What did Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried come to the region with?

Baku/17.06.22/Turan: U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Asian Affairs Karen Donfried, who visited Baku on June 15-16, briefed a group of journalists Thursday evening.

In her opening remarks and during her answers to questions, she limited the range of topics. These included issues of regional security and cooperation, the war in Ukraine, and Azerbaijan's role and importance in these processes.

As opposed to other high-ranking U.S. diplomats, Donfried lectured rather than responded to the questions posed. She tried to use general phrases, avoiding specifics.

Reporting about the fruitful meeting with President Ilham Aliyev, she did not disclose its content. When asked by Turan whether she had discussed facts of violations of freedoms and human rights, Donfried avoided giving a clear answer as saying that fundamental freedoms are a priority for the US.

There have been recent threats from various Russian political circles against Azerbaijan, including a call for a nuclear strike against its oil infrastructure. Will the U.S. be ready to help Azerbaijan in case of such aggression? This was also met with an evasive response, the essence of which was that the aggression against Ukraine was unprovoked, it was terrible, and Azerbaijan was right to provide moral and humanitarian support to Kiev.

Asked about prospects of the Karabakh settlement and the development of energy cooperation between Azerbaijan and the West, she voiced an appeal for peaceful coexistence and the Azerbaijan's large role in the energy security of Europe and the region.

Summing up the meeting results, it can be concluded that the purpose of the regional visit of Karen Donfried is much wider than the raised issues, and the message that Washington wants to convey to the countries of the South Caucasus is as follows

1) It is obvious for the South Caucasus countries that the prospects for their well-being and sovereignty largely depend on the resolution of local conflicts and above all in Karabakh. In this case, the West should not be excluded as mediators.

2) In this case, one can count on collective and effective assistance from the West.

3) The Biden administration has become more active in the South Caucasus region, and regular visits of senior Washington officials, personal communication between Secretary Blinken and the leaders of the three countries, and messages from President Biden himself bear witness to this.

4) Facts of violations of human rights and freedoms, while remaining a priority, take a back seat to this case, and will not be the subject of pressure from Washington.

5) The U.S. intends to prevent Ukraine's defeat, and seeks to maximize the coalition of countries in support of Kiev.

Another important conclusion is that, in contrast to the Trump administration, the current U.S. leadership does not want to let the situation in the South Caucasus go unchecked.

For official Baku, this is a favorable outcome, as it allows to balance between Moscow and Washington. However, improving relations with the U.S. would require an improvement in democracy and a softer stance on the Karabakh issue.-02B-