Pentagon considers a step back occurred in OSCE peacekeeping efforts

PanARMENIAN.Net - Barack Obama’s administration insists that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe play direct role in the resolution of ‘frozen’ conflicts in the post-Soviet space. The statement came from US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon. He spoke at the hearings, organized by the two-party Commission on Security and cooperation in Europe (Helsinki commission) functioning at the US Congress. Alongside Gordon, the event on the US policy on OSCE was attended by deputy chief of Pentagon on issues of international security Alexander Verbshow and US Assistant Secretary of State on Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Michael Posner.

“OSCE must continue playing a direct role in the resolution of protracted conflicts in Georgia, Moldova and Nagorno Karabakh”, Gordon said. He said conflicts have a damaging potential, able to destabilize security in the OSCE region’. The task to overcome these conflicts, according to the United States, ‘must remain top priority for OSCE and all its member-states’, said official of the US Foreign Ministry.

In turn, while commenting on negotiations over Nagorno Karabakh, Verbshow voiced opinion that a step back occurred in these peacekeeping efforts. The attempt to ensure ‘a breakthrough’ in negotiations in Kazan held on 24 June, was not successful, while ‘tensions along the contact line of the parties grow’, according to the US official. According to his information, Armenia and Azerbaijan ‘are still unable to complete coordination of basic principles of settlement of the conflict and we remain in an unconstructive and dangerous situation’, according to Itar Tass.

The summit between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia in Kazan on June 24 completed without an agreement on basic principles of Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement because the Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev attempted to impose 10 new proposals, thus precluding the possibility of any agreement on the issue.

After Kasan meeting failure, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov handed over personal messages and suggestions of RF President Dmitry Medvedev to Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev. Armenia and Azerbaijan already replied President Medvedev’s suggestions.