Former American diplomats have given different assessments to the position of the new Armenian government on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
“Any new government needs time to correct the final approaches”, former Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Kerry Cavanaugh reminds that Yerevan’s approach to Karabakh involvement in negotiations is not new. Still, during Cavanaugh’s office, the Co-Chairs held meetings also in Stepanakert.
Former US Ambassador to Ukraine, Atlantic Council analyst John Herbst sees Karabakh conflict settlement within Azerbaijan’s territory: “I believe, ethnic Armenian population’s needs can be met by recognizing the territory as part of Azerbaijan”. Herbst negatively assesses Nikol Pashinyan’s statement: “The Prime Minister used the Nagorno Karabakh issue as an instrument to increase his support”.
Former US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Kauzlarich holds another view. He notes that first of all, it is necessary to exclude the military solution of the problem and all the steps in that direction are positive: “I think we should, first of all, be concerned about the increase of weapons in the conflict, military rhetoric voiced first of all by Azerbaijan, but sometimes also by Armenia. It is necessary to do everything possible to prevent possible clashes with unpredictable consequences”.
According to Richard Kauzlarich, it is good that Washington and Moscow have no disagreements over the Karabakh issue and agree with the preservation of peace in these conditions.
Ambassador Cavanaugh shares this opinion and believes that the Karabakh issue is one of the unique issues over which the United States and Russia can cooperate. At the same time, according to the Ambassador, in the conditions of Trump-Putin disagreements, it is good that the Karabakh issue is not on the agenda of the US and Russian leaders.
Arman TARJIMANYAN