Author: Stephen Alexander - Three days of mediation are scheduled by Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State for the United States of America starting Monday, June 4^th, 2012. The parties to the mediation are border rivals, Armenia and Azerbaijan and the issues are trade and territorial disputes.

As part of Hillary Clinton’s week-long European tour, Secretary Clinton denounced the “senseless deaths of young soldiers and innocent civilians” as part of the Nagomo-Karabakh conflict – a quasi-autonomous region in Azerbaijan. The recent border skirmish between the two nations resulted in three dead Armenian soldiers and five wounded, according to the Armenian government.

Secretary Clinton warned that regional tensions could escalate into a broader conflict with consequences for all nations. She said the United States would press with France, Russian and others on mediation efforts.

The hopes of the mediation are that at least Armenia and Azerbaijan can reach an agreement to a set of basic principles that might progress towards peace, including the return of territories and uprooted people to their homes and eventual vote on the region’s future.

Secretary Clinton’s next stop in the region after leaving Armenia is to Georgia before heading to Azerbaijan to continue with her efforts.