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US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick has given an interview in which he spoke about his first visit to the region and about some aspects of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Mr. Warlick said to the Voice of America that his main task was to get familiarized with the situation on the ground and to listen to the parties. The main message, which he received from not only the political leadership but also others, was that the time has come for the settlement. He said that all the sides are interested in peace as no one wants the resumption of the war.

To the journalist’s question concerning president Aliyev’s latest speech in which he again used military rhetoric, called the Armenians “fascists” and spoke about Azerbaijan’s military power, Warlick said: “We should all be concerned about the rhetoric that could lead to greater conflict and not bring about peace”. He also said that the sides must prepare their population for peace and not war and stressed the need to “move beyond the ideological rhetoric” and “find a realistic path forward”. The called for all the parties to educate their population (and especially the youth) on that the settlement can lead to greater prosperity in the future.

Mr. Warlick also said he was pleased to visit Nagorno-Karabakh as part of OSCE mission. What he observed however was an active line of contact and tension on the border. He thus stressed the importance of Minsk Group efforts in preventing active hostilities from breaking out.

Answering the question on whether Armenia’s membership in the Customs Union will in any way affect the US approach towards this conflict, Mr Warlick said, “We will continue to work with Armenia and Azerbaijan very closely to bring about a durable settlement… I know Armenia continues to have a real perspective on Europe; they’ve made that clear to us that they are interested in peace and prosperity as a part of Europe in the future.”