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According to the report, the co-chair compared the negotiation process with a bicycle ‘you will fall if you stop’.

“It is necessary not to focus on the hindrances at the current stage of talks, the parties should try to look into the future. In this issue it is necessary to raise the role of leaders of the OSCE Minsk Group states. The growing role is proven by the recent statement in Canada and the recent visit of the Secretary of State. Mrs. Clinton voiced a great thought during the visit saying ‘sometimes the last steps to peace turn to be the most difficult ones’”, Bradtke said answering a question on whether the US has developed a new approach to the Karabakh conflict.

He noted that the conflict settlement must be based on Helsinki principles: “They accept six elements, twice presented by presidents Obama, Sarkozy and Medvedev. This is the temporary and final status of Nagorno Karabakh, return of occupied lands, the corridor communicating Armenia and Karabakh, return of refugees and IDPs (Internally Displaced Persons) and provision of peace.”

“At the current stage the co-chairs need to coordinate these elements with the Helsinki principles, then reflect them in a framework agreement and then build the final talks on settlement on these bases. We are currently on an important and most difficult stage,” Bradtke added.

According to what Bradtke said in the interview with BBC’s Azerbaijani service, the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia demonstrate political will to reach peace: “The main issue is the organization of the frequent meetings of presidents. This is a difficult issue for us. Each of the presidents says he wants peace and the opposite side does not want it.”

“But I am confident that both presidents adhere to search for ways of peaceful settlement of the conflict,” he added.

Bradtke as well as his French and Russian counterparts in the OSCE Minsk Group visited the region last week, which overlapped with the South Caucasus tour of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

During their visits the mediators and the Secretary underscored the call of the U.S., French and Russian presidents issued from the G8 summit late last month on the parties “to take the next step and complete the work” on the main principles of settlement in order “to begin drafting a peace agreement.”