Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

New US Secretary of State John Kerry has said the status quo was unacceptable in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and promised that the U.S. would continue to be closely involved in the conflict resolution process during his tenure.

The former senator was asked written questions related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the overall security environment in the region during his confirmation hearing at the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on January 24.

According to Kerry, currently the co-chairs of the mediating OSCE Minsk Group continue to consider new proposals on Karabakh conflict settlement.

The United States, along with France and Russia, co-chair the Minsk Group. The group, which was established in 1992, has been working to negotiate peaceful resolution to the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which emerged in 1988 and boiled into a brutal war in the early 1990s. A fragile ceasefire has been in place since 1994. Peace talks have been largely fruitless so far.

Since the war, which displaced about a million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions, defying four UN Security Council resolutions on their withdrawal.

Secretary Kerry also noted that the US government has always supported the independence of Azerbaijan and Georgia.

Moreover, Kerry said the U.S. supports a diplomatic solution of the issue related to the opening of airports by Armenia in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. He said the US administration opposes any step that would fuel tension in the region or harm the peaceful settlement of the conflict.

Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama's Defense Secretary nominee, emphasized the close defense cooperation between the United States and Azerbaijan, saying he will continue efforts to strengthen this cooperation after his appointment to the post.

The senators asked Hagel questions on Azerbaijan and prospects of the strategic partnership between the two countries during a hearing at the Committee on Armed Services of the U.S. Senate held on January 31.

Hagel said the U.S. would continue to work on reforms in Azerbaijan in the field of defense, as well as on efforts in counter-terrorism, maritime security and protection of energy infrastructure. He said Washington would continue high-level consultations with the Azerbaijani side to strengthen and expand bilateral cooperation, stressing the important transit role of Azerbaijan in the context of the operations in Afghanistan.