The US is following reports of a shooting incident on March 5 inside Nagorno-Karabakh which killed five individuals. US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price noted this at Monday’s Department press briefing—and referring to Azerbaijan's recent sabotage operations at the Lachin corridor.
“We offer our condolences to the families of those injured and killed. There can be no military solution to conflict, and the use of force to resolve disputes is never acceptable. The only way to sustain peace is at the negotiating table and to—and the use of force undermines negotiations. [US] Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations Lou Bono is in the region to stress the only way forward is through direct dialogue and diplomacy. And as the [US] Secretary [of State] has emphasized, the United States is committed to Armenia-Azerbaijan peace negotiations,” Price added.
He emphasized that the US is not going to oppose any mediation to the parties, and the latter will have to decide for themselves.
“This is a question for the parties themselves, and we are not going to put ourselves against any other offer of mediation, and in fact we’re not a mediator. We are a partner to the two countries. I think we have demonstrated both in word and in deed the nature of our relationship with the two countries, our ability to bring the two countries together, our willingness and readiness to help bring about additional progress in relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” said the US State Department spokesperson.
“We are not doing this as a means by which to compete with Moscow. We are doing this in an effort to bring about the settlement and resolution of a longstanding dispute between these two countries, and unfortunately a dispute that has consistently taken lives, just as it did on March 5th. Our interest here is in peace and security. It’s in the interests of the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan as well,” Ned Price added.
At around 10am on March 5, a sabotage group of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces targeted and opened fire on a staff shift vehicle of the Passport and Visa Department of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Police. Three Artsakh policemen were killed and one was injured as a result. Baku, in turn, reported the death of two Azerbaijani servicemen.
