Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday said the U.S. stands for everyone's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence in light of developments in Karabakh.
When asked by Anadolu reporter whether the U.S. recognizes and supports Azerbaijan's right to restore its territorial integrity in Karabakh, Blinken responded, stating, "When it comes to sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, we stand for those propositions for everyone concerned".
Blinken emphasized that the U.S. maintains close communication with all concerned parties, including discussions involving Baku and representatives of ethnic Armenians in Karabakh over the last 24 hours.
"And moving back to talking, negotiating, diplomacy is what I want to drive us," he added.
Blinken said he had the opportunity this week to speak to Armenia's Prime Minister Pashinyan and Azerbaijan's President Aliyev, and expressed "deep concern about the actions this past week, particularly Azerbaijan's military actions".
"We want to make clear that the use of force is unacceptable and it runs counter to the efforts that we've been engaged in, but more importantly both countries have been engaged in, to find a just and dignified peace in the region," he said.
"This is something that's manifested in the interests of both Azerbaijan and Armenia. Both have invested in it, including President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan. And this is something that we've worked to support along with the European Union," he added.
Actions that happened this week "simply run counter to that effort," according to Blinken. "And that kind of just and durable peace that we're working toward would be a tremendous benefit to both countries, to the region," he added.
