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“We were actually encouraged after November 19th, (Armenian – Azerbaijani presidents’ meeting date in Vienna-edit.). There was a period when ceasefire was respected by both sides. The number of incidents felt dramatically. We took that as an encouraging sign. Now we know that ceasefire is very fragile. Events of past few weeks demonstrated that,” US co-chair of OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick stated at the interview given to Azerbaijani news agency APA.

Answering to the question how does the tension influence the negotiation process the diplomat said, “The new tensions are not helpful as we try to move forward. We need to ensure that there is trust on all sides that the atmosphere is conducive to make progress. We hope that the ceasefire can be respected especially we are entering the period of Olympics in just few days. I hope that both parties can commit themselves to fully respect the ceasefire.”

According to James Warlick the new tensions do have an impact on negotiations. “I think one of the difficulties is that after 20 years no peace-no war there is distrust between the parties. That’s why the respect of ceasefire is important to try to build up that trust in each other in that confidence in all sides. And we, as mediators, would like to try to build on that. The ceasefire is fragile, we understand that it is not perfect ceasefire and we are not looking for that,” James Warlick said.

The American diplomat stressed that the OSCE Minsk Group wants to see the commitments from all parties to respect the ceasefire and minimize violence, deaths and injuries not only on the line of contact but on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border as well.

Answering to the question whether there is a direct link between the negotiation process and the ceasefire violation, James Warlick noted that he is familiar with such interpretation of the events, but is not able to prove them.

“I think incidents wherever it happen are regrettable. There is a ceasefire, but both sides are balance, there is a war going on; the military forces are located one in front of another along the contact line, and this is a dangerous situation. We would like to see this issue settled. If this conflict is solved in durable way it will signify a new era of prosperity for the region,” he said.

The OSCE US co-chair noted that the resources that are being wasted in this conflict over the period of two decades could be much better put in use for the well being of the people of both countries and for the prosperity of the region. “I hope that the people of Azerbaijan and Armenia will not consider this as only a territorial conflict, but also as a way of prosperity for the future.

Answering the question how the mediators analyze the fact of increase of ceasefire violations on the line of contact, James Warlick stated, “It is difficult to obtain these facts. There are OSCE monitors, but they are in very small numbers and they are able to visit the line of contact on very infrequent basis. There is no other independent way of verifying incidents. So it is very difficult for the Minsk group or anyone to say how the incident started. We know there deaths and injuries on both sides, sometimes it includes innocent civilians.”

The U.S. diplomat stated that the co-chairs have held a meeting with the president of Azerbaijan in Baku and are intended to visit also Yerevan. He also noted that the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will decide whether the meeting of presidents of both countries will take place, or not, and if it will, where it will be held.

“We will continue working with both presidents and foreign ministers; we will continue holding interesting discussion with all parties and will try to facilitate a way forward. It is hard to predict what the next step will be until we reach Yerevan, but we are, certainly, intended to continue the dialogue. After the November 19th meeting the two presidents renewed their commitment on peace process and they are going to work together on this. They said that they are planning to meet again. We need to make sure that this meeting will be a useful one. It is up to the presidents to decide the date of the meeting,” noted the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair.

James Warlick also expressed hope that the co-chairs will continue their activities, will continue to put forward new ideas in the same time working with the two sides in order to find a way forward.

Answering the question how successful were the two meetings held by the Foreign Ministers of the two countries in Paris and Kiev, after which the FM of Azerbaijan stated that it differed from the previous meetings as “concrete issues had been discussed”, James Warlick said, “The ministers are discussing the most difficult and sensitive issues. And there is no need to tell you what kind of issues they are. These are the key issues of the conflict. It is hard to discuss them, it’s hard to find a way forward. These are negotiations, and we want to see in these negotiations not acceptable compromise made by one side or another. People of Armenia or Azerbaijan will not accept such a decision.”

As James Warlick noted the OSCE Minsk Group tries to find a way forward which will insure the victory, success for the two countries.

“The way forward is when both countries can stand up and say: “Yes, this is a way taking to a new era of peace and prosperity for our people. And that is not easy. In the case of Nagorno Karabakh it is more than 20 years that this issue has been allowed to stagnate and no progress has been made. Isn’t it time to see peace?! It is an anchor that is waging down the region. And what we are supposed to do is to get rid of that anchor so that there can be possibility of peace and prosperity that the whole region deserves,” the U.S. diplomat summed up.