The presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia will meet on February 10-11 in the Rambuye suburb of Paris According to the International Herald Tribune, diplomats involved in resolving the Karabagh conflict claim that the parties are entering a new stage of negotiations and that there is a chance for a peace settlement this year. The newspaper thinks that during the meeting, the two presidents will come to terms on the main principles of the conflict resolution. In regard to Azerbaijan’s war declarations, representatives of the US State Department mentioned that using force in order to resolve the conflict is not the way to go and that will hurt both countries from the humanitarian and economic perspectives. The newspaper emphasizes that one of the most important points included in the document regarding the resolution is the removal of troops from the neighboring territories of Karabagh and deployment of international peacekeeping troops. The diplomats also predict a referendum in the region to determine the status of Karabagh. OSCE Speaker Kate Jinx mentioned that the document touches upon the issue of creating a security corridor in and out of the territory of Karabagh, the issue of refugees, recovery of infrastructures and removal of mines. The diplomats mention that despite the constructiveness of negotiations, the presidents have not come to an agreement on the main clauses of the document. The important thing for Azerbaijan is territorial integrity; as for Armenia, it only cares about the status of Karabagh. The diplomats think that if Kocharyan and Aliev come to an agreement, then the rest will only take a couple of months and the Karabagh conflict will enter a new stage of negotiations.
