OSCE Chairperson meets Azerbaijani leaders, says trust between sides crucial for peaceful settlement

BAKU, 15 February 2010 - The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Secretary of State and Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Kanat Saudabayev, during his visit to Azerbaijan today reiterated the Organization's readiness to give new impetus to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and support the mediation process, and suggested drawing on shared history to achieve progress.

"We attach great importance to the South Caucasus region and to international assistance in resolving complex challenges the countries in the region are facing," he said following a meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov. "There is no alternative to a peaceful resolution of the problem based in the first place on trust and mutual understanding between the sides to the conflict."

Saudabayev added: "Kazakhstan is the first ex-Soviet state to chair the OSCE, and we will seek to fully utilize the shared history and similar mentality of our peoples, as well as the trust and good relations between our countries' leaders to achieve possible progress in resolving the protracted conflicts in a peaceful way. This is one of the top priorities of our Chairmanship."

"I fully support the mediation efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, and pay tribute to the confidence-building work of my Personal Representative Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk."

He underscored that the key tools of the Kazakh OSCE Chairmanship to address protracted conflicts will be monitoring, identification of any positive signals or signs of a potential escalation, and the use of preventive mechanisms, including political consultation within the OSCE framework. He stressed the importance of fostering tolerance and mutual trust between the peoples of the countries involved.

During his visit Saudabayev met Foreign Minister Mammadyarov and representatives of the political parties. He will meet President Ilham Aliyev and Oktay Asadov, the Speaker of Parliament, later today.

Saudabayev's visit to the South Caucasus is the first visit to the region where the OSCE has field missions. He noted the co-operation between Azerbaijan and the OSCE, including with its Office in Baku, the Representative on Freedom of the Media and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

The Chairperson-in-Office said he believed that Azerbaijan will continue to work together with the OSCE institutions on improving the legal media environment in the country and co-ordinating monitoring of parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan in November, building on the progress shown in the 2008 presidential election. He also underscored the readiness of the OSCE to support the process of democratic reform in the country.

Saudabayev expressed gratitude to the Azerbaijani leadership for its participation in realizing the initiative to hold an OSCE summit in 2010.

The OSCE Chairperson will travel to Yerevan this evening for talks with the Armenian authorities and political parties on Tuesday.