Congratulating Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Armenia’s independence anniversary marked on Wednesday, Biden also reaffirmed U.S. support for “the Armenian people’s democratic aspiration, sovereignty, and security.”
“The United States stands with Armenia as you continue working to combat corruption, develop accountable institutions, strengthen rule of law, and advance respect for human rights,” read his congratulatory message publicized by Pashinian’s office on Thursday.
Biden also said: “Recent hostilities [on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border] underscore the need to redouble our diplomacy so Armenia can look to a prosperous and peaceful future, which includes normalization of relations with neighbors.”
“We remain committed to working with you and other parties to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict, including for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh,” added the U.S. president.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken similarly stressed the need for a “long-term political settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict” on August 24 when he announced the appointment of a new U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group. The mediator, Philip Reeker, visited Yerevan and Baku last week amid deadly border clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces.
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry denounced Blinken’s statement, saying that the U.S. risks being left out of the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process with its attempts to “revive” the Minsk Group. It again claimed that Azerbaijan’s victory in the 2020 war with Armenia put an end to the Karabakh conflict.
The outgoing U.S. ambassador in Yerevan, Lynne Tracy, has repeatedly stated over the past year that Washington considers the conflict unresolved because there is still no agreement on Karabakh’s status.
Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian leaders remain strongly opposed to any settlement that would restore Azerbaijan’s full control over the territory.