OSCE Chairman offers condolences over death of Armenian prime minister

MADRID, 26 March 2007 - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, has offered his sincere condolences to the people of Armenia and the family of Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan who died on Sunday.

"I was saddened to hear about the death of independent Armenia's longest-serving prime minister, and would like to offer my sincere condolences to the Armenian people and Andranik Margaryan's family," Minister Moratinos said today.

"Since 2000, Andranik Margaryan has played a constructive role in the political life of the country."

The OSCE Chairman expressed hope that the sudden death of the prime minister would not aggravate the political scene in the run-up to the 12 May parliamentary elections.