Saturday,
U.S. Still Sees No ‘Military Solution’ To Karabakh Conflict
U.S. - U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien (L) meets with Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Washington, .
U.S. National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien insisted that there can be no
“military solution” to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict after meeting with
Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s foreign ministers in Washington late on Friday.
“In my meeting with Azerbaijani FM [Jeyhun Bayramov] I pressed for an immediate
ceasefire, then a return to Minsk Group-facilitated negotiations with Armenia
and rejection of outside actors further destabilizing the situation. There is no
military solution,” the U.S. National Security Council quoted O’Brien as saying
on its Twitter page.
O’Brien made a somewhat different comment on his separate talks with Armenian
Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian. He said they met to “discuss the need for
an immediate ceasefire” and the resumption of Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks
mediated by the three Minsk Group co-chairs: the U.S., Russia and France.
“The U.S. will continue our strongest diplomatic efforts at all levels until the
conflict is resolved,” added President Donald Trump’s key adviser.
U.S. - Armenia's Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan meets with U.S. Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo to discuss the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, at the State
Department in Washington, U.S.,
The Trump administration invited Bayramov and Mnatsakanian to Washington as part
of its efforts to stop the nearly month-long war in and around Karabakh. The two
ministers also separately met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier
on Friday.
Pompeo said he discussed with them “critical steps to halt violence in the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.” He did not report any fresh Armenian-Azerbaijani
agreements that effect.
Trump spoke afterwards of “really good progress” made in U.S. mediation efforts.
But he did not elaborate.
“We don’t yet know what progress they are talking about,” a spokesman for
Russian President Vladimir Putin told the RIA Novosti news agency on Friday
night.
Putin expressed hope on Thursday that Washington will contribute to Russian
efforts to get the conflicting parties to respect a ceasefire agreement that was
brokered by Moscow on October 10.
A similar “humanitarian” truce agreement brokered by France on October 17 has
also not been observed. Both warring sides reported on Friday fresh fighting and
shelling of civilian areas in the conflict zone.
NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- Pople mourn during the funeral of a soldier who died in
recent military clashes Karabakh, Stepanakert,
At his meeting with O’Brien, Mnatsakanian again held Turkey responsible for the
continuing bloodshed. According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, he claimed
that Ankara is keen to destabilize the region by recruiting Middle Eastern
“terrorist fighters” for the Azerbaijani army and providing other military
assistance to Baku.
The Turkish and Azerbaijani governments deny Turkey’s direct involvement in the
ongoing war.
Pompeo criticized Ankara’s role in the Karabakh escalation last week. “We now
have the Turks, who have stepped in and provided resources to Azerbaijan,
increasing the risk, increasing the firepower that’s taking place in this
historic fight,” he said.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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