US May Discredit Itself as Mediator on Nagorno-Karabakh Issue, Zakharova

The United States may discredit itself as a mediator in negotiations regarding Nagorno-Karabakh. This was stated today during a press briefing by Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Zakharova commented on media reports suggesting that Washington is imposing an ultimatum on representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh to meet with representatives of Azerbaijan in a third country, threatening military action against them if they refuse.

She noted that she had seen these reports, and if the facts of pressure from Washington are confirmed, the Americans would once again discredit themselves as intermediaries. “A mediator is someone who tries to bring harmony, reconcile the parties, and find common ground. For the first time in modern history, I see information that a country claiming to fulfill the role of a mediator threatens a participant in the resolution with the use of force in order to perform its mediating role,” she added.

Zakharova described the information as shocking and stated that now the US must either deny it or clarify what they mean.