US President Donald Trump reported on progress in negotiations with Armenia and Azerbaijan regarding Nagorno-Karabakh. He made the corresponding statement after the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo alternately met with the foreign ministers of the two countries.
“Let’s see what happens, we are now seeing really big progress,” Trump told reporters on October 23.
Reporter Michael Crowley of the White House Press Pool reported what the president said about his “involvement” in the negotiation process. But he did not specify whether he had communicated with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan this Friday.
Pompeo made it clear to reporters ahead of the talks that he was not expecting a major diplomatic breakthrough.
The United States offered its services as a mediator in the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan after the ceasefire agreements reached with the mediation of Russia were broken twice.
On the morning of September 27, the Karabakh conflict flared up with renewed vigor. The parties to the conflict – Armenia, and Azerbaijan – accused each othe r of offensive actions and rocket attacks on residential areas in the Artsakh region (present-day Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent territories).
Both states declared martial law, and Armenia also declared general mobilization.
The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia began over Nagorno-Karabakh in 1988 when the predominantly Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan SSR. Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions – 20% of the territory of Azerbaijan – are under the occupation of the armed forces of Armenia. In May 1994, the parties reached a ceasefire. The territorial conflict has not yet been resolved.
Baku launched an offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, seeking to restore sovereignty over the region. The coming days will show whether Azerbaijan will be able to achieve its goal. In the meantime, the Azerbaijani army took control of six settlements in the region and several strategic heights in the conflict zone.
