Yuri Kim Discusses Armenia-U.S. and Armenia-Azerbaijan Relations

The U.S. Ambassador and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Yuri Kim, spoke about Armenia-U.S. and Armenia-Azerbaijan relations during a discussion titled "The Role of the U.S. in Establishing a New Order in the South Caucasus."

The discussion featured notable participants including Yuri Kim, former U.S. Ambassador to Armenia and Ukraine and Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Marie Yovanovitch, and Dan Baer, Director of Carnegie's European Program and former U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Kim stated, "Armenia is looking for alternatives. This does not mean that its relations with Russia are deteriorating. We want to provide as much support as possible to Armenia’s efforts to diversify its relationships, bolster its security, achieve economic prosperity, and sign a peace agreement with its adversary."

While Washington aims to establish ties between Baku and Yerevan to facilitate a peace agreement, it is also considering “other options,” Kim mentioned, referring to USAID assistance to Armenia. "In the current fiscal year, that is around $77 million, which is nearly double what it was just two years ago. These funds will be directed towards Armenia’s stability on issues such as climate and food security and removing Armenia from isolation," added Kim.