U.S. officials have reaffirmed their commitment to allies such as the European Union and mechanisms such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to facilitate a «direct» dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan to end the dispute over the Nagorno Karabakh region.
State Department spokesman Ned Price told a press conference that the U.S. «remains strongly committed to supporting a secure, stable, democratic, prosperous, and peaceful future in the region.» «We remain committed to bilateral relations and allies like the EU,» he said, according to a statement.
«There have been occasions when the secretary of state himself has been able to join forces (…) We will continue to do so, we want to see progress although it is not our job to prescribe the exact solution to the conflict. That is something that has to be resolved by the parties involved,» he pointed out.
On Wednesday, the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities urged the international community to impose sanctions against Azerbaijan on the grounds that it is «starving an entire nation to death», according to the Armenpress news agency.
«To avoid a humanitarian crisis, international organizations should impose sanctions against Azerbaijan in addition to making comments condemning its actions,» said the acting foreign minister of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh republic, David Babaian.
In this regard, he pointed out that this is a «challenge to the civilized world». «In the rest of the world children are dancing and asking Santa Claus for presents. Our children have no bread to put in their mouths and are dying,» he said.
Azerbaijan has maintained a blockade of the Lachin corridor, which links Armenia to the disputed region, since last December 12. This has led to some 120,000 Armenians being cut off in the area with no possibility of movement. Most greengrocers and pharmacies are without supplies.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
