US Minsk Group co-chair warns against outbreak of violence
By Sara Rajabova
The new U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, James Warlick, expressed concern over the tension on the Line of Contact between Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces in an interview with VOA Armenia.
"I had an opportunity to travel with the OSCE to the Line of Contact. There is tension. I think what we want to do is to prevent active hostilities from breaking out. There are incidents on the regular basis, and there are people who are killed in these hostilities," Warlick said.
Despite the monitoring by OSCE representatives, the situation on the Line of Contact remains tense due to frequent ceasefire violations by the Armenian troops.
The Armenian forces almost every day open fire at the Azerbaijani positions in different areas of the frontline -- mostly in Gazakh, Aghdam, Fizuli, Goranboy and Terter regions.
Speaking about his recent visit to the region, Warlick said he sought to learn the situation there from all parties involved.
According to Warlick, all parties would like to find a way towards a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and no one wants the conflict to be rekindled.
"We certainly do not want to see that kind of conflict again in the region. I look forward to working with all parties in finding a constructive way forward that can bring durable peace," he said.
Warlick said all the parties should prepare their population for peace, not war.
The U.S. co-chair added that there is a need for political will of all the parties to move forward. "And what that means is that all the parties need to be prepared to accept compromises."
According to Warlick, neither side wants to see an active conflict, and that is certainly not in the interest of the people of Azerbaijan or Armenia.
Recently, the U.S. mediator paid his first visit to the South Caucasus region to meet with the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and also traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh.
He discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh problem with Azerbaijani and Armenian officials and called for joint efforts of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the regional states over resolution of the long-standing conflict.
The diplomat also said it was time for all sides involved to work together on the basis of the Helsinki Final Act.
Warlick was appointed the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair in August.
In December, Robert Bradtke completed his term as the U.S. Minsk Group co-chair. Ian Kelly had been named the U.S. co-chair on an interim basis on December 21, 2012, pending the appointment of a new permanent co-chair.
The U.S., along with Russia and France, has long been working to broker a solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the Minsk Group, but their efforts have been largely fruitless so far.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.