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Hillary Clinton: â€œThe US is working in concert with the Minsk Group partners toward a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijanâ€

18 February 2012 07:29 (UTC +04:00)

Washington. Isabel Levine â€“ APA. "The US will continue to encourage peace, stability, democracy, human rights, and prosperity in the Caucasus next year", Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated in FY 2013 International Affairs Executive Budget Summary and Congressional Budget Justification.

"The US is working in concert with the Minsk Group partners toward a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan", said the Secretary, APA’s correspondent reports.

Speaking about other regional conflicts, Secretary Clinton mentioned that "Georgia continues to deal with the Abkhazia and South Ossetia conflicts, including the disruptive fallout from the August 2008 war with Russia, while moving forward on an ambitious political and economic reform agenda. "The US goal is to support a sovereign, whole, democratic and prosperous Georgia as a strong partner across a broad range of security and policy issues, and as a potential model for democratic change and reform in the region".

The US also supports rapprochement among all countries in the region, including between Turkey and Armenia.

The Secretary also underscores that the European Arms Control Architecture has been at the forefront of Euro-Atlantic efforts to strengthen stability and security in Europe by updating its arms control architecture. However unresolved differences with Russia and "frozen conflicts" in Europe have precluded the start of negotiations using a unified NATO alliance approach toward a new framework for conventional arms control in Europe.

Those "frozen conflicts" include those in Transnistria in Moldova, Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan, and South Ossetia and Abkhazia in Georgia", she added.

In the meanwhile, Secretary Clinton mentioned that the Obama Administration is reducing its humanitarian assistance request by approximately $300 million compared to last yearâ€™s appropriation. "We plan to reduce overall assistance funding to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia by 18 percent in FY 2013".

This year, the State Department and USAID budget request totals $51.6 billion. "In the face of multiplying challenges, burgeoning needs, and increased responsibilities, State and USAID have limited our request to what is absolutely necessary to achieve our mission. We have requested a modest increase that is less than the rate of inflation. To ensure that every dollar we receive is spent wisely, we are also focused on managing our performance. This request also serves as the Annual Performance Report for FY 2011 and the Annual Performance Plan for FY 2013", she added.