The OSCE is asked to play a direct role in resolving conflicts in Georgia, Moldova, and Nagorno-Karabakh, the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasia Philip Gordon said during hearings before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe on Thursday, RIA Novosti reported.
"We also want OSCE to give more attention to Central Asia, including long-term challenges related to democracy and human rights in the region. The OSCE can and should help more young parliamentary democracy in Kyrgyzstan, and help ensure the stability and security in Afghanistan, especially in the border regions", Gordon stressed.
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 seven 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.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.