U.S. State Department responds to Baku's criticism regarding appointment of new OSCE Minsk Group co-chair

YEREVAN, August 26. /ARKA/. The U.S. State Department responded to the criticism of official Baku regarding the appointment of Philip Reeker as a new U.S. Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group.

The official representative of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said the appointment of Philip Reeker as the chief advisor for Caucasus negotiations is 'surprising, as it demonstrates an approach that is far from the post-conflict reality in the region.' 

“Azerbaijan’s position on the Minsk Group has been repeatedly and clearly expressed at the highest level. Attempts to “reanimate” the virtually inactive Minsk Group may lead to the distancing of the U.S. from the process of normalization of Azerbaijani-Armenian relations,” Abdullayeva added.

Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the Bureau of Global Public Affairs, noted in response that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken appointed Philip Reeker 'to serve as the senior advisor for Caucasus negotiations to underscore our commitment to facilitating peace in the South Caucasus.'

'As a country, we are committed to facilitating direct dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia bilaterally, multilaterally, and in cooperation with likeminded partners to achieve a comprehensive peace settlement between the two countries,' he said.

According to him, as part of his diplomatic advisor role, Ambassador Reeker will also represent the U.S. both at the OSCE Minsk Group. -0-