Former U.S. envoy: Determination of Karabakh status is priority

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick believes that the determination of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh is a priority.

In an interview with the Armenian service of the Voice of America, Warlick said the conflict can't be considered resolved after the war, and it is impossible to speak of stability without settlement.

The diplomat described Azerbaijan's recent release of 10 Armenian prisoners of war and Armenia's handing over of minefield maps as a "small step" towards achieving mutual trust.

Warlick said he is aware that Russia has taken some issues into its hands, but expressed confidence that the co-chairs, the OSCE and the United States have to take action and advance the settlement of the problem.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev on November 9, 2020 signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Under the deal, the Armenian side returned all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.