The meeting of presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia will be held in Paris February 10-11 and official Baku has already agreed to take part in the meeting, Azeri FM Elmar Mammadyarov stated in a conversation with journalists. «We received French President Jacques Chirac’s official invitation and we sent back our positive response,» Mammadyarov said. The parties today discuss «basic principles of settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,» he added. «It is hard to tell you how real will be the break during the presidents’ meeting in Paris. Much depends on how we can pass the way on the key issues discussed,» the Azeri FM said. In his words, the latest talks with Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian were «very hard» and «we managed to agree on some key issues as a result.»
«Talks within the Prague process continue. At the moment we discuss 8-10 components of the agreement,» Mammadyarov remarked. He confirmed the reports there are proposals for OSCE Minsk Group member states not to be represented in the peacekeeping forces that will be deployed in the conflict zone in the future. At the same time, the Azeri FM remarked that speaking of stationing troops is premature as «the mandate of the contingent is not decided yet.» «However, the talks are not at a stage, at which the issue in question can be discussed,» Mammadyarov said. Measures to «rehabilitate the region» should precede deployment of peacekeepers, he remarked, reported Trend agency.
