(Armenpress/RFE/RL)–US ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish told ANS TV that the US regrets that no essential progress was made at the Karabagh conflict regulation process.
"US hoped that Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents would sign an agreement on the basis of the results of the negotiations held in France. But the reality showed that the progress was not? as we had expected," said the US ambassador.
Harnish noted that the White House will analyze the results of the negotiations and then together with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen will state its final position on the issue in March in Washington.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said he and his Azeri counterpart–Elmar Mammadyarov will also meet in March in Washington. He said they will likely resume their regular negotiations soon to discuss ways of salvaging the peace process.
Oskanian said that a breakthrough may still be achieved this year and that the parties could build on important agreemen’s reached by them over the past year.
"The presidents failed to reach an agreement on issues that were put before them," he said. "But I think this in no way casts a shadow over the previous meetings of the presidents and successes achieved during those meetings.
"It has been said repeatedly that progress was made in 2005. That progress is still there," he said–adding that the further talks get–the more difficult they become.
"The presidents faced quite a difficult task in Paris. One should not have expected that those issues would be resolved at once."