Vedant Patel
Washington on Thursday dismissed Russian Foreign Ministry's accusations against the EU for sending a civilian mission to monitor Armenian-Azerbaijani border, and threw its support behind the mission, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
"We welcome efforts by partners, including the European Union, to build confidence in the region and to ensure an environment conducive to direct dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan," State Department spokesman Vedant Patel told a daily press briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.
The U.S. is committed to Armenia‑Azerbaijan peace negotiations, Patel said. "We continue to work closely with all our partners directly and with partners in the region as well when effective."
Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday the EU mission would "only fuel geopolitical confrontation in the region and exacerbate the current contradictions", accusing it of seeking to expand its influence in the region at Russia's expense.
Asked by TURAN whether Russia itself was acting in the region as a peacemaker or a troublemaker, Patel reminded that the U.S. was not involved in the November 20 ceasefire brokered by Russia between Armenia and Azerbaijan that resulted in the deployment of Russian peacekeepers, "so I just wouldn’t have anything additional to offer on that."
"But of course, as you know.... this is something that is deeply important to the Secretary [of State Antony Blinken], something he’s played close attention to and been deeply engaged in," Patel concluded.
Alex Raufoglu
Washington D.C.
Politics
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On the eve of the closing of the COP29 climate conference in Baku, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has drawn attention to the criminal cases of journalists detained in Azerbaijan.
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Negotiations at the 29th session of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Baku have been extended until November 24, a source in the UNFCCC Secretariat told the Turan news agency. According to the source, participants aim to finalize and sign the concluding documents by that date.
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According to the Turkish newspaper Sabah, officials from the Istanbul Prosecutor's Office's Anti-Smuggling Unit have detained an Azerbaijani citizen with a large shipment of gold. The detention took place near the Vadi İstanbul shopping center in the Sarıyer district, where a taxi was stopped. During the search, 70 kg of gold was found. The Azerbaijani citizen in the vehicle claimed ownership of the cargo and also stated that he was a diplomat. The investigation by the prosecutor's office is ongoing, reports Sabah newspaper. The media outlet does not disclose the name of the "diplomat," only his initials – M.G.Ş. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declined to comment on the situation.
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On November 22, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed negotiations with Azerbaijan regarding a peace treaty in an interview with Public TV. In particular, he emphasized that society should move away from certain stereotypes. “We are outraged when we hear the term ‘Western Azerbaijan.’ But we don’t think that when we say ‘Western Armenia,’ it also irritates anyone,” he stated.
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