U.S. envoy says Karabakh status remains to be determined

PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. ambassador to Armenia Lynne M. Tracy believes some very critical issues, including the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh, remain to be resolved after the recent war unleashed by Azerbaijan.

In an interview with the Armenian Service of RFE/RL, Tracy said there is no doubt in the importance of Russia's role in bringing a halt in the fighting, but now that hostilities have stopped "we see is that there are very critical issues to be addressed, including the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the issues of displaced persons."

"So there are a number of issues that still very much remain on the table, on the agenda for the United States and the other [OSCE] Minsk Group co chairs, and we intend to stay engaged on those issue."

According to the ambassador, the situation on the ground is an extremely complex scenario.

"It's one that I think is not within the capability of any one country to resolve that's why we have the platform of the Minsk Group co-chairs. When you look at the range of issues to be tackled, of course security is the number one issue," Tracy said .

"And it's not just security for Nagorno-Karabakh," the ambassador said, reminded about her recent trip to the southern Armenian province of Syunik.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev on November 9 signed a statement to end the war in Karabakh after almost 45 days. Under the deal, the Armenian side has returned all the seven regions surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh, having lost a part of Karabakh itself in hostilities.