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Warlick: US presses both presidents to meet again soon
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The news agency Turan
The news agency Turan

Warlick: US presses both presidents to meet again soon

Washington hopes for the “confidence” on Nagorno-Karabakh peace negotiations and presses both presidents to meet again soon, top US envoy on the conflict, stated on Wednesday, during his speech at Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Marking the anniversary of twenty years after the ceasefire agreement of May 12,1994 halted fighting between Armenians and Azerbaijanis, Ambassador James Warlick, a US co-chair of the Minsk Group, the OSCE body that works on resolving the conflict, said, a peaceful resolution of the conflict remains elusive, calling the current state of affairs "unacceptable and unsustainable"
 
Warlock called Azerbaijani and Armenian people and the governments on “the decision to work for lasting peace,” prior to his trip to the region next week.
 
He also urged the sides "not only recommit the ceasefire, but also take steps towards forward."
 
The first step should come from the two capitals.  "They should consider measures, even unilateral ones, that will demonstrate their state commitment to making progress l, residing tensions, and improving the atmosphere for negotiations.. They should reduce the hostile rhetoric, and prepare their populations for peace, not war"
 
He also underlined importance of people to people efforts, calling diaspora communities to "speak out for the peace"
 
"Secular and religious leaders, NGOs media outlets and others from both sides should also be encouraged to cooperate for peace" he said. A Lasting peace must be built or on a piece of paper, but on the trust, confidence and participation of the people of the org sides"
 
Speaking about the negotiation process, he said "there is really not much new on the table," highlighting the 6 core principles. 
 
In the meantime, the fact is the sides have come to a point where their positions "on the way forward are not that far apart"
 
"There needs to be a join step. Of there is going to be a lasting settlement there needs to be trust -- not only among the presidents also people to people."
 
"The people of Azerbaijan and Armenia deserve nothing less than that, and that's where I hope we can go. Now is the time,” he said. 

Alakbar Raufoglu 
Washington, DC

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