U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan: OSCE Minsk Group to be strengthened

  30 May 2013    Read: 502
U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan: OSCE Minsk Group to be strengthened
OSCE Minsk Group should be strengthened, the U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar said.
"The United States supports the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We know that the existing status quo, the occupation of the part of the country is unacceptable," - ambassador said on Wednesday, speaking at the final session of the Azerbaijan-US forum "Looking to the Future".
"After nine months in Azerbaijan I realized that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict unites the people of Azerbaijan, and the tragedies of the conflict is the tragedies of the whole nation," - Morningstar said.

According to the diplomat, the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group will not be able to reach a settlement themselves.
"I think, that the agenda should be a question of strengthening the OSCE Minsk Group. Steps should be taken of trust for each of the participating countries of the conflict. At a time when the people are not ready to certain compromises for peace, it will not be achieved," ambassador said.

According to Morningstar, the participation of civil society in Azerbaijan and Armenia in the process is very important.
"Apart from the Minsk Group, there so-called "second-tier diplomacy" should be applied. International and local NGOs should contribute to the achievement of peace," U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan added.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. are currently holding peace negotiations.

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