ArmInfo. The US State Department did not comment on the issue related to the non-participation of the American ambassador in the trip of foreign diplomats to the occupied Shushi, organized by the Azerbaijani government.
So, to the question of the Armenian service of "Voice of America" about why the US Ambassador refused to visit Shushi? And whether there was an agreement between the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to reject the invitation, the press service of the US State Department said:
"We do not comment on the details of the ambassador's schedule or the reasons why he was present or did not attend any events. We understand that there are many diplomatic missions in Baku that were unable to take part in Friday's visit to Fizuli-Shusha. We do not comment on France and Russia. Please contact the embassies of France and Russia for detailed information on their ambassadors. "
Referring to the recent meeting between US Secretary of State Blinken and French Foreign Minister Le Drian in Washington, during which the process of peaceful settlement of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh was discussed, the State Department repeated the information spread by the French side. According to it, at the meeting of the heads of the French and US diplomatic departments in Washington, the sides, as heads of the foreign affairs agencies of the Minsk Group co-chairing countries, spoke about joint actions that will help achieve long-term peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
"We are deeply concerned about the consequences of the resumption of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan last fall, and are well aware of the humanitarian needs in the region," the State Department said.
The State Department also expressed support for a peaceful settlement within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, stressing that the United States supports the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and is committed to helping the parties achieve a lasting settlement based on the Helsinki Final Act on the principles of territorial integrity, equality and self-determination of peoples.