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Pelosi blames Azerbaijan for starting the conflict Azerbaijan says Pelosi is endangering peace in the Caucasus Azerbaijan says Pelosi’s remarks are unacceptable Pelosi praises Armenia’s ‘Velvet Revolution’ US listens to Armenia on defense, Pelosi says
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday condemned “unlawful” attacks on Azerbaijan’s border with Armenia, using a visit to the Russian ally to pledge US support for its sovereignty. Pelosi made her trip to Armenia, a piece of land the size of the US state of Maryland wedged between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Iran, in an effort to bolster support for what she has positioned as a beacon of democracy. Speaking in the ancient city of Yerevan, Pelosi said her trip took on significance after “Azerbaijan’s illegal and deadly attacks on Armenian territory” that sparked border clashes that killed more than 200 people. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up “We strongly condemn these attacks,” Pelosi said alongside Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonyan, who last week expressed dismay at the response of a Russian-led military alliance to Yerevan’s request for help. read more Pelosi, who angered China with a trip to Taiwan last month, said it was clear the border fighting was sparked by Azeri attacks in Armenia and that the chronology of the conflict needed to be made clear. The fighting “started with the Azeris, and there has to be recognition of that,” Pelosi said. Pelosi’s remarks drew an unusually sharp rebuke from Baku, which said she was endangering peace in the Caucasus. “Pelosi’s baseless and unfair accusations against Azerbaijan are unacceptable,” the State Department said in a statement. “This is a serious blow to efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the ministry said, calling Pelosi’s comments “Armenian propaganda.” Such a definitive apportionment of responsibility for the conflict goes beyond what the US State Department has so far stated publicly. Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken expressed concern about the clashes and called for calm, but did not claim responsibility. Armenia said Azerbaijan bombed at least six Armenian settlements within the border shortly after midnight on September 13, attacking civilian and military infrastructure with drones and heavy artillery. Yerevan said it was unprovoked aggression. Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, rejects these claims. Baku says Armenian sabotage units tried to mine Azeri positions, prompting soldiers to retaliate. Armenia says the narrative is Azeri misinformation.
THE FACE OF RUSSIA
Russia, which has repeatedly condemned Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, views the Caucasus as its own sphere of influence and opposes what it describes as US meddling in the region. However, Moscow is preoccupied by the war in Ukraine, which has sparked the biggest confrontation with the West since the height of the Cold War. Russia is Armenia’s main military ally, with a military base in northern Armenia and peacekeepers along the contact line in Nagorno-Karabakh, over which Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war in 2020. President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia has enough resources to mediate the conflict. The latest fighting ended after a ceasefire brokered by Russia. But after calls for help, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-led military alliance of former Soviet republics that includes Armenia but not Azerbaijan, decided on Tuesday to send a monitoring mission. Armenia’s parliament speaker Simonyan expressed displeasure with the response, likening the CSTO to a pistol that didn’t fire bullets. Speaking alongside Pelosi, US Representative Frank Pallone said the United States wants to do everything it can to further support Armenia’s security. The United States, Pelosi said, was listening to Armenia about what its defense needs were and said Washington wanted to help and support Armenia in what she called a global struggle between democracy and autocracy. “We should use our influence, our leverage to show that Armenian democracy and sovereignty is a priority,” Pelosi said. “Velvet revolution hailed worldwide.” Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018 following anti-government protests referred to as Armenia’s Velvet Revolution. Pelosi said it was interesting that Armenia was disappointed by Russia’s response. “It’s interesting that they were disappointed to find evidence and not protection from that relationship and we’ll see what happens next,” he said. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSign up Written by Guy Faulconbridge, edited by William Maclean, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Alex Richardson Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
