U.S. 'Serious' About International Mission in Nagorno-Karabakh: State Dept

Washington D.C./28.09.23/Turan:    The United States said on Thursday that it's 'quite serious' about the deployment of an international mission in Nagorno-Karabakh, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.

"We think the international mission is important because it relates to all the other questions about humanitarian assistance, about humanitarian needs in the region," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing.

Washington is working with its allies and partners on what the best mechanism to effectuate the mission "but we think it's important to provide transparency to assure that humanitarian needs are being addressed on the ground," the spokesperson emphasized.

Miller didn't preview specifics saying that it is "a matter that is ongoing for the number of allies and partners in the region, both under what auspices that mission would be launched, who would participate, what its scope would be, what it would look like." 

"All those things are under discussion, so I don't want to make any kind of announcements before we've nailed down the details, but it is a matter we are working on" he added.

USAID Ambassador Samantha Power announced yesterday that the organisation had deployed a disaster assistance response team to coordinate the U.S. humanitarian response.

Miller told TURAN's Washington correspondent that the team would "assess the situation, identify priority needs to scale up assistance, and work with partners to provide urgently needed aid."

Thr spokesperson didn't comment on Karabakh Armenians' decision to cease to exist as of next year, but he reiterated that overall Washignton thinks it's "important that the ceasefire be maintained, that the humanitarian needs be addressed, and that an independent international mission to provide transparency, reassurance, and confidence to the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh be established as soon as possible."

"That is our priority for dealing with the immediate situation, and one that we are working to get off the ground," he added.

The U.S. continues to "be greatly concerned" about the humanitarian situation in Karabakh. "We think it's important that residents of Nagorno-Karabakh be able to make the decision to leave if they want to leave and to be able to return if they want to return. It's a decision that they all have to make as individuals, but we think it's important that they be able to make that decision for themselves, and we think there ought to be unhindered humanitarian access to the region to make sure that populations in need can get the support that they require," he said.

It is "important that an international mission be established to ensure that those humanitarian needs are addressed," he concluded.

Alex Raufoglu