Register now for FREE, unlimited access to Reuters.comRegister
- 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
TBILISI, Sept 18 (Reuters) – U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Sunday strongly condemned what she said were “unlawful” border attacks by Azerbaijan in Armenia, using a visit to ally Russia to pledge American support for its sovereignty.
Pelosi made her trip to Armenia, a piece of land the size of the US state of Maryland that sits between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey and Iran, as an attempt to bolster support for what she presented as a beacon of democracy.
Speaking in the ancient city of Yerevan, Pelosi said her trip took on significance after “lawless and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenian territory” that led to border clashes in which more of 200 people.
Register now for FREE, unlimited access to Reuters.comRegister
“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 a request for aid from Yerevan. 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 timeline of the conflict should be made clear.
The struggle “was started by the Azeris, and there has to be recognition of that,” Pelosi said.
Pelosi’s remarks drew an unusually strong rebuke from Baku, which it said was endangering peace in the Caucasus.
“Pelosi’s unwarranted and unjustified 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 remarks “Armenian propaganda.”
Such a definitive apportionment of blame for the conflict goes beyond what the US State Department has said publicly so far. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed concern about the fighting and called for calm, but did not assign blame.
Armenia said Azerbaijan bombed at least six Armenian settlements inside the border shortly after midnight on September 13, targeting civilian and military infrastructure with drones and large-caliber weapons. Yerevan said it was an unprovoked attack.
Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, rejects these claims. Baku says Armenian sabotage units tried to undermine Azeri positions, prompting soldiers to respond. Armenia says the narrative is Azeri disinformation.
THE RUSSIAN COURTYARD
Russia, which repeatedly condemned Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan, views the Caucasus as its own sphere of influence and opposes what it sees as US meddling in the region.
Moscow, however, is concerned about the war in Ukraine which has triggered 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 fought a war in 2020.
President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that Russia had enough resources to mediate in 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.
Armenian Parliament Speaker Simonyan said he was not satisfied with the response, comparing the CSTO to a gun that did not fire bullets.
Speaking alongside Pelosi, US Representative Frank Pallone said the US wanted to do everything it could to support Armenia’s security.
The United States, Pelosi said, was listening to Armenia about what its defense needs were, and she said Washington wanted to help and support Armenia in what she sees as a global struggle between democracy and autocracy.
“We must use our influence, our influence by showing that Armenian democracy and sovereignty is a priority,” Pelosi said. “The Velvet Revolution was applauded globally.”
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan came to power in 2018 following anti-government protests known 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 that they had fact finders and not protection of that relationship and we’ll see what happens next,” he said.
Register now for FREE, unlimited access to Reuters.comRegister
Written by Guy Faulconbridge, edited by William Maclean, Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Alex Richardson
Our standards: the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.