Assistant Secretary Philip Gordon spoke about South Caucasian problems, including Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, delivering speech on Thursday at the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe and Eurasia.

“In the second area, extending the European zone of peace, prosperity, and democracy, we have had some important successes, but equally important challenges remain. As I said at the outset, the work of “completing” Europe is not finished. What I think is most notable about efforts now under the Obama Administration is how closely – as part of a deliberate strategy – we are working together with Europe to achieve this goal.

Take, for instance, Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. These are the countries of the EU’s Eastern Partnership, an initiative that the United States strongly supports and works with to enhance democracy, stability, and security in this part of the world. We share with our European counterparts a similar approach to these countries because of our common goals,” Gordon said.

As regards conflicts in Caucasus and U.S. participation, Gordon noted joint efforts with the European Union in the region have resulted in progress. However, disputes over territory and a need for further political and economic reform remain serious obstacles to greater stability throughout the Caucasus, he added.

“Elsewhere in the Caucasus, we will continue with the Europeans to encourage normalization between Turkey and Armenia, and increase our engagement through the Minsk Group to help Armenia and Azerbaijan find a peaceful settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We believe that the United States and Europe must work together to avoid further conflict in Europe and help the countries in the region move towards a democratic future that includes peace and greater prosperity,” he stated.