Foreign

Foreign

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State: â€œNagorno Karabakh conflict may turn into hot phaseâ€

04 March 2011 12:22 (UTC +04:00)

As a result of some wrong calculations, the conflict may turn into a hot phase. Everything should be done in order to prevent this scenarioâ€, said U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon at the â€œGlobal Securityâ€ conference held in Bratislava. Responding the question of one of the attendee, he said that there was no need to search the reason of no progress at settlement of the conflict. According to him, if there had been another effective format, it would have been to discuss it: â€œBut the USA and Minsk Group are working very well and certain progress is observedâ€.

The Secretary of State commented on the USâ€™ position that Russia gradually takes control of the Nagorno Karabakh peace process: â€œRussia is geographically closer to the conflicting parties. Therefore it is easier to organize a meeting on their initiative, for instance in Sochi, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Astrakhan rather than Washington. We think that Russiaâ€™s actions are transparent and other Minsk Group Co-Chairs are informed of the details. Co-Chairs trust each other as they protect common interests. These interests are determined by an imperative of ensuring comprehensive security in Europeâ€.