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YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The U.S. believes that there should be an international mission to provide transparency, reassurance, and confidence to the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press briefing.
“We do believe there should be an international mission to provide transparency, reassurance, and confidence to the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh and the international community, that the rights and security – their rights and security will be protected consistent with the public statements that Azerbaijan has made,” Miller said when asked to comment on Armenia’s calls for an international presence in NK. “There have been active discussions about it. I don’t have any readout of those discussions, but it is – we do – we have called for such a mission some time, and we are working with our allies and partners to secure one,” he added.
Asked to comment on the Armenia-Russia ties, particularly the Armenian Prime Minister’s dissatisfaction with Russia’s fulfillment of its obligations as an ally, Miller said, “I do think that Russia has shown that it is not a security partner that can be relied on.”
Miller attached importance to Armenia and Azerbaijan reaching a peace deal.
“What we think is important is that Armenia and Azerbaijan reach a lasting peace agreement. It’s something that we have pushed for some time – for some time. It’s something that we have said publicly we believed was in reach if both sides were willing to make difficult compromises. Obviously, we have not seen that happen in the last few months. I do note that President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan have announced that they are going to meet next week. We think it’s important that they meet and ultimately bridge the divide between their two countries,” Miller added when asked whether the US believes Armenia’s territorial integrity is in danger given that Secretary Blinken spoke with Prime Minister Pashinyan over the weekend and reaffirmed U.S. support for Armenia’s territorial integrity.