Peace Must Include Protecting the Rights and Security of the People of Karabakh – US Embassy

YEREVAN—The United States of America welcomes any dialogue that will contribute to the protection of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, the US Embassy in Yerevan said, commenting on information published in Russian media and official Moscow statements.

According to Russian media, the US is trying to impose its mediation in the dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert, including through the threat of force. The Russian state news agency TASS was informed by the Russian Foreign Ministry that Moscow was concerned about these publications.

Citing its sources, Komsomolskaya Pravda wrote that the United States, in an ultimatum form, is forcing the representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh to hold a dialogue with Azerbaijan in a third country “under the supervision of American mediators.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a news briefing that she was familiar with the publications on this topic, adding that if the facts are confirmed, the American side will be obliged to provide clarifications.

Meanwhile, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller expressed deep concern that two civilian employees of a U.S.-affiliated company in Armenia were wounded as a result of Azerbaijani shelling.

“We are deeply concerned that two civilian employees of a U.S.-affiliated company in Armenia sustained injuries from gunfire from the direction of Azerbaijan,” Miller said in a tweet.

“We reiterate our call for restraint along the borders as the parties work toward a durable and balanced peace,” he said.