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Terry Davis: â€œI am impatiently waiting for abolition of OSCE Minsk Groupâ€

16 April 2008 12:13 (UTC +04:00)

However it will not be correct to say these two countries joined the Council of Europe only for the solution of Nagrono Karabakh problemâ€, said Terry Davis, CE Secretary General at a press-conference in Strasbourg, APA European Bureau reports. He said other factors had also been considered when both countries entered to the Council of Europe. â€œIt is true some people were saying that these countries couldnâ€™t join the Council as long as the Nagorno Karabakh problem is not solved. Others said let Azerbaijan and Armenia join the Council of Europe and then we would assist them to solve the conflict. The Council of Europe is not directly involved in the negotiations over this conflict. Regarding the different estimation of the OSCE Minsk Group activity, of course the prolongation of the solution is regrettable. The Minsk Group is trying to reach agreement between the parties for long time, but it is necessary to consider that the Minsk Group cannot force the parties to accept any solution. This institution is playing the role of assistant in finding solution to the deadlock. I have talked to the foreign ministers of both countries and been impressed that both parties are close to agree. I think we can hope for the agreement in the near futureâ€. Terry Davis responded the claims about the stopping of OSCE Minsk Groupâ€™s activity. â€œMy opinion about the stopping of OSCE Minsk Groupâ€™s activity is that I am impatiently waiting for the abolition of this institution. Its abolition will normally mean the solution of Nagrono Karabakh problemâ€. Speaking about the situation of media in Europe, Terry Davis said there were problems in this field. He expressed concern on the murder of Russian Channel One journalist, censorship on the Internet in Armenia, arrest of journalists in Azerbaijan and emphasized the importance of improving the media situation in entire European space.