Matthew Miller, Spokesperson of US State Department referred to the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia during his press briefing. Here is the transcript provided by the Press office of the State Depertment
“We are concerned about the situation. I will say that in terms of what we think is important, it’s, number one, that the ceasefire that exists now be maintained, that there is no further military action; number two, that the humanitarian needs of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are addressed; and number three, that Azerbaijan and Armenia reach a lasting peace agreement.
With regard to the humanitarian situation from the ground, the population of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh should be able to remain in their homes in peace and dignity, with respect for their rights and security if they choose to do so. Those who want to leave and return should be allowed safe passage overseen by a neutral, independent third party. And Azerbaijan has a responsibility to protect civilians and ensure the humane treatment of all, including those it suspects of being combatants”, Miller said.
Answering the question about Armenia calling for some sort of international monitoring, whether it’s through the UN or through other partners, Miller said: 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. 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”.
QUESTION: On that line, the Secretary spoke with Prime Minister Pashinyan over the weekend, and he also reaffirmed U.S. support for Armenia’s territorial integrity. Do you have any concern on your end that Armenia’s territorial integrity must be jeopardized or they – something is –must be going on that will require U.S. support for Armenia’s territorial integrity?
MR MILLER: I think I would answer that by saying 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.
QUESTION: Secretary told us on Friday that he has been in touch with the leaders, highest level, which is right; he called the president and the prime minister. But it struck me that he was in the same building with the foreign ministers for five days and he did not meet with them.
MR MILLER: He was in regular conversation with the leaders of those two countries. I think that shows the depth of his commitment to resolving this issue. In addition, Administrator Power and Assistant Secretary – Acting Assistant Secretary Kim are in the region today. I think it’s a stretch to question the depth of our commitment when you see the diplomatic engagement that we’ve had from the most senior levels over the past week. The fact that he didn’t meet in person when he’s talking to leaders of the foreign – to foreign countries, I – it would be a mistake to read anything into that.
QUESTION: Care to expand a little bit on Assistant Secretary Kim’s trip?
MR MILLER: They are there to reaffirm U.S. support for Armenia’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, and democracy, and of course to help address humanitarian needs stemming from the recent violence in Nagorno-Karabakh.
QUESTION: Thank you, Matt. The executive director of D.C.-based Armenian National Committee of America, Aram Hamparian, made a social media post yesterday in English, where he criticized Armenian prime minister over the situation in Karabakh and the security officer guarding him. In one of the posts this official said, quote, “the moment an Armenian guarding Pashinyan values his soul more than his paycheck,” unquote, which is sort of an appeal for – or encouraging a security guard to take an elected prime minister out. So is it in line with the U.S. democratic values and the law that a director of a prominent lobbying group based in U.S. making such a call? And is it okay that that same director in the U.S. make efforts through social media to overthrow a government and even asks for a use of armed force for this purpose?
MR MILLER: So I haven’t seen the post to which you’re referring, and I’m always hesitant to comment specifically with respect to things that are read to me for the first time at the podium. I want to see the full context, not that – I can imagine what it would be in this instance. But I will say, speaking generally, of course we always condemn threats against government officials or any attempts to overthrow lawfully elected governments.
