Status: 09/18/2022 4:11 p.m
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan flared up again this week. US top politicians Pelosi sees the responsibility for this in the leadership in Baku. The attack on Armenia was illegal, she said in Yerevan.
After recent skirmishes between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has blamed Azerbaijan for the escalation. In the Armenian capital Yerevan, she spoke of an “illegal and deadly attack”. “America stands by Armenia and supports its security and democracy,” emphasized the US Democrat.
On behalf of the US Congress, she strongly condemned these attacks, which jeopardized the prospects for a “much-needed peace agreement”. The 82-year-old emphasized that the “territorial integrity of Armenia” is important to the United States. “The aim of our visit is to understand what Armenia expects from the US and what support we can provide.” Pelosi arrived in Armenia on Saturday for a three-day visit.
More than 200 dead in two days
The recent fighting is due to the decades-old conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, inhabited by a majority of Armenians. Under international law, the area belongs to Azerbaijan, from which it broke away in 1991. The conflict escalated into war in 2020. According to information from Yerevan, this time it was not the conflict region that was attacked, but the Armenian heartland.
According to official information from Yerevan, 135 Armenian soldiers were killed in the attack last week. Azerbaijan has reported more than 70 deaths in its own ranks. The oil and gas-rich South Caucasus republic of Azerbaijan attacked Armenia on Tuesday night. Azerbaijan accuses Armenia of previously provoking. The militarily weak country rejects this. After two days of heavy fighting, a ceasefire has been in effect since Thursday.
Little trust in Russia
At the joint press conference with Pelosi, the Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Alen Simonian, said the violence had ended thanks to US mediation. An attempt to reach a ceasefire through Russian mediation had previously failed. Traditionally, Russia is the protecting power of Armenia. However, there is increasing criticism in Yerevan that Moscow is overwhelmed by the war in Ukraine.
Azerbaijan used the international attention to the war in Ukraine to “brutally bomb the country,” Simonian said. He called for Western sanctions against Azerbaijan. However, the country is allied with NATO member Turkey. Because of its strategic importance for Europe’s energy supply, Azerbaijan has gained additional weight. Most recently, the country agreed with the EU to supply gas as a substitute for Russian gas supplies.