The OSCE Minks Group Co-chairs proposed a set of basic principles and are still waiting for reply of the Azerbaijan and Armenian Presidents,Trend reports. The leaders of the two Countries should resolve the question whether they want to change the basic principles, U.S. Ambassador Matthew Bryza, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair said in an interview for Armenia News Agency Mediamax.
Obviously, neither side agrees upon the basic principles. Both sides, or at least one of them, should state their full consent However, no-one is willing to say We agree upon these principles, Bryza underlined.
This summer the mediators came out with a statement that the activity of the Co-chairs depends on the President's reply. So far, we have not received a formal reply. If in the pre-election period the sides state their need to see the mediators to continue their efforts, we will certainly oblige , the mediator underlined.
Bryza noted that following the upcoming pre-election campaign in Armenia the window of opportunity' will start narrowing, although presently it is open. For the time being there are favorable opportunities for both sides to demonstrate a creative approach and we see it in the example Azerbaijan has shown in its proposal for a resolution to the UN General Assembly on joint efforts for defeating the outcome of fires,' he noted.
The diplomat stressed that if he had considered the peace process to be futile, then he would never waste his time. Touching upon the issue of the return of Kalbajar, the Co-chair said that it depends on the establishment of confidence between the sides. I don't know when this will occur, but the essence of measures that we deal with in connection with the fire is directed at the establishment of this confidence. When there is a definite level of confidence, then it would be realistic to speak about the return of Kalbajar to Azerbaijan in exchange for elements, such as referendum, or voting among population, or guarantees regarding Lachin corridor that Armenia tries to achieve, he concluded.