Mediamax, Armenia
Sept 5 2008
US DIPLOMAT PRAISES ARMENIAN, TURKISH PRESIDENTS’ "COURAGE" TO MEET
Yerevan, 5 September: U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for
European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza said in his exclusive
interview with Mediamax that "we welcome the courage that Armenian and
Turkish Presidents have shown by agreeing to meet".
Commenting on Mediamax’s request the Turkish President’s upcoming
visit to Yerevan, Matthew Bryza said: "We welcome the courage both
Presidents have shown by agreeing to meet. They demonstrated wisdom in
embracing a football match as an opportunity to create new openings in
pursuit of peace and prosperity".
"This meeting reflects the reality that for centuries, the people of
Turkey and Armenia have inhabited a common Anatolian home. We hope
this meeting will generate accelerated progress toward a just and
lasting settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, which must
proceed from the principle of respect for Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity, and evolve into a political compromise that incorporates
other principles of international law and diplomatic practice",
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State told Mediamax.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs Matthew Bryza expressed disagreement in his exclusive
interview with Mediamax with the opinion that the Russian-Georgian
crisis will "kill" the Armenian complementary foreign policy.
"Armenia is an independent country with a sovereign government elected
by its citizens. It can pursue any path it wishes. The United States,
which is immensely more powerful than Russia, is a close friend of
Armenia’s, and remains committed to helping Armenia achieve the goals
of its complementary foreign policy", Matthew Bryza told Mediamax.
U.S. diplomat also noted that "Russia’s invasion of Georgia, during
which Russia bombed Georgia’s railroad and Poti port and tried to cut
off the free flow of goods across Georgia, also hurt Armenia".
"We hope to see additional transit routes open up that will link
Armenia and Georgia to global markets, notwithstanding Russian
attempts to strangle Georgia’s economy and overthrow Georgia’s
democratically elected government," U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State said.
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs Matthew Bryza expressed hope in his exclusive interview with
Mediamax that "the OSCE Minsk Group can continue in its previous way,
though Russia’s relations with all of us in the West are undergoing
profound change".
Matthew Bryza said this commenting the statements of some U.S. experts
who suggest that after the Russian-Georgian war the cooperation of the
U.S. and Russia within the Co-Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group
will be impossible.
"As President Bush and Secretary Rice have made clear, now is not the
time for business as usual with Russia. At the same time, the U.S.,
Russia, and France have accomplished a great deal within the Minsk
Group. Speaking personally, I am deeply fond of Russian Co-Chair
Ambassador Yuriy Merzlyakov, who is a talented diplomat, a wise
analyst, and a wonderful person," Matthew Bryza said.
"Regardless of what happens in the nearest future with the OSCE Minsk
Group, the United States, my superiors, and I personally will only
intensify our efforts to help Armenia and Azerbaijan reach a just and
lasting settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict," Chief
U.S. Negotiator stressed.