The representative of the US State Department responded to the harsh statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan regarding the appointment of Philippe Reeker to the post of Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. Hours ago, during a briefing held in Washington, the Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, Vedant Patel, said that with Reeker’s appointment, the United States aims to achieve comprehensive Armenian-Azerbaijani peace.

Azerbaijani “Turan” news agency asked Patel “about the US role in the Azerbaijani-Armenian peace process, especially in the context of the US Secretary of State’s yesterday’s statement, noting that it seems that the Azerbaijani side is surprised by the appointment of Ambassador Ricker as the co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group and the senior advisor in the negotiations on Caucasian issues.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan characterized that appointment as “an approach that is far from the post-conflict reality in the region,” the agency stated.

 “Regarding your question on Armenia and Azerbaijan and the appointment of Ambassador Ricker… You see, the Secretary of State appointed him as a senior adviser in the Caucasus negotiations to emphasize our commitment to promoting peace in the South Caucasus. As a country, we are committed to promoting direct dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in bilateral, multilateral [formats] and through like-minded partners, to achieve a comprehensive peace settlement between the two countries. His election underscores our commitment to the international discussions in Geneva, where we will continue to hold Russia accountable for its own commitments under the 2008 ceasefire. A part of Ambassador Reeker’s mission as a diplomatic advisor is also to represent the USA in the OSCE Minsk Group and international discussions in Geneva,” Patel responded.