The Nagorno Karabakh issue should be part of the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Louis Bono, the new U.S. envoy for the South Caucasus, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

“Our role in this process is not to serve as a mediator. We are not here to impose language, conditions on any of the parties. What we are trying to do is to facilitate a peace. What I mean by that is that we want the parties to develop the language, the conditions, to accept them together. They need to work this out amongst themselves,” he said.

The envoy also noted that Karabakh should be part of the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process.

“In order to have a peace agreement that is going to be sustainable, durable and balanced, it has to include Nagorno-Karabakh, and we are committed to seeing this through,” he said. “We recognize the importance of that.”

Since December 12, the sole road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia - the Lachin Corridor - has been blocked by self-described Azerbaijani environmentalists. Karabakh residents have reported food and fuel shortages, while hospital patients don't have access to essential medicines, with only a handful allowed transfer to facilities in Armenia proper.