US Demands Azerbaijan Withdraw its Forces from Armenia’s Sovereign Territory

YEREVAN — Chairman of the House Democracy Partnership Representative David Price, who is leading a Congressional Delegation to Armenia said on Tuesday that the United States opposes the Azerbaijani invasion of Armenia’s sovereign territory and demands Azerbaijan to pull back its forces to initial positions.

Price was speaking at a joint press conference in Yerevan with chair of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Armenian National Assembly Eduard Aghajanyan.
“We are against the invasion of Armenia’s sovereign territory and are demanding that Azerbaijan return to its initial positions,” Representative David Price said after talks with Armenian lawmakers.

The North Carolina Democrat referred to the September 13-14 fighting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border that left at least 290 soldiers from both sides dead. Azerbaijani troops attacked and seized Armenian army positions at several sections of the long frontier.

The US State Department publicly urged Azerbaijan on September 26 to “return troops to their initial positions.” Baku denies occupying any Armenian territory.

Price also condemned the inhumane treatment and actions of Azerbaijani armed forces against Armenian servicemen. He also highlighted ensuring the return of prisoners of war who are still being held in Azerbaijan.

According to an Armenian government statement, PM Pashinyan discussed with the delegation led by Price the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and “processes taking in the region.”

Nikol Pashinyan noted that Armenian citizens have unequivocally chosen the path of democracy and the Armenian government will steadfastly continue to implement the rich agenda of democratic reforms.

According to the Prime Minister, the recent intensive Armenian-American contacts and high-level mutual visits significantly contribute to the continuous development of the strategic dialogue.

Pashinyan stressed the importance of ensuring the security and rights of our compatriots in Nagorno Karabakh, also highly appreciated the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the US.

Eduard Aghajanian, the chairman of the Armenian parliament committee on foreign relations, said security challenges facing Armenia were also high on the agenda of the US lawmakers’ talks with their Armenian colleagues.

“We had a quite substantive and important conversation with our colleagues,” Aghajanian told reporters. He did not go into details.