U.S. cancels high-level meetings with Azerbaijan; Suspends plans for  future events - source

ArmInfo.The United States has canceled high- level meetings with Azerbaijan and suspended plans  for future events, Turan writes, citing congressional sources.

"James O'Brien, the top U.S. diplomat in charge of Europe and  Eurasia, will provide clear messages to Yerevan and Baku today before  Congress that the United States would support Armenia's sovereignty,  territorial integrity, and democratic institutions, and that  Washington had made it clear after September war that there cannot be  "business as usual" with Azerbaijan, according to prepared  congressional testimony obtained by TURAN's Washington  correspondent."

According to the source, key Biden administration officials in charge  of Caucasus policy will this morning testify before the Congressional  Committee on Foreign Affairs on the future of Nagorno-Karabakh. The  event will be chaired by Congressman Thomas H.  Kean, Jr (R-NJ).

In his prepared remarks, O'Brien will lay out before lawmakers the  Administration's efforts in the South Caucasus, especially with  respect to Azerbaijan's most recent military actions on Sep 19.

He will tell the Committee that Baku's use of force in September  prompted a mass exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians from  Nagorno-Karabakh into Armenia.  People left behind their homes, their  livelihoods, their communities, and their culture.  Now uprooted,  they face the enormous challenge of making difficult choices on their  path ahead. The U.S. recognizes the pressure on the government of  Armenia to provide for a large population of displaced persons and  refugees.

O'Brien will testify that the U.S. has urged Azerbaijan to ensure all  ethnic Armenians who have departed Nagorno-Karabakh are guaranteed a  safe, dignified, and sustainable return, should they so choose, with  their rights and security guaranteed: "We have asked Azerbaijan to  facilitate visits to allow those who have left to check on their  properties and belongings. We have also called for Azerbaijan to  respect and protect the cultural heritage of the many groups who have  lived in the region throughout the millennia."

O'Brien will also tell lawmakers that on September 26, the United  States announced more than $11.5 million in humanitarian assistance  to provide emergency food, protection, shelter, and other urgent  support to displaced persons and refugees across the South Caucasus,  including those from Nagorno-Karabakh. The U.S. has identified  additional funding on top of this amount to scale up ongoing support  for new arrivals to Armenia.

Separately, the State Department is supporting efforts to interview  those who fled Nagorno-Karabakh to learn more about what they  experienced.

O'Brien will testify that the U.S. wants to support the Armenian  government's efforts to diversify trade and expand its commercial  ties with Europe and the United States in promising sectors such as  agriculture and technology. "We are supporting the government's  initiatives to build accountable institutions, through initiatives  like community-based policing. In short, we will help build Armenian  economic security and resilience."

As for Azerbaijan, O'Brien will tell the lawmakers that Baku's use of  force in Nagorno- Karabakh "has eroded trust and raised doubts"  regarding its commitment to a comprehensive peace with Armenia. Given  this new reality, the State Department has made it clear to  Azerbaijan that there cannot be "business as usual" in our bilateral  relationship.

Following the war in September, the United States has condemned  Azerbaijani actions in Nagorno-Karabakh, canceled high-level  bilateral meetings and engagements with Azerbaijan, and suspended  plans for future events.

In the meantime, O'Brien will testify that the U.S. will continue to  work towards a durable and dignified peace between Armenia and  Azerbaijan. What has happened in September, has underlined that a  negotiated peace is necessary and urgent, he will say.

The United States is therefore redoubling its support towards  achieving a durable and dignified peace that provides the foundation  for regional prosperity, economic connectivity, and freedom from  outside malign influence - a goal that the leaders of both Armenia  and Azerbaijan say they seek. This has also long been the United  States' strategic goal for the region.

O'Brien will underscore that a durable, dignified peace between  Armenia and Azerbaijan would benefit the entire South Caucasus. Open  transport and trade routes will end the region's isolation and allow  countries to diversify economic and security ties connecting Europe  and Central Asia. It would end the decades-long cycle of violence in  the region for good, providing an environment for greater stability  and investment for all countries in the region.

"We will continue to offer our good offices to achieve a dignified,  durable peace that would end the cycle of violence between Armenia  and Azerbaijan and herald a more secure and prosperous future for  both peoples and the region," he will say.

The State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Tuesday refused  to speak to today's hearing, when asked by TURAN's correspondent  during a daily briefing.  In the meantime, he added, "... I'll say  that we continue to believe that people who have left  Nagorno-Karabakh have the right to come home if they wish to do so,  and that's a right that should be upheld," the source reports.