Amid September War, U.S. Canceled High-Level Meetings With Azerbaijan, Suspended Plans For Future Events

James O’Brien, the top U.S. diplomat in charge of Europe and Eurasia, will provide clear messages to Yerevan and Baku today before Congress that the United States would support Armenia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and democratic institutions, and that Washington had made it clear after September war that there cannot be “business as usual” with Azerbaijan, according to prepared congressional testimony obtained by TURAN's Washington correspondent.

As TURAN reported earlier, key Biden administration officials in charge of Caucasus policy will this morning testify before the Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs on the future of Nagorno-Karabakh. The event, chaired by Congressman Thomas H. Kean, Jr (R-NJ), will be available via live webcast on the Committee website at https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/:

In his prepared remarks, O’Brien will lay out before lawmakers the Administration’s efforts in the South Caucasus, especially with respect to Azerbaijan’s most recent military actions on Sep 19.

He will tell the Committee that Baku’s use of force in September prompted a mass exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia. People left behind their homes, their livelihoods, their communities, and their culture. Now uprooted, they face the enormous challenge of making difficult choices on their path ahead. The U.S. recognizes the pressure on the government of Armenia to provide for a large population of displaced persons and refugees.

O’Brien will testify that the U.S. has urged Azerbaijan to ensure all ethnic Armenians who have departed Nagorno-Karabakh are guaranteed a safe, dignified, and sustainable return, should they so choose, with their rights and security guaranteed: "We have asked Azerbaijan to facilitate visits to allow those who have left to check on their properties and belongings. We have also called for Azerbaijan to respect and protect the cultural heritage of the many groups who have lived in the region throughout the millennia."

O’Brien will also tell lawmakers that on September 26, the United States announced more than $11.5 million in humanitarian assistance to provide emergency food, protection, shelter, and other urgent support to displaced persons and refugees across the South Caucasus, including those from Nagorno-Karabakh. The U.S. has identified additional funding on top of this amount to scale up ongoing support for new arrivals to Armenia.

Separately, the State Department is supporting efforts to interview those who fled Nagorno-Karabakh to learn more about what they experienced.

O’Brien will testify that the U.S. wants to support the Armenian government’s efforts to diversify trade and expand its commercial ties with Europe and the United States in promising sectors such as agriculture and technology. "We are supporting the government’s initiatives to build accountable institutions, through initiatives like community-based policing. In short, we will help build Armenian economic security and resilience."

As for Azerbaijan, O’Brien will tell the lawmakers that Baku's use of force in Nagorno-Karabakh "has eroded trust and raised doubts" regarding its commitment to a comprehensive peace with Armenia. Given this new reality, the State Department has made it clear to Azerbaijan that there cannot be “business as usual” in our bilateral relationship.

Following the war in September, the United States has condemned Azerbaijani actions in Nagorno-Karabakh, canceled high-level bilateral meetings and engagements with Azerbaijan, and suspended plans for future events.

In the meantime, O’Brien will testify that the U.S. will continue to work towards a durable and dignified peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. What has happened in September, has underlined that a negotiated peace is necessary and urgent, he will say.

The United States is therefore redoubling its support towards achieving a durable and dignified peace that provides the foundation for regional prosperity, economic connectivity, and freedom from outside malign influence – a goal that the leaders of both Armenia and Azerbaijan say they seek. This has also long been the United States’ strategic goal for the region.

O’Brien will underscore that a durable, dignified peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan would benefit the entire South Caucasus. Open transport and trade routes will end the region’s isolation and allow countries to diversify economic and security ties connecting Europe and Central Asia. It would end the decades-long cycle of violence in the region for good, providing an environment for greater stability and investment for all countries in the region.

"We will continue to offer our good offices to achieve a dignified, durable peace that would end the cycle of violence between Armenia and Azerbaijan and herald a more secure and prosperous future for both peoples and the region," he will say.

The State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Tuesday refused to speak to today's hearing, when asked by TURAN's correspondent during a daily briefing.

In the meantime, he added, "... I’ll say that we continue to believe that people who have left Nagorno-Karabakh have the right to come home if they wish to do so, and that’s a right that should be upheld."