Baku Warns U.S. Against “Reanimating” Minsk Group Process
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday announced the appointment of Ambassador Philip T. Reeker as the United States’ Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations, the State Department reported. Official Baku was quick to warn the U.S. against what it called the “reanimation” of the OSCE Minks Group process, which it deems as being long dead.
“In this capacity, Ambassador Reeker will serve as U.S. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair and lead negotiator for the U.S. delegation to the Geneva International Discussions during this critical period,” Blinken explained in a statement.
“The United States is committed to helping Armenia and Azerbaijan negotiate a long-term political settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Ambassador Reeker will engage bilaterally, with like-minded partners such as the European Union, and through his role as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, to facilitate direct dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Ambassador Reeker’s appointment at this time reaffirms the importance the United States places in the Geneva International Discussions on Georgia,” added Blinken.
Blinken said that Reeker brings extensive experience in Europe and international organizations. He served most recently at the Embassy of the United States of America in the United Kingdom as Chargé d’Affaires to the Court of St. James’s. From March 2019 to August 2021, Ambassador Reeker was Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs. Prior to heading the Bureau, Ambassador Reeker was Civilian Deputy and Policy Advisor to the Commander of U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany. He served earlier as United States Consul General in Milan, covering northern Italy, and was Deputy Assistant Secretary of State focused on the Balkans, Central Europe, and Holocaust Issues. From 2008-2011 he was U.S. Ambassador to North Macedonia.
Baku was quick to comment about Reeker’s appointment with Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry spokesperson Layla Abdullayeva warned the U.S. about alienating itself from the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process.
“Attempts to ‘reanimate’ the practically non-functioning Minsk Group can lead to the alienation of the U.S. from the normalization process of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations,” Abdullayeva said in a statement.
“The Azerbaijani position on the Minsk Group has been repeatedly expressed and clearly stated at the highest level. The Karabakh conflict has been settled and Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan. The international community, including our partners, should realize that linking talks on the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations with the Karabakh issue in no way serves the normalization process,” added Abdullayeva reiterating Baku’s long-held position that the Karabakh conflict has been settled.
The United States, including Blinken, have been succinct in asserting the need for a comprehensive settlement of the Karabakh conflict.
