James Warlick: The past year was a step forward, and backward in the Karabakh settlement

In an interview with reporters in the press center of the OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel the US co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, James Warlick,  called "contradictory moves" the events around Nagorno-Karabakh in the past year. "Over that year, we have witnessed significant progress in the negotiation process - Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents met three times and made efforts to ensure lasting dialogue to resolve the conflict. But we, however, have witnessed a step back," said Warlick.

The  American co-chair called  a step back escalation of tensions at the end of July at the line of contact, as well as the destruction of the Armenian military helicopter that caused casualties on both sides.

In this situation, Jaime Warlick believes it important to continue the bilateral meetings between the presidents format. "We, as co-chairs, are ready to support the conduct of such meetings," he said, noting the optimism of the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia after the Paris meeting.-0—