US Policy In S Caucasus: Say One Thing, Do Another...

(MENAFN- AzerNews) By Abdul Karimkhanov, Day

We strongly support the peace process led by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. This was stated by US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien during his testimony before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. Similar statements are made by other US officials. But if we carefully analyze the details of US policy in the South Caucasus, we can see a sharp contrast between the statements and actions of official Washington. The question arises: if the US really wants to promote the peace process, then why are the States turning a blind eye to the militarization of Armenia and continuing to provide it with military assistance?

Armenia has become the largest buyer of Indian weapons. According to the Indian information resource IADN, the total volume of Armenia's arms purchases from India in the 2024-2025 fiscal year has reached $600 million. Also in June of this year, an agreement was reached on the supply of CAESAR self-propelled artillery units and shells from France to Armenia. In addition, in July, 10 million euros were allocated within the framework of the European Fund to support the Armenian Armed Forces. At the same time, the US Senate Appropriations Committee this week approved the Foreign Operations Act for the 2025 fiscal year, which provides for the allocation of "at least $65 million to Armenia to continue its reform and Euro-Atlantic integration efforts." However, there is no guarantee that Armenia will spend these investments for their intended purpose and not on further militarization. So what's all the fuss about?

Financial support was promised to Armenia back in April at a meeting between Nikol Pashinyan and the leaders of the EU and the US in Brussels. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken then said: "We intend to allocate more than $65 million in aid from our budget, which is 50% more than two years ago. We are determined to continue to support Armenia's democratic and economic resilience," he said. Few people doubt that these funds are being allocated to make Armenia completely dependent and to use it against both Russia and Azerbaijan.

It is worth recalling that after local anti-terrorist measures last year, which lasted less than a day and ended with the complete capitulation of Armenian separatists in Karabakh, the United States began to increase its "support" for Armenia. And recently, US officials have been visiting Yerevan too often - be it US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien, US State Department Senior Adviser for Caucasus Negotiations Louis Bono, as well as Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya.

The American Freedom House, considered a "human rights" organization, accused Azerbaijan of "ethnic cleansing" against the Armenian population of Karabakh. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom called on the country's authorities, in particular the State Department, to include Azerbaijan in the list of countries subject to special monitoring (Special Watch List) for violations of religious freedom. The repeated use of the notorious 907th amendment, which prohibits state aid to Azerbaijan, holding joint military exercises with the aggressor country... all this certainly does not reflect positively on American-Azerbaijani relations.
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The above indicates that the United States is taking steps to maintain revanchist sentiments in Armenia. Political, moral, military and financial support for Yerevan from the United States increases the risk of escalation of the conflict in the region. These and other facts demonstrate that official Washington is not interested in establishing a fair and stable peace in the South Caucasus. The United States is filled with the desire to become a key player in the region by ousting Russia. As for excessive activity in the Armenian direction, this is explained by the zeal of the Democratic Party to get votes from the Armenian lobby. So the United States is pursuing exclusively its own interests and this reveals the sharp differences between the statements of official Washington and its actions.

It is obvious that such "activity" of the Americans in recent months is aimed at pressuring Baku to abandon the condition of excluding from the Constitution of Armenia the provisions that contain territorial claims to Azerbaijan. It seems that the US has begun to act in the South Caucasus in exactly the same way as Macron's France. Such a policy creates obstacles to the process of normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. And it is precisely because of this that it is still impossible to achieve permanent peace and stability in the South Caucasus.

But the fact is that it is impossible to influence Azerbaijan, and it is impossible to put pressure on the position of the leading state of the South Caucasus. Azerbaijan acts within the framework of international legal norms and implements an independent foreign policy based on national interests. Azerbaijan must be taken into account, and the position of Azerbaijan must be taken into account. Acceptance of new realities in the South Caucasus is the fate of every country, and the United States is no exception.

Abdul Karimkhanov is the Editor-in-Chief, of Day, the Russian-language news website in Azerbaijan.

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