The State Department is making efforts to resolve demining issues in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict zone.
“We are deeply concerned about the landmine and unexploded ordnance factor that continues to kill and maim civilians, hinder economic development and the safe return of displaced people.” Secretary of the Military-Political Affairs Bureau of the State Department, Jessica Lewis, told Turan’s correspondent in Washington about this, speaking at a briefing on security issues in Washington on Thursday.
In response to Turan’s question about Washington’s role in restoring peace in Karabakh, he confirmed the US’s commitment to a peaceful, democratic and prosperous South Caucasus. . He repeated the words of State Secretary Anthony Blinken that “direct dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan is the key to solving problems and achieving a solid peace.”
Speaking about the efforts of the Bureau of Military and Political Affairs, Lewis recalled that in 2022, the United States allocated 2 million dollars for demining in the zone of military operations in Karabakh. In November 2021, another 500,000 dollars was allocated for that purpose.
“The work we do together with our international partners is very important for countries to recover and protect civilians,” he added.
In response to Turan’s question about whether Washington is interested in participating in peacekeeping operations in the region, Lewis said that his office is engaged in training peacekeepers to carry out such missions. “I think we should carefully consider the possibility of this. Obviously, this process is going through the United Nations, and I will refrain from commenting on how the United Nations will manage these processes in the future. But I think we should consider the issue of not only Russia supporting this process. “Currently, Russian equipment, for example, has difficulty in purchasing spare parts, and this may affect the ability of peacekeepers to carry out their work,” he said.
Contact.az