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As part of her visit to Armenia, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, condemned Azerbaijan for the “deadly attacks” in the last week on Armenian territory. For its part, the Azeri government rejected the comments of the US politician and accused her of endangering the security of the South Caucasus region.
From Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, where she has been visiting since this Saturday, Nancy Pelosi strongly rejected last week’s clashes on the border between Azerbaijan and Armenia. She assured that Washington was able to confirm that the attack was provoked by Azerbaijan and promised to help Armenia “not to allow the change of its borders”.
“Congress has drafted a resolution that will condemn the Azerbaijani aggression,” Pelosi added during a press conference on Sunday.
A delegation from the United States Congress, headed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, arrived in Armenia last Saturday in order to increase the presence of that country in the region and mediate in the conflict.
“From the United States to Ukraine to Taiwan to Armenia, the world is faced with a choice between democracies and autocracies and we must choose democracy again,” wrote Pelosi, who angered China with a trip to Taiwan in August this year.
For his part, this Sunday the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, asked the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, by telephone, to respect an agreement with his neighbor that came into force on September 14 to stop the clashes.
They also spoke about the importance of reaching a lasting agreement that allows for the consolidation of peace, after more than three decades of hostile relations.
Blinken “urged President Aliyev to adhere to the ceasefire, withdraw military forces, and work to resolve all outstanding issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan through peaceful negotiations,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said in a statement. .
I spoke with Azerbaijan President Aliyev today to welcome the recent ceasefire and to urge a disengagement of military forces and a return to peace negotiations.
— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) September 18, 2022
Alen Simonian, president of the Armenian Parliament, thanked the United States for its help and called for imposing sanctions on Azerbaijan to curb its “expansionist ambitions.”
For its part, Azerbaijan rejected Pelosi’s comments and assured that the president of the House is endangering peace in the region.
“Pelosi’s baseless and unjust accusations against Azerbaijan are unacceptable,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“This is a heavy blow to efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the ministry added, calling Pelosi’s comments “Armenian propaganda.”
Pelosi continued with her agenda in the South Caucasus country, where she met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, who expressed his appreciation for US policy and for supporting Armenia’s “democratic agenda.”
Azerbaijan defends itself while Armenia asks for help
The tension occurs after attacks between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces were recorded last Tuesday, September 13, leaving a balance of 210 soldiers dead on both sides. Baku assured that it was a “large-scale provocation” by Yerevan.
Armenia denounced that Azerbaijan bombed at least six settlements on the border, attacking civil and military infrastructure with the help of drones and high-caliber weapons.
The fight “was started by the Azeris and there has to be an acknowledgment of that,” Pelosi said.
Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, has denied the accusations, saying that Armenian sabotage units attempted to attack its positions, triggering armed response from its soldiers.
a historical conflict
Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the creation of new republics, Azerbaijan and Armenia have had a longstanding dispute over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but historically populated by Armenians.
During a six-week war in 2020, Baku recaptured a large amount of Nagorno-Karabakh territory, hitherto controlled by Armenian forces.
Russia has been Armenia’s main military ally, with a military base in the north of the country, as well as a long history of cooperation. However, the relationship has been strained since Pashinian’s election as prime minister and is not at its best. In 2020 Moscow mediated to achieve a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Last Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that his country has sufficient resources to mediate in the conflict between the two former Soviet nations, for which he decided to send a monitoring mission.
With EFE and AP
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