Andrew J. Schofer, the new U.S. co-chair for the OSCE Minsk Group, will pay his first visit to Yerevan and Baku this week to meet with local officials and to get a firsthand look at the situation on the ground, the U.S. embassy in Armenia said in a statement.

While in the region, Schofer will also join his fellow Minsk Group Co-Chairs for high-level meetings.‎

"The U.S. supports a negotiated settlement to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and will continue to engage actively with the sides as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group," the statement said.

"Mr. Schofer, as the U.S. co-chair, supports the United States' longstanding policy, shared by the Minsk Group co-chairs, that a just settlement must be based on international law, which includes the Helsinki Final Act and the principles of the non-use of force or threat of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights and self-determination."

Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers met in New York in September on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly. The co-chairs announced then their intention to visit the South Caucasus region to prepare for a possible summit of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents.