OSCE Minsk Group U.S. Co-Chair (Source: Armenpress)

YEREVAN (Armenpress)—The OSCE Minsk Group maintains contact with Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev over the organization of the next meeting for the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, OSCE Minsk Group’s United States co-chair James Warlick announced on August 16 to RIA Novosti.

Sarkisian’s and Aliyev’s latest meeting took place on June 20 in St. Petersburg, Russia with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Prior to St. Petersburg, Sarkisian and Aliyev met in Vienna on May 16.

“During the Vienna and St. Petersburg meetings, the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia confirmed willingness to hold a next meeting with the goal of ensuring progress of the negotiations process. We continue seeking opportunities of organizing the next meeting of the Presidents and maintain contact with the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan and the foreign ministers for discussing proposals on organizing the meeting,” Warlick said.

Warlick also welcomed Russia’s proposal on acting as a guarantor of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic conflict solution.

“We welcome Russian President Vladimir Putin’s personal participation in those efforts, which aim at achieving stable solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” he said.

After the Putin-Sarkisian meeting on August 10 in Moscow, Putin announced that Armenia and Azerbaijan are really willing to find a way out of the Karabakh crisis. “Russia, like several other countries of the Minsk Group, can act as guarantor of the Nagrono-Karabakh conflict solution,” he said.

The final settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict depends on the political will of the sides, Warlick added.

In his words, earlier the meetings of Sarkisian and Aliyev “gave new momentum to the negotiations process of the conflict’s wide settlement.”

“The important thing is that the Presidents reaffirmed their commitment of the peaceful solution of the conflict with maintaining relative stability in the line of contact. In addition, proposals which can restore peace between the sides were actively discussed,” Warlick said.

“We maintain optimism and believe that this year the co-chairs, with the assistance of high ranking officials, will continue work aimed at achieving progress in the conflict settlement. The peaceful and final settlement of the conflict depends on the political will of the sides,” he said.