Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 22
Trend:
United States remains firmly committed to mediating a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, State Department spokesman John Kirby said at the briefing.
While commenting the meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents held on Saturday in Switzerland, Kirby said that "the summit offered the presidents an important opportunity to meet face to face for the first time in over a year and to clarify their positions". "Presidents accepted the deterioration of the situation", he said.
Kirby said Washington supports "proposals to reduce the risk of violence along the line of contact". "Our Minsk Group co-chair, Ambassador Warlick, together with his Russian and French counterparts, continue to discuss these - all these measures with both sides", he added.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The two countries signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Russia, France and the US are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the UN Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.