BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug.10

By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:

Former US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Richard E. Hoagland has commented on distortion of his remarks by Voice of America’s (VOA) Armenian Service about Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“First, it is important to note that my interview with VOA’s Armenian Service was in English, as is this interview with Trend. To be precise, I said that, in my personal view, a UN protectorate could – not should – be established, meaning that it is one possible option. Second, I would like to emphasize that I was speaking as an informed private American citizen; I was speaking neither for the U.S. government nor for the Caspian Policy Center where I am currently a member of the board of directors,” he told Trend.

Hoagland pointed out that now, having been the interim U.S. Co-Chair for the OSCE Minsk Group for nine months in 2017, he necessarily learned a great deal about Nagorno-Karabakh and the history of this prolonged conflict in which one country illegally by international standards occupies and claims the sovereign territory of another country.

“The OSCE has worked since 1994 to find a solution for this tragic problem. The United Nations has passed four Security Council resolutions about N-K. A road-map for a solution exists in what are called the Madrid Principles. More recently, there is a similar roadmap for resolution called the Lavrov Plan. Any kind of eventual solution – short of, God forbid, outright war – will require compromise,” he said.

Hoagland went on to add: “So we have to ask, do we want this difficult situation to continue in perpetuity, with the occasional tragic loss of life and further destruction of property? From a humane point of view and for the children of the next generation, the answer has to be no. The United Nations exists, in part, to find peaceful solutions for seemingly intractable problems. That is why one possible future solution that could provide a modicum of face-saving to both sides could come from the United Nations. Will it happen? Honestly, I doubt it. But it is worth asking the question.”

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