US urges Baku, Yerevan to focus on peace and structured negotiations

The US on Thursday called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to find the political will to enter into structured negotiations, as proposed by the Swiss Chairmanship, and to focus on "the benefits that peace will bring to people across the region."

While welcoming last week's Sochi meeting between presidents Aliyev, Sargsyan and Putin held by the Russian leader, and the sides' commitment to resolve the conflict through peaceful means, Washington strongly condemns the violence along the Line of Contact that has resulted in significant casualties since July 31.

The statement called "Condemnation of Violence Along the Armenian-Azerbaijani Line of Contact" was delivered yesterday by the US Chargé d’Affaires to OSCE Gary Robbins at the organization's PermanentCouncil, in Vienna, TURAN's US correspondent reports.

"We extend our condolences to the families of those killed or injured and call on the sides to take immediate action to reduce tensions and respect the ceasefire," reads the statement.  As a co - chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the US "remains committed to helping all sides reach a lasting settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict..."

"There can be no military solution to the conflict. Retaliation, attacks and further violence , and provocative statements will only make it more difficult to bring about a peaceful settlement. Therefore, we urge the leaders involved to create an atmosphere that is conducive to peace,"  Robbins emphasized.

The statement also refers to the Minsk Group co - chair countries presidents' early urges which clarify that a lasting settlement must be based on the core principles of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act -- particularly with respect to the non-use of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of peoples.

A.Raufoglu,

Washington