Congressional Vice Speaker Katherine Clark, Senator Robert Menendez, lawmakers Anna Eshoo, Jim Costa, Jim Lang, Adam Schiff, Jackie Speier. This is not a complete list of the legislators who condemned the recent Azerbaijani aggression in the direction of Syunik province of Armenia. Nevertheless, despite numerous journalistic appeals, the press service of the State Department did not make any targeted statement condemning the aggressor Azerbaijan.
Analyst Michael Rubin works at the analytical structure of American Enterprise. He was in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) last year shortly after the 44-day war. On the American website, Rubin condemned the long-exhausted policy of equating the aggressor with the targeted country.
Michael Rubin (American Enterprise Institute expert) - I am not sure that the State Department fully understands how ineffective general statements on both sides are. It is more like an instinct to procrastinate. This is a strategic mistake, which encourages Azerbaijan's radical stance.
State Department and Pentagon former employee Wayne Merry has a souvenir with the symbol of the Armenian Armed Forces at home, which he received about ten years ago when he was in Armenia. Now he is on Baku's black list because of his visit to Artsakh.
Wayne Merry (US Foreign Policy Council expert) - For about 20 years in Washington, I was the only one who warned that there would be a new war in Karabakh. There was a general opinion that there would be no war, Aliyev would not take such a risk, and the Minsk talks would continue in an uncertain period. Visiting the Armenian-Azerbaijani line of contact, I was convinced that it was not so. I realized that Azerbaijan was buying military equipment for a specific purpose. The only question was when Azerbaijan would become a Turkish protectorate for security reasons, when Azerbaijan would receive a signal from them to start a war.
According to the expert, Turkey and Azerbaijan had calculated the most convenient period of the war. The United States held presidential elections last fall. The administration was busy with the domestic agenda, and it did not intervene in the Artsakh war, says Merry. He is not sure whether Washington would be able to restrain Ankara if it wanted to.
Wayne Merry - The Armenian-American community is frustrated with US policy because it expected the current administration to end the war or at least force Turkey not to intervene anymore. A call from the USA to Turkey in the 90s of the last century would be enough to stop their military intervention. But those days are in the past.
“This is another Turkey, more aggressive and ambitious, which does not obey,” says the expert.
Erdogan was named one of the most dangerous heads of state for Christians by the International Christian Concern Organization. They also mentioned Artsakh at the last event dedicated to the targeting of Christians in different regions of the world.
Jeff King (President of the International Christian Concern Organization) - Erdogan sees himself as one chosen by Allah's destiny to restore the Ottoman Empire. His goal is to spread the influence of Turkey and Islam. For that purpose, he initiated the attack against Armenia and Artsakh. I always tell the authorities that Erdogan is a dangerous man.
Michael Rubin sees in the recent developments in the Caucasus a motive for solving domestic political issues. The recent aggression against Syunik is aimed at diverting attention from domestic problems in the conditions of the devaluing Turkish lira and the unstable economic indicators of Azerbaijan.
Michael Rubin - I do not think their goal is just to connect each other with the road. After all, Turkey and Azerbaijan can still communicate using Georgia's roads. The basis of their policy is the historical hatred against Armenians. Besides, they want to divert people's attention from economic failures. We see what is happening with the Turkish lira. Many may think that Azerbaijan is a rich country due to its oil resources.
According to the expert, these sums are squandered by corruption, and in terms of the living standards of ordinary people, Azerbaijan is inferior to Armenia and Georgia.
