Azernews.Az

BAKU – The United States is "making an effort" to achieve a fair settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno Karabakh, US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza has told Voice of America. The remarks came in response to a senior Azerbaijani official’s statement that the U.S. is failing to take a fair stance on the long-standing conflict.

"I have a rather different view on the matter," Bryza said. "I know from my own experience how hard the U.S. and our Minsk Group counterparts [Russia and France] are working to reach a fair and peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Naturally, someone who represents the government of a country that is party to the conflict wants his international partners to do more. I often hear criticism that nothing has been achieved within the [mediating] Minsk Group. But, in fact, a great deal has been accomplished. Fair proposals have been made for a just and peaceful resolution of the conflict. These proposals just need to be worked on some more. Certainly, if the sides do not agree, any agreement is out of the question. We are talking about a balanced approach here."

Bryza said the gist of an Azerbaijani-Armenian accord is that "if everything has not been agreed, it means that nothing has been agreed at all". He added that reaching agreement on all outstanding issues would take time.

"The presidents have achieved major progress in finalizing agreement on the basic principles, and there is merely a road to cover ahead," the ambassador said.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a precarious cease-fire in 1994 following a lengthy war. Armenian armed forces have since occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including Nagorno Karabakh and its seven surrounding regions. Numerous rounds of negotiations have been largely fruitless so far.

Peace talks are underway on the basis of the Madrid principles, a peace outline proposed by the OSCE mediators that envisions non-use of force, territorial integrity and self-determination of nations. Baku has generally accepted the Madrid Document, while Yerevan has yet to state a clear-cut stance on the peace outline.