U.S. call for determining Karabakh status angers Azerbaijan

PanARMENIAN.Net - The remarks of U.S. ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy about the necessity to determine the status of Nagorno-Karabakh has drawn the ire of Baku.

In a statement on Saturday, September 11, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Leyla Abdullayeva said the American Ambassador's choice of words was "unacceptable".

"The [Nagorno-Karabakh] conflict is in the past, Azerbaijan has ensured its territorial integrity and by the decree of the President of Azerbaijan dated July 7, 2021, the East Zangezur and Karabakh economic regions were created. These territories are an integral part of Azerbaijan and there can be no question of any status," Interfax.az cited Abdullayeva as saying.

According to her, the statement of the U.S. diplomat could escalate the situation and "create unreasonable expectations" for the Armenian side.

"While the further activity of the OSCE Minsk Group is being discussed, the statement by the representative of a co-chair country undermines the future activity of the Minsk Group," Abdullayeva added.

Tracy said on Saturday that that the United States is making efforts to return Armenia and Azerbaijan to the negotiating table to work on the Karabakh settlement within the OSCE Minsk Group. "We understand that fundamental problems remain, but we do not believe that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh has been resolved," the ambassador said."