U.S. State Dept. comments on Karabakh peace process

PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. Department of State has commented on the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process, in response to questions submitted by the Armenian service of Voice of America, particularly about the reason behind the decision of the American ambassador to Azerbaijan to not attend a junket to the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh city of Shushi.

The ambassadors of the United States, France and Russia have rejected the invitation of the Azerbaijani government to visit the Nagorno-Karabakh city of Shushi, which came under Baku's control during the 44-day war in fall 2020. Ambassadors of 46 countries, however, did accept the invitation and were pictured taking selfies near the iconic Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, which was targeted by Azerbaijan's precision guided missiles twice within an hour.

The State Department said in a statement they do not comment on the ambassador's schedule or the reasons he chose to not participate in the event. The American side added that a number of diplomatic representatives accredited in Baku have not joined the junket either.

Weighing in on a recent meeting of Secretary Antony J. Blinken and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, the State Department cited the press release published by the French side, which said the two "talked about our joint action as co-chairs of the Minsk Group to help achieve lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan."

"We are deeply concerned about the flare-up of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan last fall and are aware of the humanitarian challenges facing the region," the statement read.

The Department of State also expressed support for the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs aimed at the peaceful settlement of the conflict. It said the United States is committed to helping the sides achieve a lasting solution based on the three principles: non-use of force or threat of force, territorial integrity, equal rights and self-determination of peoples.