WASHINGTON—The United States will continue to maintain close contact with Russia in their efforts to mediate a resolution to the Nagorno-Karabkh conflict through the OSCE Minsk Group, a top US State Department official responsible for the region said Tuesday, while expressing concern over the growing frequency of cease-fire violations across the Karabakh-Azeri line-of-contact.
Speaking at a press conference Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon dismissed claims by analysts close to the conflict that Washington has become passive while Moscow intensifies its mediating role.
According to Gordon, the US continues to be an active force in negotiations alongside its Russian and French partners. “Russia plays an active role in the Karabakh conflict resolution. The U.S. welcomes Russia’s role as a mediator in the talks and is ready for close cooperation with it,” he said
“U.S. Secretary of State Clinton, who visited Armenia and Azerbaijan in July of this year, is constantly informed of this issue and is closely observing the situation,” Gordon said. “The United States will take an active part in negotiations due to the importance of the conflict settlement.”
The State Department official also welcomed a joint declaration issued by the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries and Armenia and Azerbaijan during the OSCE Summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana held earlier this month.
