Yerevan political analysts treat Reeker's appointment as sign of US activation in the region

The appointment of Philip T. Reeker as senior adviser on negotiations in the Caucasus has shown that the USA treats the OSCE Minsk Group as a relevant format for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, Armenian political analysts believe.

On August 25, Anthony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, appointed Reeker as senior adviser for the Caucasus negotiations. According to the TASS, the appointment says that Reeker "intends to promote a direct Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue."

Azerbaijan has expressed its dissatisfaction with Blinken's statement. Leyla Abdullaeva, the head of the press service of the Azeri Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), has noted that Azerbaijan treats the conflict as settled; and Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan.

Stepan Grigoryan, a political analyst, has noted that, according to his data, the USA and France had warned Azerbaijan that in the event of major military operations against Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, the process of recognition thereof would be launched. In 2020, during the war, this did not happen, mainly because of Armenia and Russia.

Mr Grigoryan has pointed out that the USA has a huge influence in the region. According to his version, this is evidenced by the fact that Azerbaijan cannot completely expel Armenians from Karabakh.

Tigran Grigoryan, another political analyst, treats Reeker's appointment as an important event. Thus, the USA demonstrates its plans to be more active in Southern Caucasus, in particular, in the Armenian-Azerbaijani processes. "It will play a balancing role," he has added.