APA, Azerbaijan
Sept 19 2009

U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs: The outline of a possible
settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict has been clear for some time

[ 19 Sep 2009 11:49 ]

Baku. Viktoria Dementieva ` APA. The United States hopes for the
progress in the talks on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and is ready to
help its solution, U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs William
J. Burns said at the conference in Georgetown University, APA reports.

`We hope that the recent progress made in talks between Presidents
Aliyev and Sargsian will lead to tangible results when they meet next
month. The outline of a possible settlement has been clear for some
time, though as with all things, the devil lies in the details and
further discussions will be needed to satisfy the concerns of both
sides. We trust that all parties will show the political will
necessary to close negotiations and bring the conflict to its desired
end. And we will devote considerable time and effort towards this
goal,’ Burns said.
`We recently announced the appointment of Ambassador Bob Bradtke as
the next U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. Bob brings more than
36 years of Foreign Service experience to the position, reflecting the
importance the United States places on this process,’ he said.
William J. Burns also touched on Turkey-Armenia relations.
`Likewise, the historic steps being taken by Turkey and Armenia
towards normalizing relations are very encouraging. Although this
rapprochement is not linked to the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations, both
processes are critical for resolving the long-standing problems that
have divided the South Caucasus and limited opportunities for regional
growth. Settling these disputes will open doors to new levels of
cooperation, trust, and commercial development region-wide,’ he said.
Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov also attended the
conference in Georgetown University.