Pelosi noted that her visit to Armenia is of particular importance following “Azerbaijan’s illegal and murderous attacks on Armenian soil.”
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, who is visiting the Armeniatoday strongly condemned what she called Azerbaijan’s “illegal” attacks on Armenia, using her visit to ally Russia to pledge American support for Armenia’s national sovereignty.
THE Pelosi pointed out that her visit to Armenia is of particular importance after “Azerbaijan’s illegal and murderous attacks on Armenian territory” that caused clashes on the border of the two countries and left more than 200 dead.
“We unequivocally condemn these attacks”, she stressed, noting that the clashes “were started by the Azeris and this must be understood”.
Pelosi, who drew China’s ire with her visit to Taiwan last month, he also commented that the US should use its influence and power to show that Armenia’s sovereignty is a priority.
Her comments provoked an unusually angry reaction from Baku, which announced that Pelosi was endangering peace in the Caucasus.
“The unsubstantiated and unfair accusations that Pelosi launched against Azerbaijan are unacceptable,” the State Department said in a statement.
“This is a serious blow to efforts to normalize Armenia-Azerbaijan relations,” the ministry notes, calling Pelosi’s comments “Armenian propaganda.”
Azerbaijan has reiterated its position that the clashes are the result of a “large-scale military provocation” by Armenia, a narrative that Yerevan rejects.
“Currently the ceasefire is being observed and an escalation of tension has been avoided,” Azerbaijan said, adding that Pelosi’s comments were an attempt to appease Armenian-Americans ahead of the US midterm elections.
“It is unacceptable to transfer the internal political intrigues of the American agenda and lobby interests to the South Caucasus region through Armenia,” Azerbaijan said, calling Pelosi’s comments dangerous.
“Such unilateral steps and baseless statements do not strengthen the fragile peace in the region, but on the contrary, escalate tensions,” concluded the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan.
This kind of clear attribution of responsibility for the conflicts between the two countries exceeds the limits of what the American Foreign Ministry has so far declared publicly.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has expressed concern over the clashes, calling for calm without assigning blame to any side.
Pelosi, who is the highest-ranking US official to visit Yerevan since the small Caucasus country gained independence in 1991, called her visit “a strong symbol of the United States’ steadfast commitment to a peaceful, prosperous Armenia” in a statement. and democratic and for a stable and secure Caucasus region”.
This three-day visit “will play a big role in guaranteeing our security,” Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan told reporters ahead of Pelosi’s arrival on Saturday.
More than 200 people were killed in recent fighting between Armenian and Azeri troops, for which the two sides blame each other. These conflicts broke out on Tuesday and ended with international mediation on Thursday night.
Russia, which has repeatedly condemned Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, views the Caucasus as its own sphere of influence and opposes what it describes as American meddling in the region.
Moscow is Armenia’s biggest military ally, with a military base in northern Armenia and peacekeepers along the line of trenches, known as the Line of Contact, in Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenia and Azerbaijan fought over in 2020.
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