Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan meet in St-Petersburg

St-Petersburg was the venue of the first meeting of Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, where Serzh Sarkisyan and Ilham Aliev have agreed to continue negotiations on settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on the basis of Madrid proposals.

In his interview to the Liberty Radio Matthew Bryza, American co-chairman of the Minsk OSCE Group, has treated the meeting as successful and instructive, having emphasized the readiness of the parties to continue the negotiation process. "Our expectations have come true. The mood is positive and constructive. The Presidents have told us that they are ready to continue negotiations within the framework of the Minsk OSCE Group on the basis of the proposals presented by us in Madrid."

According to the American co-chairman, the parties have presented their positions on the proposals of the intermediaries. "We've listened to both parties, since we understand that our Madrid proposals are just proposals. We don't mean that the parties completely agree with them. These proposals need improvement, and intermediaries are ready to continue their work. So are the Presidents, I hope," Mr Bryza said.

He has also informed that later this month the co-chairmen want to visit the region. The date of the second meeting of the Presidents is not defined yet. It will depend on the outcomes of the meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Azerbaijan.