US makes wrong bet in South Caucasus And loses

The Armenian media gleefully circulated the news of the adoption this week by the US Senate of the Armenia Defense Act of 2023, which prevents the US President from bypassing the 907th amendment to the Freedom Support Act, which prohibits military assistance to Azerbaijan.

Let us recall that the 907th amendment to the adopted “Freedom Support Act” appeared under pressure from the Armenian lobby in 1992. Likewise, the current anti-Azerbaijani step in the Senate was initiated by pro-Armenian Democratic Senator Jerry Peters. The same one who visited Yerevan in September of this year.

It is noteworthy that anti-Azerbaijani rhetoric in Washington began to gain momentum just after Azerbaijan regained full sovereignty over Karabakh. Thus, in early October, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Ben Cardin called for the suspension of military aid to Azerbaijan and support for democratic reforms in Armenia. By the way, Cardin regarded Baku's actions in Karabakh as "planned ethnic cleansing". Earlier, his predecessor in office, notorious Armenianophile corruptor Robert Menendez, made similar accusations against Azerbaijan.

The hearings on "The Future of Nagorno-Karabakh" held on November 15 in the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the US House of Representatives, at which another Armenianophile Adam Schiff distinguished himself, once again confirmed the existence of notorious double standards in all its glory.

Judge for yourself. On the one hand, the US periodically states that Azerbaijan is a key strategic partner in the Caucasus, emphasizing our country's role in peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. On the other hand, while the United States demonstrates its commitment to the territorial integrity of Ukraine by providing it with military assistance, for some reason it radically changes its position when it comes to Azerbaijan.

Let us cite one of the latest examples confirming this fact. In response to a direct question from a journalist about "whether the US also recognizes Azerbaijan's right to restore its territorial integrity, including in Karabakh?" at a press conference in New York on September 22, 2023, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed only "deep US concern about recent events, especially military actions on the part of Azerbaijan," without saying a word about Karabakh belonging to Azerbaijan. In other words, for the United States, every international law has its loophole.

In turn, Azerbaijan has always acted within the framework of international law, and this is also confirmed by the facts. Azerbaijan patiently followed the diplomatic agenda of the Karabakh problem settlement for almost 30 years and used military force only when it became clear that the problem could not be solved peacefully.

Azerbaijan has fully restored its territorial integrity without any assistance from the UN or the US. Accordingly, Baku has no obligations to Washington. Azerbaijan is a self-sufficient state and, unlike Armenia, does not need handouts from the ocean. Did they suspend "military aid" to us? No problem. Azerbaijan is committed to a peaceful agenda and sees no need for militarization of the region, which Armenia and its Western patrons are so eager to do.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that the US has lost the role of an unbiased mediator in the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations through its actions. In this regard, Baku's decision to refuse the November 20, 2023 meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in Washington is quite justified. This is not a whim of Baku, but a tit-for-tat response to the anti-Azerbaijani policy of the US.