Obama Administration Supports Royce-Engel Proposals for Karabagh Peace

U.S. Negotiator Ambassador Warlick Backs Bipartisan Congressional Calls to Withdraw Snipers, Add Observers, Deploy Gunfire Locators

Warlick statement on Royce-Engel recommendations for Karabagh peace. 
Warlick statement on Royce-Engel recommendations for Karabagh peace

WASHINGTON—Ambassador James Warlick, the lead U.S. negotiator in the Nagorno-Karabagh peace process, has voiced the Obama Administration’s support for common-sense measures, advanced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.), Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), and a growing number of their congressional colleagues, to stop increased ceasefire violations along the Karabagh Line of Contact.

In a statement issued to H1 Television’s Haykaram Nahapetyan, Warlick explained, “We fully support the initiatives proposed by Congressman Royce and Congressman Engel. Confidence building measures and people-to-people programs reduce tensions and lay the basis for a lasting peace. We have raised each of these initiatives with the parties and will continue to pursue all steps that can lead to a negotiated settlement.”

“We are pleased to see the Obama Administration joining with key congressional leaders from both parties in supporting common-sense peacekeeping proposals for Nagorno-Karabagh,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “These U.S.-backed life-saving initiatives have long been endorsed by both Artsakh and Armenia, but—at the cost of lives on both sides—rejected by the increasingly aggressive and isolated Azerbaijani regime of Ilham Aliyev.”

Royce and Engel are currently collecting congressional signatures on a letter addressed to Warlick—the U.S. representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s (OSCE) Minsk Group tasked with reaching a resolution of Nagorno-Karabagh-related security and status issues—specifically calling for the U.S. and the OSCE to abandon their failed policy of false parity in responding to acts of aggression, noting, “The longstanding U.S. and OSCE practice of responding to each new attack with generic calls upon all parties to refrain from violence has failed to deescalate the situation. Instead, this policy of artificial even-handedness has dangerously increased tensions. There will be no peace absent responsibility.”

The letter outlines three concrete pro-peace steps that would, “in the short-term, save lives and help to avert war. Over the longer term,” the letter notes, “these steps could contribute to a comprehensive and enduring peace for all the citizens of the region.” The three steps are:

– An agreement from all sides not to deploy snipers along the Line of Contact

– The placement of OSCE-monitored, advanced gunfire-locator systems and sound-ranging equipment to determine the source of attacks along the Line of Contact

– The deployment of additional OSCE observers along the Line of Contact to better monitor ceasefire violations

Armenia and Nagorno-Karabagh have both expressed support for these life-saving initiatives; Azerbaijan has not.

ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, Executive Director Aram Hamparian, Government Affairs Director Kate Nahapetian, and the ANCA Eastern Region’s Armen Sahakyan met with Warlick last week, in the immediate aftermath of the latest fatal Azerbaijani attacks against Armenia and Karabagh to express concern about the OSCE negotiators’ reluctance to clearly and unequivocally condemn Azerbaijan’s fatal ceasefire violations.

To that end, the ANCA has worked closely with House leaders to secure broad, bipartisan support for the Royce-Engel letter and rallied constituent letters and calls through the ANCA’s “March to Justice” activism portal.

To take action, visit http://www.marchtojustice.org/nkpeace.

Guest Contributor

Guest Contributor

Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles or press releases written and submitted by members of the community.

6 Comments

  1. A positive step forward. May be, just may be, ambassador James Warlick will be responsive and take the appropriate steps/actions to put the blame where it belongs, rather than issue generic calls.
    The push forward this and keep the momentum, it is imperative that the Armenian Weekly readers ( 13,000 plus) visit the site mentioned above, and sign the petition.
    It is very easy to do and takes only few minutes.
    So far, sadly the number of people who have signed the petition is very low . Please take action.
    Vart Adjemian

    • A positive direction but not yet a step. I doubt the Azeris will go for it because it’s their current anti-Armenian method: try to demoralize the Armenian military by sniping soldiers, terrorize the border villages and civilians to make their life hell and the areas unlivable, distract the Azeri population from internal problems by getting a reaction out of Armenia and using it as anti-Armenian PR.

      I hope we can at least get gunfire-locators on our side in place to show how much sniping is coming from the Azeris.

  2. U.S. Negotiator Ambassador Warlick Backs Bipartisan Congressional Calls to Withdraw Snipers, Add Observers, Deploy Gunfire Locators… and return “occupied” territories of Azerbaijan to Azeri control, Mr. Warlick?

  3. talk is cheap and approval is more cheap implementation of a great idea is success. azerbaijan is a totalitarian goverment that makes it’s own laws.it does follow international laws that it signed,so how are you going to force them or trust their agreements!!!!

  4. Just goes to show that US foreign policy is not Armenian friendly. Isn’t it ironic and sobering to think that the very “peace mediators” are purposely turning a blinds eye to the aggression of the Azeri’s? Basically tells me that the US rep to OSCE Minks group is useless at best and possibly subversive at worst. All evident by the gross negligence of fulfilling his and their very duty. DO not trust them.

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