(MENAFN- AzerNews)
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.
---
Sabina Mammadli is AzerNews' staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter:
Follow us on Twitter
MENAFN27092022000195011045ID1104930761
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.