James O'Brien: The US Still Lacks a Clear Assessment of Events in Artsakh in September 2023

Until an independent investigation is concluded, Washington does not have a clear assessment regarding whether the events in Artsakh were migration or ethnic cleansing. This was stated by US Deputy Secretary of State James O'Brien in an interview with the Armenian service of Radio Free Europe.

“We have announced that we will conduct an independent investigation into what happened in September 2023 (in Nagorno-Karabakh - ed.). We are currently engaged in that. Responsible international organizations have access to those areas and can provide us with the necessary information,” the official added.

He urged Yerevan and Baku to address the question of whether there is a need to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group.

O'Brien assured that neither side has sought guarantees from the US. “What role we can play or not should be determined by both sides. We do not aspire to be a superpower in the region. We are here to support the legitimate desire of the peoples in the region to conclude a long-term peace agreement. At this stage, the parties are quite good at communicating directly with each other,” he stated.