YEREVAN. – U.S. tries to make it clear for Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders that the Karabakh conflict cannot be settled through military intervention, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Alexander Vershbow said in the interview with Azerbaijani agency 1news.az.

According to him, U.S. government supports the efforts by the OSCE Minsk group, aimed at achieving a lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through peaceful means based on the Principles of the Helsinki Final Act with regard to the right of people to self-determination, refrain from using force or threat of force, as well as territorial integrity.

“MG Co-chairs continue to assist Armenia and Azerbaijan in understanding that resuming the conflict will have catastrophic results both for the two states and the whole region. We repeat once again the statement by Presidents Obama, Medvedev and Sarkozy, which was made on May 26, this year at the G-8 Summit. According to it, settlement of the conflict through negotiations can lead to peace, stability and reconciliation,” Vershbow stated.