James Warlick: People got tired of this situation, it is time to establish peace (video)
The presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev, will hold a meeting by the end of the year, OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair James Warlick said on October 26. “We have arrived in the region to discuss the date and venue of the meeting. We know that a constitutional referendum is scheduled in Armenia in December and we would like the presidents to find a day [in their busy schedule] for the meeting. Four meetings were organized in the past 18 months but it is not enough,” Mr Warlick said in Yerevan today. The U.S. Co-Chaired arrived in Armenia today within the frameworks of a regional visit of the OSCE Minsk Group mediators. On Tuesday, October 27, the Co-Chairs are to visit Artsakh to meet with the country’s leadership. “We will cross the contact line. Our primary concern is the reported increase in border tensions and violence, as well as the use of heavy weapons on the frontline. At this moment, the main problem is the presence of snipers in border regions and the use of grenade launchers. There have been many deaths during this time, innocent women and children have been killed from both sides and this is really concerning,” he said. James Warlick added that the intensified tension will lead to the recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence by Armenia. “Baku will view the recognition of Karabakh's independence as provocation. I have already said that recognition could lead to provocation, especially given the growing tensions on the border. None of the [conflicting] sides should give in to provocations,” he stressed. Speaking about the establishment of a mechanism to investigate border incidents and skirmishes, the U.S. Co-Chair said, “The need for such a mechanism was put forward about three years ago. The idea has been rejected by Baku, and [President] Aliyev has said at his meetings that he is ready to discuss this issue. The mechanism is necessary in order to investigate border incidents and it will not allow any of the sides to blame the other for ceasefire violations. It will also enable us to determine which of the sides stands behind violations.” Mr Warlick also appealed to the citizens of Armenia and Azerbaijan to put pressure on their leaders and establish peace in the region. “People got tired of this situation. It is time to establish peace, it is time to send a message of peace to the authorities of both countries. Peace will be advantageous to both of them” he said in conclusion.
