Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

The newly appointed US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick, who is on his first visit to Azerbaijan, is committed to become closely involved in the resolution of the long-standing Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Warlick said the will of both sides is necessary to achieve sustainable peace.

He noted at a briefing on September 10 that more than 20 years have passed since the outbreak of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

"It's time to put an end to hatred and suffering. It's time for all sides involved to work together on the basis of the Helsinki Final Act," Warlick said.

The Helsinki Final Act includes such key points as non-use of force, territorial integrity of states and peaceful settlement of disputes.

Warlick called for joint efforts of Azerbaijan, Armenia and the regional states. The US co-chair said it is time for the co-chairs of the Minsk Group and the Minsk Group itself, the governments of Azerbaijan and Armenia and the countries in the region to work together and take the steps required for a settlement of the conflict for peace and prosperity of the region.

Warlick is paying his first visit to the South Caucasus region to meet with the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and also travel to Nagorno-Karabakh.

"I am here to listen and to learn as much as I can," the diplomat said, adding that he was looking forward to work closely with his fellow co-chairs to achieve a lasting settlement of the conflict.

The US co-chair expects meetings with his counterparts from the OSCE Minsk Group to discuss all the details of the peace process.

According to Warlick, the meeting with the Russian and French co-chairs will take place soon in New York on the sidelines of the 67th session of the UN General Assembly.

"I will stop over in Vienna and have a chance to meet with the OSCE Secretary General. I am looking forward to meeting with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in New York on the margins of the UN General Assembly," he said.

Warlick also said he will return to the U.S. at the end of the week.

The co-chair added that he would like to move forward with realism and pragmatism to help all sides find a solution that would lead to a lasting settlement.

On September 9, the Azerbaijani President and Defense Minister received the Minsk Group co-chair.

During his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev, Warlick handed over US President Barack Obama's letter to the Azerbaijani President.

Obama noted in the letter that it is time to restore peace in the region.

The US co-chair will also visit Armenia as well as Nagorno-Karabakh.

Warlick was appointed as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair in August.

He most recently served as Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan and lead negotiator for the Bilateral Security Agreement with Afghanistan. He served as Ambassador to Bulgaria from 2009-2012, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs from 2006 to 2009 and Director of the Office of European Security and Political Affairs from 2005 to 2006.

In December, Robert Bradtke completed his term as the U.S. Minsk Group co-chair. Ian Kelly was named as 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.