Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Blinken assured Pashinyan of support for Armenia’s sovereignty and integrity

WASHINGTON, September 20 – RIA Novosti. The State Department said that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and assured him that America would fully support Armenian sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Blinken stated that the United States is “deeply concerned” about the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and called on Azerbaijan to immediately cease hostilities and return to dialogue.

Earlier, the Minister of Foreign Affairs called the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday that Baku has initiated “counter-terrorism measures” of a local nature to restore constitutional order in Karabakh. Armenian Armed Forces are mentioned as the target of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces in Karabakh; For this, Baku uses high-precision weapons. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry described the complete withdrawal of Armenian troops from Karabakh and the disbanding of unrecognized authorities in Stepanakert as a condition for peace in the region. Yerevan described what happened as Baku’s aggressive actions and stated that there were no Armenian troops in Karabakh.

The Russian Ministry of Defense also called on the parties to the conflict in Karabakh to immediately cease fire and continue negotiations.

In 2020, fighting resumed in Nagorno-Karabakh and a long-term conflict continued. On the night of November 10, Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed on a full ceasefire with the mediation of Moscow. It passed through Baku, Kalbajar and Lachin regions, as well as part of the Agdam region, which was previously under the control of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and was not occupied by the Azerbaijani army during the conflict. Russian peacekeepers are deployed in the region, including the Lachin corridor.

In 2022, Yerevan and Baku began discussing a future peace agreement with the mediation of Russia, as well as the United States and the European Union. At the end of May this year, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Yerevan is ready to recognize Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Karabakh. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Armenian leadership essentially recognizes Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Karabakh. As Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev said, Azerbaijan and Armenia may sign a peace agreement before the end of the year if Yerevan does not change its stance.