The White House backs the Minsk Group but in fact it supports the status quo. The decade of a half of Minsk Group meetings will most likely continue, Thomas Ambrosio, U.S. analyst on South Caucasus issues, an Associate Professor of political science at North Dakota State University said in an interview with APA news agency.

According to him, statements by the White House indicate that the Karabakh conflict is a priority, but if all issues are a priority, it means nothing is a priority.  “Given the problems with peace-making between Armenia and Turkey, as well as the Israel-Palestinian conflict, I do not see any substantive, active diplomacy on the part of the administration on this issue,” the source quotes Ambrosio.

As to the U.S.-Azerbaijani relations, Thomas Ambrosio noted that the level of bilateral relations under Obama administration is not as high as it used to be under Bush.    

The expert wonders “whether raising this point was a reflection of genuine concern on the part of the administration, or it might be a signal that it is looking for something so that it can keep the relationship relatively cool.”