The Messenger, Georgia
Nov. 5, 2004
Powel: U.S. works with both Azerbaijan and Armenia regarding Karabakh
According to Azeri 525 Gazeta, the Karabakh problem is touched upon in
a resent report of U.S. State Department. U.S. Secretary of State
Collin Powel stated that official Washington has close ties with the
Caucasus states and Central Asia, where its position is very strong.
Powel noted that Russian-American relations present a major interest
for the United States.
According to the State Department, Powel touched upon the problem of
Nagorno-Karabakh in a report on the three main problems of the foreign
policies of the United States. He said that the United States conducts
mutual work with Azerbaijan as well as with Armenia regarding the
settlement of conflict, however, Powel did not go into details.
Official Baku not once expressed dissatisfaction with the standpoint of
the United States in Karabakh.
The paper writes, “it can be assumed that after the last statement of
the U.S. Secretary of State, Washington will take a more active stand
in the matter of the settlement of the Karabakh problem.”
As the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia
Hamlet Gasparian said, regardless of the fact what Azerbaijan wants and
says, Yerevan thinks the important the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh
status is to be settled at negotiations. According to him, “all other
issues” can be considered by Armenia only after solving the region’s
status.