners. You cannot reproduce or copy any materials published on armtown.com without written consent of original copyright holder. If you want to remove any material, please send us an email with proof of ownership/copyright and your material will be removed immediately. All materials published for information purposes only.