U.S.: Azerbaijan and Armenia should have more contacts

29.06.2007
PanARMENIAN.Net

“The United States appraises the exchange of visit by Azerbaijani and Armenian intellectuals. We regard that there should be more contact between these two countries,” the U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Officer Jonathan Henick said.

“We regard that such visits, relations between the journalists would reduce the tension over the conflict. That is a good step, such visits would help to reach a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict,” the Embassy officer said.

The diplomat saying that mutual visits of Azerbaijani and Armenian intellectuals were not held on the initiative of OSCE Minsk Group stated that such steps should be approved in any case.

“Since the Presidents and Foreign Ministers negotiate why not representatives of other strata of the society maintain contact?” he concluded, APA reports.

Yesterday the Azeri delegation led by Polad Bul-Bul-ogly, Azerbaijani Ambassador to Russia, crossed the mine-free sector of the contact line between the Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijani armed forced, on Mardakert-Terter (Mir Bashir) road. The delegation was accompanied to Stepanakert by representatives of the Karabakhi side. A delegation of Armenian intelligentsia led by Armen Smbatian, RA Ambassador to Russia also arrived in the NKR capital. Afterwards, the delegations made for Yerevan to meet Armenian President Robert Kocharian.

The visit was organized by initiative of both Ambassadors.

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