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In an exclusive interview with Armenia TV’s Artak Aleksanyan in New York (where he is taking part in the UN General Assembly’s 70th session), U.S. Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassador James Warlick said that they are particularly concerned over the use of heavy weapons which claimed civilians’ lives in Armenian villages, according to Tert.am.

 The diplomat also pointed to the possible timeframes of new Armenian-Azerbaijani talks over Nagorno-Karabakh, saying that they expect to arrange a meeting between Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev by late 2015.

Asked whether the Minsk Group co-chairmanship can be more specific about its statements and say explicitly that it is the Azerbaijani side that violates the ceasefire, the US co-chair only referred to the recently released statement saying that the mission is “unable to determine with certainty how the violence originated”.

He added that both countries’ presidents have expressed readiness to discuss the mechanisms of an OSCE investigation into border incidents.

Asked whether they intend to start the negotiation process from a scratch or to continue working on the Madrid Principles, the diplomat reiterated the mission’s willingness to assist in an Armenian-Azerbaijani intensive dialogue, a move which he said both countries’ leaders have expressed their agreement to. The diplomat said it is the Minsk Group’s desire to build the future comprehensive peace agreement relying on such processes. 

Asked whether he thinks that the past months’ intensive border escalations are a sign that the 1994 Ceasefire Agreement no longer works, Mr Warlick replied, “The ceasefire is violated; it was reached 20 years ago, but is still in effect. So we call upon the parties to respect it.”