WASHINGTON. Sept 28 (Interfax) - Several United States diplomats on Monday met with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group co-chairs to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, the U.S. Department of State said in a statement.
"Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of European and Eurasian Affairs Dereck Hogan and National Security Council Senior Director for Europe Amanda Sloat met on September 27 with OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Stephane Visconti of France, Andrew Schofer of the United States, and Igor Khovayev of the Russian Federation, as well as Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Office Andrzej Kasprzyk," the statement said.
"The co-chairs discussed their successful facilitation of the first joint meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers since November 2020, held last week on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly," it said.
On September 27, which is the one-year anniversary of renewed intensified hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, they "expressed condolences for the loss of life on both sides."
"They underscored only a comprehensive resolution that addresses all outstanding issues can normalize relations between the two countries and allow the people of the region to live together peacefully," the statement said.
Hogan and Sloat welcomed the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs' efforts and "the resolve of Armenia and Azerbaijan to reengage in the peace process through direct dialogue."
"They conveyed the commitment of the United States to continue working with its fellow co-chair countries to help Armenia and Azerbaijan resolve all outstanding issues related to or resulting from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, including with regard to detainees, missing persons, and humanitarian demining efforts," the statement said.