The United States is preparing a comprehensive and transparent report on what happened in Nagorno-Karabakh ahead of Azerbaijan’s offensive in September, a U.S. State Department official told a congressional hearing on November 15.
James O’Brien, assistant secretary at the department’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, said the investigation is focused not only on what happened in Nagorno-Karabakh on the day of the offensive but also during the months preceding it.
“We have commissioned independent investigators. We have our own investigators working in the field. There is information available from international nongovernmental organizations and other investigators, O’Brien told the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Europe.
“And as we develop the record of what happened, we will be completely open about what we are finding. I can’t put a timeline on this investigation, but we will inform you as we go forward,” he said.
The hearing follows the exodus of nearly all ethnic Armenians from their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh following Azerbaijan's lightning military operation in September. The offensive ended three decades of rule by ethnic Armenians in the region, which is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.
SEE ALSO: After Winning Back Nagorno-Karabakh, What Will Aliyev Do Next?O’Brien said the State Department is also working on support for Armenia, the refugees' destination, adding that he has been impressed by the Armenian government’s commitment to reforms and diversifying existing economic, political, energy, and security relationships, particularly those in the trans-Atlantic region.
“I think we owe it to the people of Armenia to help them through this difficult situation so that those choices they have made very bravely [help them] have a more secure, stable, and prosperous future,” the U.S. diplomat added.
O’Brien told the committee that Washington insists that Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians have complete access to the territory and that they receive adequate information “so that they can make real choice about their future.”
U.S. and EU officials have urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to return to the negotiating table and seek a political solution to their conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. The leaders of both countries have said they are ready to begin talks.
Members of the committee also discussed Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, emphasizing that the countries hindering the process, including Russia, should be kept away from the negotiations.
Reflecting on events in September, Representative Bill Keating (Democrat-Massachusetts) said that despite months of diplomatic talks earlier this year that had led to “significant progress,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev “decided to break with the internationally accepted and lawful diplomatic path, instead opting for the use of military force in Nagorno-Karabakh.”
Keating said he supports U.S. humanitarian and economic assistance to displaced people in Armenia and ensuring "accountability for any potential crimes committed against those fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh or those who are choosing to remain there.”