Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

US ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar has commented on the expected visit of the newly appointed co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group from the U.S. to the South Caucasus region.

"We are looking forward to the visit of co-chair James Warlick to the South Caucasus," Morningstar said.

"I know him. He is a very good and experienced diplomat. I am confident that being a creative person he will contribute to the process of helping with new ideas," he said.

Recently, Warlick wrote on his Twitter page that he will visit Azerbaijan and Armenia in the near future.

Warlick also noted that he will visit Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia.

He was appointed as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair in August. He has already taken the office.

Besides, commenting on the injuring of Azerbaijani citizen by an Armenian sniper on September 3, Morningstar stressed that the U.S. considers it a very great tragedy when citizens become victims of the conflict.

"Therefore we believe that the conflict should be settled as soon as possible," the ambassador said.

The resident of the Alibeyli village of Tovuz region, Musayev Adil Vekil oglu, fell victim to the fire of an Armenian sniper, while he was moving along the street. The wounded man was placed in the central hospital of Tovuz region. He had lost a lot of blood and his condition is grievous.

It should be noted that the skirmish, which began in the afternoon on the contact line of Armenia and Azerbaijan, still hasn't stopped.

Despite the monitoring by the OSCE representatives, the situation on the contact line of Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces remains tense due to frequent ceasefire violations by the Armenian troops.

A precarious ceasefire, reached after a lengthy war that displaced over a million Azerbaijanis, has been in place between the two South Caucasus countries since 1994. Since the hostilities, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenia's withdrawal from the Azerbaijani territory, but they have not been enforced to this day.

Peace talks are brokered by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs representing the United States, Russia and France. The negotiations are underway on the basis of a peace outline proposed by the Minsk Group co-chairs and dubbed the Madrid Principles, also known as Basic Principles. The document envisions a return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; determining the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh; a corridor linking Armenia to the region; and the right of all internally displaced persons to return home.