United States would welcome a role in facilitating Armenia-Azerbaijan talks, State Department

YEREVAN, November 21. / ARKA/. ‘It is important that Armenia and Azerbaijan discuss and resolve issues directly to benefit the region,’ U.S. Department of State representative Mathew Miller told a press briefing on November 20.

‘We continue to engage the leadership of both countries and offer to facilitate a dignified and durable peace where the rights of all are respected,’ he said.

He added that the United States would welcome a role in facilitating those talks. ‘. We’ve seen other countries offer to facilitate those talks. We think it’s important that the two countries talk face to face to reach a durable agreement,’ Miller said.

Azerbaijan snubbed a meeting of its foreign minister with Armenian counterpart planned for November 20 in Washington because of the "one-sided approach of the United States".

By ‘one-sided approach’’ Azerbaijan meant comments made earlier this month by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien to the House Foreign Affairs Committee saying that Azerbaijan’s use of force in September had prompted most of the population of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee.

O'Brien said "there cannot be 'business as usual'" in Washington's relations with Baku. He added that the U.S. had cancelled high-level bilateral meetings and engagements with Azerbaijan and would keep urging it to "facilitate the return of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians who may wish to go back to their homes or visit cultural sites in the region, as well as restore unimpeded commercial, humanitarian, and pedestrian traffic to the region".

In a related development U.S. Senators unanimously passed legislation last week that would cut off U.S. security aid to Azerbaijan for the next two years amid growing concerns that it may invade southern Armenia in the near future. -0-