Aliyev-Sargsyan Karabakh talks were deep and serious-Bryza.

MOSCOW, July 18 (Itar-Tass) - The conversation of the Presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia, Ilkham Aliyev and Serzh Sargsyan, on the
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement was deep, specific and serious, US Deputy
Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs and
Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza said after expanded
Karabakh talks here on Friday.

He said that he was certainly disappointed that no new decisions were
made, but, on the other hand, the sides have reached such a point when the
most serious and complicated questions remained. In the view of Bryza, for
the first time the presidents so openly were discussing issues and
exchanging views. He said that he would not say that everything was all
right and they reached consensus, but the process continues at a very
serious stage.
French OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Bernard Fassier for his part noted
that the presidents discussed a wide range of issues and now they need
time to assess this discussion. Fortunately, now they will have a pause
that will allow them to calmly assess the wealth of today's conversation,
he added. Fassier expressed the hope that the discussion on a possible new
meeting of the two presidents will be started in September.
According to him, Friday's meeting is the sixth over the past 13
months, and this means that the presidents have talked much. This shows,
especially after the Prague and St. Petersburg meetings, as well as quite
a long conversation on Friday, that the sides have approached a moment
when an opportunity emerges for once approving all the settlement
principles, said Fassier. It is always the case in all talks - the closer
the sides are the harder become certain problems, he stated.
The presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, the two countries' foreign
ministers and the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group took part in
enlarged-format talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.
Trilateral talks of Aliyev and Sargsyan with Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev will be held on July 18 on the results of the meeting.
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.RF, China to hold joint training at Peace Mission 2009 exercise.


TAONAN RANGE TRAINING CENTRE (Jilin province, China), July 18
(Itar-Tass) - Russian and Chinese troops that are taking part in the joint
antiterrorist manoeuvres Peace Mission 2009 on Saturday will hold the
first joint training at the Taonan range of the Shenyang military district
outside the city of Baicheng in the northeast of China, head of the
manoeuvres from the Russian side, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Russian
Ground Forces Lieutenant-General Alexander Studenikin told Itar-Tass.
"The training will be held without the use of ammunition with the
participation of mainly ground forces' groups of the two countries. The
two sides' aviation will not be engaged in it, except one Russian
military-transport plane Ilyushin Il-76 that will perform a landing
operation dropping RF paratroopers' company on the range," Gen Studenikin
specified.
The Russian-Chinese joint exercise Peace Mission 2009 will be held in
three stages from July 22 to 27. The first stage - military-political
consultations of the chiefs of the General Staffs of the two countries'
armies - will be held in Khabarovsk on July 22 and the second and third
stages - making a decision to conduct counter-terrorism operation and
practical actions of the sides' troops - will be held at Taonan range
outside the Baicheng city in the northeast of China.
About 3,000 military from each side are engaged in the manoeuvres, as
well as more than 300 units of ground combat equipment and over 40 planes
and helicopters.
The China Daily newspaper reported that Chinese and Russian defence
authorities had announced on July 8 that the two states, both members of
the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), will jointly conduct the
exercise.
Russian Armed Forces General of Staff Nikolai Makarov and the PLA
General Chen Bingde will hold strategic talks in Russia's Khabarovsk on
July 22.
The military drill begins on July 22 and lasts until July 26. About
1,300 personnel from the army and air force of each side will participate
in the exercise and Russia will also send an airborne assault unit,
according to the Defence Ministry, the report says.
It says the exercise will be carried out in Russia's Far East area and
northeast China's Shenyang Military Command. China, Russia and other SCO
member states previously held two similar anti-terrorism exercises under
the name Peace Mission in 2005 and 2007. The exercise is not targeted at
any particular third party but will showcase the abilities and resolutions
of both sides to jointly cope with various kinds of security threats and
crack down on terrorist, separatist and extremist forces, the Defence
Ministry said.