I listened carefully to the statements by our distinguished Armenian colleague in the previous item, and then our distinguished Azerbaijani colleague in this item, and I just wanted to respond to a couple of the direct questions that were raised by the distinguished Azerbaijani ambassador.
There were several questions, but I think they centered on a particular point, which was the question of whether the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group are satisfied with the status quo. And the distinguished Azerbaijani ambassador expressed his delegation’s assessment that 20 years is too long to not resolve a conflict.
I want to assure the distinguished Ambassador of Azerbaijan that I listened closely and hear the frustration. I agree that twenty years is too long, and that all conflicts are urgent and must be solved. The United States shares this sense of urgency – and this urgency connects to our deep concern about the recent violence, as well as our ongoing commitment to work with the sides to achieve a lasting and peaceful settlement of the conflict. In that vein, we continue to encourage – as a Co-Chair, we encourage Armenia and Azerbaijan to continue preparations with the Co-Chairs on the next presidential summit, to be held before the end of this year.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
As delivered by Ambassador Daniel B. Baer to the OSCE Permanent Council, Vienna
