"For peace to be possible, it must be Armenians and Azerbaijanians themselves who want it" - Luis Bono

Baku/06.03.23/Turan: "A couple of weeks ago I accompanied Secretary of State Blinken on a trip to Munich, where he met with President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan. The meeting was constructive, a view shared by all the participants of the meeting. Afterwards, the Secretary of State asked me to visit the region as soon as possible to continue the peace process. That is why I am here now".

The US Special Representative for the Caucasus, Louis Bono, started his briefing in Baku with these words.

"The U.S. is a mediator, not a conciliator", Bono said, responding to a question about what the U.S. can do to keep the peace process going if provocations and cease-fire violations occur after meetings and agreements between Baku and Yerevan representatives. 

"For the peace process to be sustained, the parties themselves have to want it, it has to come from the parties themselves, not from the U.S. or anyone else. Our job is to get the parties to talk to each other, to put forward proposals and exchange them," Bono said.

He refused to answer the question when a meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian representatives could be held in Brussels, suggesting to address this question to representatives of the European Union.

"It's no secret that Russia plays a major role in the region, and Azerbaijan has stated that the Minsk Group is dead. What can the US do in this case to change the situation, if there is a plan?"

Responding to the Turan agency Bono said: "I know President Aliyev's opinion about the Minsk Group, and my opinion is that the sides must be brought together, and it does not matter whether it is within the Minsk Group or elsewhere. Unfortunately, at the moment one of the members of the Minsk Group is not participating in its work. I am discussing these issues today in Baku, and tomorrow I will discuss them in Yerevan".

Asked about the Lachin corridor, Bono recalled Secretary Blinken's words in Munich that the road should be open for the movement of the population.

"We recognise that there are security issues, but it is necessary for essential goods and civilian supplies to move around and be accessible to the people of Karabakh," Bono said.

"Our aim and goal is to end the suffering of the Azerbaijanians and Armenians, so the two peoples can coexist peacefully," he concluded. -02B-