Wednesday, June 7 2023 15:59

ArmInfo. The United States calls on Azerbaijan and Armenia to refrain from provocative, threatening,  or hostile actions or rhetoric. This was stated by US Ambassador to the Organization Michael Carpenter at a special meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna.

" We firmly believe the only way forward is peace, dialogue, and the  normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia on the  basis of mutual respect for each other's sovereignty and territorial  integrity.  We appreciate the hard work it will take for both  countries to peacefully resolve decades of conflict, and pledge our  continued support for these endeavors.  To quote Secretary Blinken,  "peace is achievable in the South Caucasus."  We truly believe that.  The United States attaches great importance to direct talks between  Armenia and Azerbaijan.  Doing the hard work now to reach a durable  and sustainable peace agreement, normalize relations, delineate and  demarcate borders, open transport and communication links, and ensure  the rights and security of all persons in the Nagorno Karabakh region  will bring great dividends to Azerbaijan, to Armenia, and to the  wider region.  We urge the sides to refrain from provocative,  threatening, or hostile actions or rhetoric. 

As a starting point for improving security, we call on Azerbaijan to  take steps to ensure constant gas and electricity supplies to Nagorno  Karabakh, as well as to ensure the free flow and movement of goods  and people, including through the Lachin Corridor.  In this respect,  I urge Azerbaijan to adhere to the letter and spirit of the February  22 order by the International Court of Justice. 

Mr. Minister, turning now to the OSCE, we believe every OSCE  participating State has a responsibility to ensure the sound  governance and financial stability of our Organization.  The OSCE can  only be leveraged as a tool to support conflict resolution, economic  and environmental cooperation, and human security if it has a budget.   Today, the Organization's financial integrity is at risk because the  OSCE is without an external auditor.  I strongly encourage you to  help us reach an agreement on a Unified Budget and an external  auditor so we may continue to work for the people throughout the  entire OSCE region. 

We believe there is much we can achieve together through this  Organization.  And we stand ready to deploy OSCE tools and to  implement projects in Azerbaijan, of course with the host country's  support, to realize our common goal of comprehensive security.  

Mr. Minister, the United States will continue to work with Azerbaijan  and Armenia, bilaterally, multilaterally, and through partners such  as the European Union and international organizations such as the  OSCE to help reach a durable and dignified peace," the American  diplomat stated.