The US State Department is concerned about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. State Department spokesperson Ned Price noted this at Tuesday’s Department press briefing.
In response to a reporter's question regarding US Secretary of State Antony Blinken's recent telephone conversations with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Price noted that the US State Department hopes that a direct dialogue between Yerevan and Baku will resume, and this will lead to the settlement of the issues on which the two parties have had disagreements for a long time.
“We go into it hoping to see direct dialogue—direct dialogue leading to a resolution of the issues that have long divided Armenia and Azerbaijan—and through that dialogue, hopefully reaching a lasting peace. We’re continuing to engage in direct discussions with Armenia and Azerbaijan. We’re doing that bilaterally; we’re doing that with partners; we’re doing that through multilateral institutions. We’ve had an occasion to do that trilaterally a couple times last year as well. We are going to do what is most effective to bring about a resolution to these very thorny issues,” Price said.
And when asked whether the US Secretary of State has a clear understanding of the current situation in this matter, Price noted that the American side is very well aware of the situation and has various concerns, one of which is the current situation around the Lachin corridor.
“We have a good sense of the state of play. We have various concerns. Let me just state, on the topic of those concerns, our concerns regarding the Lachin corridor. We are concerned that the situation there is worsening; the worsening humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh has been a focus of not only the Secretary but others in this building. Ongoing obstruction of normal commercial and private travel along the Lachin corridor is causing shortages of food, fuel, and medicine for the residents who depend on the corridor for those very basic supplies. Periodic disruptions to natural gas and other basic utilities exacerbate the worsening humanitarian situation. We call for the full restoration of free movement through the corridor, including commercial and private travel. We believe we need a solution to this impasse that will ensure the safety and well-being of the population living in the area, and we believe the way forward is, as I said before, through negotiations. We remain committed to supporting a lasting peace,” noted the US State Department spokesperson.
