James O’Brien: What is really significant is that Baku and Yerevan are talking with each other and reaching practical agreements

In an interview to VOA’s State Department Bureau Chief Nike
Ching on Dec. 13, Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs James O’Brien touched on the negotiations between Armenia and
Azerbaijan and on the exchange of prisoners between the sides. 

“I think what’s really significant is that the two countries
are talking with each other and reaching practical agreements. So, they
announced this prisoner release last week, and now just this week, the
prisoners are now home. And they issued a joint statement that indicated
support for one another in many ways, including their international aspirations
for Azerbaijan to host the COP, which they’ve now been awarded, and hopefully
both countries will benefit, and for Armenia’s international aspirations, as
well. And that kind of demonstration of support is a key part of building a
normal bilateral relationship. We hope that very soon we will see the sides
making a peace treaty. Both of them have announced they are interested in this.
Along with our EU partners and others, we are ready to help in this regard. We
would like all of this to be settled soon, as the quick establishment of peace
is going to prove highly beneficial,” he said.

In response to the question whether it is possible to
organize a meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in
Washington by the end of the year, O’Brien said: “We’ve already hosted several
rounds of peace talks between the two foreign ministers, and we would do that
again if the sides determined that that will help them conclude a successful
peace. We are ready to help. We encourage both sides to meet, and so far both
have expressed willingness to work toward that goal. We are running out of time
this year, but we will do our best.”