Later in 2006 there was a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents in Minsk on 28 November and ministerial meetings were held in Moscow.

The Committee was chaired by Robert Kocharyan, a close associate of the Armenian President and a leading member of the Armenian Pan-National Movement.

But the Armenian President, Levon Ter-Petrosian, called it an attempt to "terrorize the Armenian people" into leaving disputed areas.

Political analysts say that the next Armenian President will be crucial to breaking a longstanding deadlock.

In a protocol of Sept. 3, plenipotentiary representatives of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents committed both sides "not to undertake actions which violate the state border".

A ceremony on 17 November 2012, attended by Iran's Minister of Energy and the Armenian President, officially began construction.

"This is a compromise document," said one signer, the Armenian President, Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

The Armenian President, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, elected on Thursday by a margin of more than 80 percent, said the agreement was "qualitatively different" from past accords.

For now, only the Armenian President, Levon Ter-Petrosyan, has expressed "full support" for the Slavic initiative and declared his readiness to join the new commonwealth.

Levon Ter-Petrossian (born 1945), Armenian politician; first Armenian President (1991-1998)