US HAILS KARABAKH PEACE TALKS AS ‘BREAKTHROUGH’
TurkishNY
-hails-karabakh-peace-talks-as.html
July 15 2009
Ahead of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents’ key meeting in
Russia, US mediator of the Minsk Group Matt Bryza tells the Daily News
that the strengthening dialogue has brought mediation efforts to a
‘new and hopeful level’ and welcomes Moscow’s contributions
The United States has welcomed the progress in the peace process
between regional rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan concerning the disputed
Nagorno-Karabakh territory.
"There is a real breakthrough in negotiations," said Matt Bryza,
U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian
affairs. The U.S. official on Monday attended the European Union’s
flagship Nabucco natural gas pipeline project signing ceremony in
Ankara, where he spoke to the Hurriyet Daily News & Economic Review.
Together with Russia and France, the United States is co-chairing an
international panel, the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe, or OSCE, which has sought to mediate the
dispute between the two countries.
The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are due to meet in Russia
on Friday for the sixth time in 13 months and the third time in
three months.
"The OSCE Minsk Group’s mediation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
is accelerating. … The increasing pace of their meetings reflects
a strengthening of the dialogue between the presidents," Bryza said.
"These factors have brought our mediation effort to a new and hopeful
level. We hope the presidents’ meeting on July 17 will build on the
important progress they made in St. Petersburg on June 4, and clear
the way to finalize the set of basic principles proposed by the Minsk
Group co-chairs in Madrid in November 2007."
He stressed President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary
Clinton were providing their personal support to his efforts as the
U.S. mediator.
"The three Minsk Group co-chairs, from the United States, Russia,
and France, work together as a strong and collaborative team. We
welcome the important and positive contributions by Russian President
Medvedev," said Bryza.
In recent remarks marking the most revealing announcement to date on
the details of the peace process, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
said the Armenian pullback from five territories was reflected in
the Minsk Group’s proposals and only after the complete withdrawal
could there be discussion about the status of Karabakh.
"The question of the phased withdrawal of Armenian forces from occupied
territories outside Nagorno-Karabakh is the first stage. Immediately
after the signing of agreements, troops are slated to be withdrawn
from five regions," Aliyev was quoted as saying, adding that the
withdrawal of forces from the two regions would take place five years
after the initial pull back.
While in London on Monday, Aliyev, who did not attend the Nabucco
signing ceremony in Ankara, instead sending his energy minister
Natik Aliyev, said Nagorno-Karabakh would never be recognized as an
independent country.