Greece, Athens, Dec. 1 / Trend E.Huseynov /
The U.S. intends to seek a final settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which will provide long-term stability and economic growth in the region, Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg said at the OSCE Ministerial Council in Athens today.
"Our efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the Minsk process contributed significantly to the stability between Azerbaijan and Armenia," he said. "As one of the co-chairs of the Minsk Group, the U.S. intends to seek a final settlement of the conflict, which will provide long-term stability and economic growth in the region."
Steinberg expressed hope for cooperation within the OSCE, especially in resolving conflicts that are "central issues of the OSCE."
"This is what the Corfu process was directed at doing. The U.S. proposes new mechanisms for confidence-building in order to prevent conflicts," he said.
According to the official, diverse and reliable energy supplies are an important issue for Europe and the OSCE. OSCE is fully capable of dealing with the relations between energy and security, he added.
"Here we also propose developing new mechanisms where any breach of supply can be effectively addressed at the political level," Steinberg said.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
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