U.S. ‘Continues To Press’ Azerbaijan, Armenia To Maintain Momentum For Negotiation — Karen Donfried

The top State Department official in charge of Caucasus policy on Wednesday expressed cautious optimism that Azerbaijan and Armenia can achieve a peace treaty by the end of the year, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

Karen Donfried, assistant secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, testified before the Congressional Committee on Foreign Affairs on the administration's policy towards the region.

Speaking about specifics of the peace negotiations between Baku and Yerevan, Donfried said that foreign ministers Jeyhun Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan are working on a peace treaty.

"There was a hope they could achieve that by the end of this year. You want to keep hope alive, but it is not clear that will be achieved," she said, yet adding that Washington remains "hopeful" the sides will engage again before the end of the year.

Donfried also described what she called "a superstructure of a peace process" where key elements are being discussed by different individuals: "There is another channel which is focusing on the transportation and communication links between these two countries — also a critical issue. There is a conversation about border demarcation and delimitation — another critical issue. And then there's also a conversation about rights and security for the ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh."

U.S. engagement is playing a key role, according to Donfried, as Washington demonstrates "a whole-of-government commitment" to securing peace, as she put it.

Secretary Blinken's leadership has been "instrumental," as he has spoken multiple times with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia and hosted the foreign ministers for bilateral peace treaty negotiations. Under secretary of Defense for policy Colin Kahl engaged both defense ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan on September 15th, and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met with his counterparts in Washington on September 27th.

"We continue to press Armenia and Azerbaijan to maintain momentum for negotiation and we are doing so bilaterally tri-laterally and in close coordination with the European Union and other partners," she said, reminding that State Department's senior adviser Philip Reeker "just returned from the region working to sustain focus by all parties on the peace process."

Should Azerbaijan and Armenia secure peace deal, Donfried said, "our cooperation will become even more critical as we build the confidence and capacity of each country to freely exercise sovereignty in a manner that maintains peace with their neighbors"

Since September 2020 the U.S. has provided over 21 million in humanitarian assistance directly and indirectly and "we continue to seek ways to address critical regional needs," Donfried said, adding that supporting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is "the right thing to do and it is in our national security interest"

Wednesday's hearing, chaired by Congressman Bill Keating (D-MA), was the last one for the House Foreign Affairs Committee in this congressional year. In his opening statement, Keating said while sustained peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan was vital for the region, "so is continued democratic reform. respect for the rule of law."

Donfried agreed, saying that in Azerbaijan, the U.S, is committed to advancing bilateral priorities: security, economic development, democracy and human rights.

Security cooperation with Azerbaijan "supports our national security priorities including counterterrorism objectives in addition to drugs and illicit material and increased security of critical Caspian energy infrastructure," she said.

As for human rights, she added, "we continue to advocate with the government of Azerbaijan to protect human rights and hold individuals accountable for human rights abuse... This [Biden] Administration publicly designated an Azerbaijani official for significant human rights violations on December 9th."

During the hearing, lawmakers also expressed their concerns over Russian influence in the region.

Keating reminded that following the 2020 ceasefire between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Russia now has troops in all three countries in the region. "Whether through bilateral agreements, or through force, Russia’s physical and economic presence in the region is immense and the Kremlin’s illegal war in Ukraine is evidence that their intentions are not good," he said.

Donfried echoed the chair's remarks, saying that none of the countries in the South Caucasus support Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.