United States should increase its role in Karabakh conflict settlement - analyst (video)
The United States can and should play a bigger role in the process of the Karabakh conflict settlement, former US Ambassador to Georgia, analyst Kenneth Yalowitz told Voice of America. I think the greater involvement of America and Europe in the Karabakh issue is very important but it is also important that the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan prepare their nations for peace. Kenneth Yalowitz thinks that Russia and the West should help the conflicting parties to establish peace. "Russia now plays a negative role by arming both sides. I do not think it's a constructive aprroach. The West and Russia should come to an agreement and try to promote negotiations between the parties in order to lay the basis for a peaceful settlement,” he stressed. John Herbst, a former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, a leading expert and analyst, also emphasizes the importance of peaceful talks between the two peoples. “The State Department needs to have a more serious role in the settlement of this crisis, thoroughly exploring the prospects of settlement in both societies,” he said. Agnia Grigas, a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, says the conflict does not stem from the interests of Armenia and Azerbaijan. “The only party that benefits from this long-lasting conflict is Russia. The current status of the Karabakh conflict impedes the economic, political and social development of Armenia and Azerbaijan," she said. Agnia Grigas thinks that that after the four-day hostilities in April it is difficult to speak about the importance of preparing the two societies for peace, however, she stresses that it is possible to achieve a lasting settlement of the conflict only through peaceful talks and the mutual consent of the parties.
