BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 15 (UPI) — The U.S. co-chair of the mediating OSCE Minsk Group, Steven Mann visited the Azeri capital Baku Tuesday.
Ambassador Mann, the State Department’s senior advisor for Eurasia, and State Department Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried met Azerbaijani officials to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, the AssA-Irada news agency said.
AssA-Irada said that during a press conference Mann urged both nations to seek a negotiated settlement despite the lack of concrete results of during February talks between Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders in Rambouillet, France.
Following the collapse of those discussions, a number of Azerbaijani politicians threatened to use the country’s surging oil revenues to acquire more military hardware and re-launch a war to resolve the dispute.
Mann told journalists “There are issues of concern for both parties that are reflected in their positions. But the resumption of hostilities would be a tragedy for both countries. No war will lead to a solution either now or in 20 years.
“At the same time, in considering the military option, Azerbaijan should take into account other factors, such as the importance of energy projects that will bring profits to the country. America is cooperating with Azerbaijan and Armenia and deems both as friendly nations,” he said.
In one of its first foreign policy initiatives after coming to power five years ago, the Bush administration attempted in April 2001 to mediate a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The two countries fought a three-year war over Nagorno-Karabakh, which ended with a 1994 cease-fire, leaving Armenia occupying the traditionally Armenian enclave.
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