News - US ambassador to OSCE: The USA can’t dialogue with Russia on Karabakh issue

The United States cannot dialogue with Russia on the Karabakh issue, but it is aware that the Russians are inviting the parties to talks. Ambassador Michael Carpenter, the US Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), told this to the RFE/RL Armenian Service, and added that it is the decision of the parties whether to go to these talks. As per Carpenter, the US focused on the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, borders, and finding a just and lasting peace, and that is why the US is in talks with Armenia and Azerbaijan, and supports the respective efforts of the European Union, especially the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. At the same time, it is no secret that the Russians invite the parties to talks and that the Russians have peacekeepers on the ground, but at this time the US cannot have a dialogue about the Russians' actions, so the parties themselves decide whether they want to engage in Russian-mediated talks, Carpenter continued. Moreover, speaking of the mediators, the American diplomat emphasized that his country, unlike the others, is not a neighbor of Armenia and Azerbaijan, has no biased interests, and thus can be more impartial and sincere, and they realize this both in Yerevan and Baku. At this phase, it is a priority for Washington that the humanitarian goods reach Karabakh, and the US has conveyed this message to Azerbaijan, said the high-ranking American diplomat. Michael Carpenter elaborated that it is important that the Lachin corridor be reopened now, but the using of the Aghdam motorway is also acceptable for the US. The US ambassador to the OSCE assessed the situation in Karabakh as extremely serious, really dire, and said it is urgent to meet the needs of the people living there, and the worsening of the situation there cannot be tolerated. Carpenter noted that for more than a year, the West—the United States, and the European Union—has been actively negotiating with Armenia and Azerbaijan to establish peace in the region, and judging by those talks, there is an impression in Washington that Baku and Yerevan want to reach solutions, but there are maximalist trends, too. Therefore, according to him, the US should redouble its diplomacy and contacts—cooperating with its European partners and trying to find a solution—and it must not spare any effort because otherwise the conflict could resume, which no one wants.