Washington Takes Ethnic Cleansing and Genocide Allegations Seriously, Says US State Department Spokesperson

In response to questions regarding the displacement of Armenians from Artsakh and the UN mission dispatched to the region, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller stated that Washington takes allegations of ethnic cleansing, genocide, or other atrocities seriously, reports Voice of America.

“We are in contact with our people on the ground to understand what the situation is. We will not hesitate to take appropriate measures to respond to allegations of atrocities and hold accountable those responsible when we see evidence that such things have occurred. As always, determinations regarding genocide or ethnic cleansing are based on processes that contain evidence, so I cannot speak definitively about that from this podium,” said the State Department representative.

Matthew Miller welcomed the dispatch of the UN observer mission to Artsakh, noting that the US continues to work with its allies and partners on the issue of a long-term mission.

The State Department spokesperson emphasized that there is an opportunity to achieve peace. “There are other issues outside the status of Nagorno-Karabakh that are contentious between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and we would encourage them to return to the negotiating table to discuss and ultimately resolve those issues,” concluded Matthew Miller.