The Unites States and the EU will increase engagement through the OSCE Minsk Group to help Armenia and Azerbaijan find a peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon said at the U.S. House Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia, the Department of State reported.
"Our joint efforts with the European Union in the region have resulted in progress, but disputes over territory and a need for further political and economic reform remain serious obstacles to greater stability throughout the Caucasus," Gordon said.
Gordon said the United States and Europe must work together to avoid further conflict in Europe and help the countries in the region move towards a democratic future that includes peace and greater prosperity.
"Together, with our European partners, we will maintain our support for Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty within its internationally recognized borders," he said.
Gordon stressed that the U.S. strongly supports the format of the EU Eastern Partnership program, which includes Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova and the three South Caucasus countries.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
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