Matthew Bryza:USA calls on Armenia and Turkey to overcome existing differencesJuly 9, 2007 PanARMENIAN.Net - The St. Petersburg meeting between Armenian and Azeri Presidents will be a subject of discussions for politicians and societies still for a long time. The world community's expectation for the sooner resolution of the Karabakh conflict again did not come true, though a certain progress was fixed. The visit to Stepanakert, Baku and Yerevan by representatives of Armenian and Azeri intelligentsia comes to prove that fact. OSCE American Co-Chair, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza told the PanARMENIAN.Net about the current situation in Armenian-Turkish relations and the negotiation process around Nagorno Karabakh. The meeting between the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in St. Petersburg didn't produce any results. Is continued dialogue being proposed, or will that be postponed until after the presidential elections in the two countries? The two sides have made considerable progress over the past three years, and the leadership of Armenia and Azerbaijan should be lauded for their courage in narrowing the differences between them on basic principles for a resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We regret that the St. Petersburg meeting did not produce greater progress. As a Co-Chair of the OSCE's Minsk Group, the U.S. remains committed to supporting negotiations to achieve a peaceful resolution of the conflict. We urge both sides to show the political will to move the negotiations forward. Is the U.S. planning to take any steps to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia? Armenia and Turkey have a long and rich history. The future of relations between the two countries is obviously something that Armenia and Turkey will decide but as a strong partner of both countries the U.S. encourages both countries to work towards a settlement of their differences and the resumption of normalized relations. Will the U.S. participate in any manner in the construction of the Kars (Turkey) - Baku railroad line? The U.S. Government has no plans to participate in the construction of the Kars-Baku railroad line. To what extent is a Turkish invasion of Northern Iraq justified and would that not destabilize the larger (broader) Middle East? The U.S. Government is opposed to any unilateral cross-border operations by Turkish forces into Iraq. That said, the U.S. recognizes the PKK terrorist threat to Turkey and Turkey's right to defend itself. We believe that cooperation amongst Turkey, Iraq, and the U.S. is necessary to eliminate the PKK terrorist threat and have appointed General Joseph Ralston as our special envoy to lead that effort from our side. | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. |