BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 15. Acting US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim made an anti-Azerbaijani remark at a session held in the U.S. Senate on September 14, 2023, which was convened by Bob Menendez, a senator who is currently under FBI investigation for corrupt connections to the Armenian lobby, Trend reports.
The U.S. official demanded the immediate opening of the Lachin road and said the U.S. does not accept the use of force "against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh".
The Western Azerbaijan Community issued a statement in this regard.
"First, the US government is well aware that the Lachin road is not closed. The obstacle to the use of this road within the laws of Azerbaijan is the territorial claims against Azerbaijan by the Armenian government and the illegal regime it supports in Azerbaijan's Karabakh region," the Community said.
"In connection with Yuri Kim's statements about the essentially non-existent threat to Armenians living in Azerbaijan's Karabakh region, I would like to ask why the U.S. government remained indifferent to such facts as the occupation of Azerbaijani territories by Armenia, its disregard for UN Security Council resolutions, the killing of more than 20,000 Azerbaijani civilians, the destruction of more than 900 Azerbaijani settlements, the contamination of part of Azerbaijan's territory with mines, and Armenia's expulsion of 300,000 Azerbaijanis from its territory and 700,000 Azerbaijanis from their homes," Western Azerbaijan Community noted.
They added that it does not fit with the U.S.'s role as a "global champion of human rights" or as a partner promoting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia that the American government, aware of all the nuances of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the current situation, turns a blind eye to such injustices committed against Azerbaijanis and supports Armenia's unfounded claims.
The Western Azerbaijan Community claims that despite American rants about justice and peace, Armenia's army remnants are still present in Azerbaijani territory, and illegal armed formations have not been disarmed. It is unacceptable that the U.S. is once again vacillating with regard to Azerbaijan given that it unconditionally recognizes the territorial integrity and sovereignty of other nations in the post-Soviet region and condemns separatism.
"Yuri Kim's orderly tone is also inappropriate. Apparently, the State Department official has mixed up her addresses. We remind Yuri Kim that American politicians and diplomats raise the issue of America's sovereignty wherever necessary and not necessary. The sovereignty of Azerbaijan is in no way inferior to the sovereignty of any other country, including the United States, which Ms. Kim represents," the Community added.
The Community also emphasized that the U.S. government should not fall for Armenia's lies, avoid ethnic discrimination in the protection of human rights, not interfere in Azerbaijan's internal affairs, and support the safe and dignified return of Azerbaijanis expelled from Armenia.