The reason for the Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian presidential meeting to be held in Astrakhan, Russia, on the initiative of RF President Dmitry Medvedev is the concern over the tension in the negotiation process, evidence thereof being the latest statements by Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliev addressed to each other, Giro Manoyan, Head of the Hay Dat (Armenian Cause) office, told NEWS.am.

Moreover, by organizing the meeting Russia is emphasizing its significant role in the negotiation process. Manoyan pointed out that Moscow coordinated the meeting with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. Any new proposals for settlement are unlikely to be presented to the conflicting parties in Astrakhan. Manoyan does not see any grounds for that.

A trilateral Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian presidential meeting is to be held in Astrakhan on Oct 27. A similar meeting was held in Saint Petersburg this June. The latest version of the Madrid principles was presented to the sides, and Yerevan accepted it as a basis for further negotiations.