Thursday, November 16 2023 15:02

ArmInfo. The Biden administration does not have the necessary tools either to exert strong pressure on Azerbaijan or to provide real guarantees of Armenia's security "on the ground." This is how Americanist Suren  Sargsyan commented on the hearings held in the US Congress on Artsakh yesterday.

The expert called America's recent activity important and noticeable.  According to him, the messages sent to Baku are also important.

"I myself was in Washington a few weeks ago and tried to understand  whether the United States has a strategy for us or whether they solve  problems "as they arise."

Unfortunately, the decision 'don't anticipate submitting the 907  waiver' (and only this year) is made by the Biden administration  after Artsakh has already been depopulated, and Azerbaijan has been  receiving security assistance from the United States since 2002,"  Sargsyan stated.

The expert also considers the statements that the USA will not allow  the roads in Armenia to be opened by force to be unconvincing.

"Over the past 30 years, almost all US presidents have signed  statements with other co-chairs of the Security Council that the use  or threat of force cannot be used in the process of resolving the  Nagorno- Karabakh problem. The fact is that it happened exactly like  that, and that too in several episodes, and the international  community was satisfied only with appeals to the parties.

All this allows me to assume that the Biden administration, which is  on the eve of elections and has a fairly low rating, no matter how  sincere it may be in its intentions, does not have the appropriate  tools either to exert strong pressure on Azerbaijan or to provide  real guarantees of security to Armenia "on the ground," the expert is  convinced. According to him, new conceptual approaches are needed  here.

Hearings on Artsakh were held in the US Congress yesterday. US  Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James  O'Brien touching on the situation in the region, noted the importance  of signing a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan.

He also said that the United States canceled a number of high-level  visits and condemned the actions of Azerbaijan. "And we don't  anticipate submitting the 907 waiver until such time as we see a real  improvement in the situation. All this is aimed at promoting peace.  Why is peace important now? First of all, from an economic point of  view. 

"Central Asia is looking for new routes for its goods.Those ways can  also pass through the south, through Armenia. We have said that the  use of force is not acceptable, the transit corridor, which will be  built with the participation and agreement of Armenia, can cause a  huge economic boom for the countries of the region, also in the world  markets, which will have access to the goods.

And if the corridor is opened with the use of force or with the  participation of Iran, there will be a very strong opposition and it  will not succeed. Next is the question of the choice of Armenia and  Azerbaijan, what kind of political relations they want to have in the  future, do they want to build the future around the axis of Russia-  Iran as the main participants in the security of the region? I  believe it is unstable and undesirable for both the governments of  Armenia and Azerbaijan. They now have the opportunity to make a  different decision, and now we're clarifying that for them, and I  look forward to our high-level participation in the coming weeks,"  O'Brien said.