Azerbaijan, Armenia agree on "basic ideas" of resolving disputed region

Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Serzh Sargsyan of Armenia met at the residence of the U.S. ambassador in Prague, another in a series of meetings aimed to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.      

"They were able... to reduce their differences on basic principles and generally agree on the basic ideas they came here to discuss," Reuters quoted OSCE Minsk Group American Co-chair Mettew Bryza as telling reporters after the meeting. 

"For the first time the presidents agreed on basic ideas surrounding these (long discussed) points," he added, refusing to give details on the substance of the talks.

French envoy Bernard Fassier told reporters that there was a still a lot of work ahead. A breakthrough was being prepared and the parties are in a position to identify what could be the break, but they are not yet, he was quoted by Reuters as saying.

The envoys also said the talks would continue on a lower level in the coming weeks and the two presidents may meet again in St. Petersburg in early June.

Thursday's talks between Aliyev and Sargsyan was the fourth meeting aimed at resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The United States and Russia, along with France, are co-chairs of the Minsk Group, which is seeking to resolve the conflict. 

Both Aliyev and Sargsyan were in Prague to attend a summit at which the European Union planned to offer aid and trade accords to six ex-Soviet republics to ease Moscow's hold over them.

GUL TO MEET ALIYEV, SARGSYAN

Turkish President Abdullah Gul will also meet separately Aliyev and Sargsyan on the sidelines of the summit later in the day.

Ankara cut diplomatic links with Yerevan and closed the border in a show of support to Azerbaijan in 1993 after 20 percent of its territory was invaded by Armenia in the disputed region -- a frozen conflict legacy of the Soviet Union known as Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkey and Armenia, however, agreed last month on a "road map" deal for U.S.-backed talks that could lead to the normalizing of ties and the opening of their border.

The Turkey-Armenia thaw and the efforts to seek solutions to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are expected to be discussed in Gul's meetings with Aliyev and Sargsyan.

Holding a press conference in the Turkish capital Ankara prior to his departure for Prague, Gul ruled out the possibility of a trilateral meeting between the three presidents.