Azerbaijan, US eye bilateral ties amid Armenian lobby intensifying anti-Baku moves [PHOTO]
By Sabina Mammadli
Presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev and US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried discussed the current state of the normalization process between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
During the discussion, the sides also exchanged views on a possible peace agreement to be signed between Baku and Yerevan, as well as border delimitation and transport issues.
Similarly, Hajiyev and US Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl also eyed the prospects for the development of bilateral strategic ties between the United States and Azerbaijan.
The sides discussed bilateral cooperation between Azerbaijan and the USA, as well as regional security issues.
Later, in a Twitter publication, the presidential aide commemorated Remembrance Day.
"September 27 - Remembrance Day! May Allah rest the souls of all our martyrs!" the post read.
While Azerbaijan and the USA are discussing bilateral ties and peace treaties, the latter is considering the sale of American weapons to Armenia, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) says.
“For the first time since Armenia gained independence in 1991, policymakers in the United States, under firm bipartisan pressure from Congress, are debating the sale of US weapons to Armenia to help it defend itself against Azerbaijan’s (Turkish-backed) aggression and ethnic cleansing,” the Armenian nationalist organization said.
Shortly after the large-scale provocations along the Azerbaijani-Armenian units carried out by the Armenian armed forces, Congressman Adam Schiff put into circulation a draft resolution developed jointly with other members of the commission on Armenian issues of the US Congress. The resolution condemns the so-called “Azerbaijan's unprovoked attacks on the Republic of Armenia” and the made-up “Republic of Artsakh”, and also calls for the immediate cessation of all forms of assistance provided by the United States to Azerbaijan.
In the meantime, French President Emmanuel Macron met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday and called on Yerevan and Baku to immediately start negotiations to achieve a lasting peace.
"The use of force cannot be a solution for either Armenia or Azerbaijan, and dialogue must be restored immediately," Macron said at a joint press conference with Pashinyan in Paris.
"The whole complex of unresolved issues, and we know that there are many of them, should be resolved exclusively through negotiations," the French president emphasized.
Macron, who often has failed to remain objective in the Azerbaijani-Armenian war, has called the situation when "the territory of Armenia is under threat and civilian infrastructure has been destroyed" unacceptable.
According to him, “the fact that the border is not delimited does not justify moving into the territory of another state”.
"Peace cannot be built by threatening to resort to force," the French president said.
Meanwhile, Armenia’s first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan has urged his compatriots to sign peace deals with Azerbaijan and Turkiye.
“We are facing difficult, painful decisions. Agreements should be signed with Azerbaijan and Turkiye that no one will like, but there is one moment when there is no alternative. If the document is not signed, if peace is not concluded with these two neighbors, we can no longer restore the 70-year-old realities of the Soviet Union. We must build a state again,” he said.
To recap, units of the Armenian armed forces carried out large-scale provocations along the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border in the Dashkasan, Kalbajar, and Lachin directions on the night of September 12 leading to 13. The Armenian sabotage groups mined land and supply roads linking the positions of the Azerbaijani army units in different directions, taking advantage of the area's steep topography and existing ravine gaps.
The clashes between the sides ensued as a result of the urgent efforts made by the Azerbaijani armed forces to quell these activities. As a result, 79 armed forces personnel were killed, the ministry detailed.
So far, the Armenian government reported 207 losses among its own military personnel. Moreover, 293 soldiers and three civilians were wounded, and 20 soldiers were taken as prisoners.
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Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @SabinaMmdl
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