The US is interested in establishing a transport route through Armenia and Azerbaijan, bypassing Russia and China, James O'Brien, the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs said during a Senate Committee on Foreign Relations hearing about the future of Europe.
O'Brien indicated that the only current options for accessing global markets for Central Asian countries are through Russia or China. He emphasized that opening a route through Armenia and Azerbaijan would allow these countries to access global markets and become much less dependent on Russia and China.
On the previous day, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei told Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that Iran continues to view the Zangezur route as a harmful project for Armenia. Pashinyan reaffirmed that Armenia does not recognize any extraterritorial routes within its country.
O'Brien mentioned that the US Department of State has created a joint platform with Armenia to help reduce its dependence on Russia. He highlighted that Armenia is almost entirely dependent on Russia for energy and economic sectors and stressed the importance of helping them diversify, enabling the bold steps taken by Prime Minister Pashinyan.
O'Brien pointed out that Russia had guaranteed Armenia's security after the 2020 war with Azerbaijan and long before that but turned its back on Armenia when Azerbaijan reclaimed the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. This has led to significant dissatisfaction, with the majority of Armenian society wanting to move away from Russia. The US is facilitating conditions for this shift.
O'Brien reiterated US firm support for the peace efforts by the Armenian Prime Minister and the Azerbaijani President to achieve peace. He noted that Russia wants this to happen on its terms, but both countries are somewhat disappointed with its involvement. He stressed that the US is doing everything possible to reflect the desire for peace in both countries in the agreement.
Regarding the demarcation process of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, O'Brien stated that Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to start this work. However, certain territories remain occupied by both sides, and after demarcation, these territories may be returned to them. He emphasized that the US has clearly stated that the border, once adjusted, should be final after the process concludes.
