Fighting broke out between Armenia and Azerbaijan on September 13 when Azeri forces launched an attack on their western neighbor. The attack killed about 50 more people on both sides, and the country’s officials accused the others of provocation in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Nagorno-Karabakh, populated mainly by Armenians, was an internal autonomous region of Azerbaijan in Soviet times. Historical tensions between Christian Armenians and Azerbaijanis, more commonly Muslims, erupted in the last years of the Soviet Union. The mountainous region is about the length of Delaware.
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In a speech to the United Nations, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov responded to Armenian claims of aggression by accusing Armenians of committing “ethnic cleansing,” “illegal settlement” and “flagrant violation of international humanitarian law” over the past 30 years.
Bayramov insisted that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s speech to the UN General Assembly is “further proof of demonstrating” a preference for focusing on “confrontation rather than normalization. “
“In Azerbaijan, our region has noticed enough clashes, destruction and suffering,” the minister said. “It is the best time for our two nations to fully and unreservedly interact in post-conflict normalization, so that we can, despite everything, turn the tragic page of our history and begin to build a longer bigger road for our children. “
“The commitment of the Azerbaijani side is there,” he said. We hope that, despite everything, Armenia will respond constructively and have genuine interaction in the negotiations. “
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Turkey, a NATO member and Azerbaijan’s best friend, also blamed Armenia for the violence. Earlier this month, Turkish President Recep Tayipp Erdogan expressed his help to Azerbaijan, saying Turkey and Azerbaijan are “brotherly. . . in all areas” and accusing Armenia of “unacceptable” actions, but followed a more conciliatory tone in his speech to the UN general. The Assembly when it said it believed peace was imaginable between the two countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin temporarily moved to negotiate a peace deal, but even as Armenia and Azerbaijan reached the limit of patience to comply with the agreement, Armenia claimed that Russia continues to supply Azerbaijan with the same weapons used in the attack.
Grigoryan said Russia’s role as an Azeri weapon is “nothing new” and is a “long history” that Armenia has raised with Moscow.
“This is public information: yes, it’s true,” he insisted. And that’s a lot of fear for us, and it’s not a new story. “
Armenia has traditionally looked to Russia as one of its main vital allies due to the fact that they are Christian-majority nations in a different Muslim region. Russia has strong economic and military ties with Armenia, and the Armenian city of Gyumri hosts a Russian army base, but Russia has also worked to expand cooperation with energy-rich Azerbaijan. Russia’s moves seem to serve primarily its preference to avoid destructive moves as the invasion of Ukraine drags on and becomes more complicated for Moscow.
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Instead, Armenia discovered more details of the United States after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi led a congressional delegation that stopped in the country following the Azerbaijan attack. Full of “undiscovered and unjust accusations. “
“We strongly condemn those attacks, we in our delegation on behalf of Congress, that threaten the much-needed peace agreement,” said Pelosi, D-Calif. , adding that the confrontation “started through the Azeri people, and there is popularity. “The delegation included Representative Frank Pallone, D-N. J. ; Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-Calif. ; and Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif.
Azerbaijan’s draft to the United Nations responded to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Earlier this month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan. Grigoryan said the U. S. Lead additional diplomatic engagement. Armenia said before the high-level week at the United Nations that it would raise the factor of Azerbaijan’s attack in the Security Council.
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“Our assessment remains that Azerbaijan continues to target larger and occupied territories in Armenia and further aggravates the Armenia-Azerbaijan border,” Grigoryan said. “And they see in [the] twenty-first century solving the challenge with Array. . . strength It’s very worrying. “
Bayramov recently met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss cooperation with the organization, and Guterres made clear his desire for Armenia and Azerbaijan to find a non-violent solution to their conflict.
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“Armenia is in a position to engage diplomatically, but we have also publicly stated that we will not negotiate. . . when they put the gun to our heads,” Grigoryan said. “This is not our way of negotiating, and we are sure that the more active participation of the foreign network in our region would be useful to bring more stability and also peace. “
Laura Taglianetti of Fox News and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Peter Aitken is a Fox News Digital reporter specializing in national news.