The United States of America, as co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, continues to remain committed to a lasting and political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, convinced that only a comprehensive solution to the problem can regulate Armenia-Azerbaijan relations. In response to an inquiry from Armenpress, the US Embassy in Armenia stated this, reacting to the statement by Leyla Abdullayeva, head of the press service department of Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“As co-chair of the Minsk Group, we continue to remain committed to a lasting and political settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. To achieve that goal, we call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to return to substantive discussions as soon as possible under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. Only a comprehensive solution that addresses all unresolved issues can regulate relations between the two countries and allow the inhabitants of the region to live together in peaceful conditions,” the US Embassy told Armenpress.
Leyla Abdullayeva, spokesperson for Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, according to the Turkish outlet Yeni Şafak, had commented on the remarks made by the US Ambassador to Armenia, Lynne Tracy, to journalists on September 11, in which she stated that the United States does not consider the status of Nagorno-Karabakh to be resolved.
“The situation of 30 years of war and tension cannot be resolved overnight. Nevertheless, we understand that there are certain issues that need to be resolved, and one of them, as I have said before, is that we do not consider the status of Nagorno-Karabakh to be determined, and therefore we continue to keep that issue on the Minsk Group’s agenda,” the US Ambassador had said during the conversation with journalists.
Commenting on these words, Abdullayeva told the Trend news agency that the US Ambassador’s statement is “unacceptable.”
“Those territories are an integral part of Azerbaijan, and there can be no question of any status,” the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson declared, adding that such statements by the American side “undermine” the future of the OSCE Minsk Group’s continued activity.
