The United States intends to seek a final settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict which would ensure long-term stability and economic growth in the region, James B. Steinberg. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, said at the conference of the OSCE Foreign Ministers’ Council in Athens.

The efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by means of the Minsk process contributed to stability between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Steinberg said. He expressed hope for cooperation within the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in settling conflicts, which are a central issue on the OSCE agenda. The U.S. Deputy Secretary of State pointed out that it was the aim of the Corfu process: the United States proposes new mechanisms of strengthening confidence in order to prevent conflicts.

Various and reliable energy supplies are of high importance for Europe and the OSCE. James B. Steinberg believes that the OSCE is capable of dealing with issues of the energy-security interrelation. The United States proposes elaborating new mechanisms of resolving problems with supplies at a political level, he said.