‘It’s Time For Way Forward, Not About Arguments’: Top U.S. Officials On Today’s Brussels Summit

 

The top Biden administration officials in charge of Europe and Eurasia on Friday briefed reporters following a meeting between European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, TURAN’s Washington correspondent reports.

“The purpose of the meeting was to help focus on Armenia’s economic diversification, its political reforms, and on humanitarian assistance,” James O’Brien, assistant Secretary of State said during a virtual briefing organized by the State Department’s Brussels Media Hub.

Washington ‘strongly supports’ Armenia’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, he emphasized. “We also noted our admiration for the democratic transformation in Armenia since the 2018 Velvet Revolution. We’ve seen substantial reforms and efforts to build a global economy and a political system that will reflect the democratic aspirations of the people of Armenia. So our goal is to continue that.”

O’Brien went on to add, “We also know that this meeting is happening in a context where there are ongoing efforts to reach a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This meeting was about reforms in Armenia, but we certainly encouraged Armenia to continue the path toward peace and try to achieve a final agreement with Azerbaijan. This is the best path for the region to have security over the long term and the development of prosperity, particularly new trading routes that could run from the Mediterranean into Central Asia. So we welcome all of those steps.”

In broad terms, he said, in the past fiscal year, Armenia has received $65 million in assistance from the U.S. There’s specific money that has gone into a variety of programs, both humanitarian and economic reform, and assistance as Armenia reforms its administrative structures and develops a strong future.

As for today’s summit itself, the Assistant Secretary said that it was important to all of the attendees – President von der Leyen, High Representative Burrell, Prime Minister Pashinyan, Secretary Blinken, and Administrator Samantha Power from USAID — that they meet together in person. This allowed for a very open exchange of views about the issues facing Armenia and the role that greater cooperation and support from the United States and the European Union can provide in delivering that assistance.

“There are many examples of this assistance… They are thematically grouped around, again, the diversification of the Armenian economy, political reforms within Armenia, and humanitarian assistance.”

According to O’Brien, Armenia has undertaken a huge responsibility of assisting with a number of new entrants between those who came after the war of Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the 100,000 who moved last fall from Nagorno-Karabakh.  “And we understand that in a country the size of Armenia, this requires support from friends to help with those people’s integration, the peaceful right of return, if that’s what they so choose, but also for Armenia to be able to provide the kind of life that people deserve and want in a democratic, prosperous society. With that, I’m going to pause, and Erin, I’ll suggest maybe you can provide some detail on that.”

When asked about Russia’s efforts to potentially disrupt Western activities in Armenia, O’Brien said, “we see Russia playing a historic role, a legacy role in Armenia and across the South Caucasus. We hope it can be supportive of the people of Armenia as they choose a path of democracy, reform and economic prosperity.”

He went on to add, “We know that this will be an ongoing conversation between the authorities in Yerevan and the authorities in Moscow, but that it’s one where it’s very clear what the people of Armenia have chosen. And we feel it’s important to support and be respectful of their decision. Across the region, we see Russian-backed disinformation efforts and this kind of media information manipulation is to be expected. I think you’ve seen it with regard to this conference where there have been allegations about what the conference is or isn’t. It’s very clearly a way of supporting the political path that people of Armenia have chosen and doing it in a way that encourages a kind of regional and peaceful economic integration that we support and that the government of Armenia would like, but also that the government of Azerbaijan has said that it will pursue.”

Asked about Ilham Aliyev’s latest comments regarding the Brussels meeting “isolating Azerbaijan”, O’Brien said he hadn’t seen those comments. “What I would say is that both Secretary Blinken and President von der Leyen spoke with President Aliyev over the past two days. The conversations were very good and constructive and our note was that we were pursuing exactly the course we have described today. The President understood that. He has views and preferences about how we might do it, but also has said that the relationship of each country with Europe and with the United States is a matter for each country. And so we’ll take that spirit and we will continue to work in support of efforts by Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach a just and durable peace. That is the best path for the region and it’s what we would like to see happen.”

Why has Washington’s messaging in the run up to today’s event not been convincing enough for Azerbaijani officials? Answering TURAN’s questions, O’Brien said: “I never felt it was our business to convince Azerbaijan about the conference. We have been very clear about what we intended to do. We have done exactly as we said, and I think that doing what one promises is how trust gets built. So that is, I see, the way forward, not about a set of arguments or discussions. But we are very open in discussing our plans with the governments of the region so that there are no surprises. And we feel very good about that process in this case. We’ll always endeavor to do that better if we need to. But I think you’d have to ask people in Azerbaijan why they do what they do. Our position is simply that we’re supporting the choices that Armenia’s people have made, and we’ll continue to do that in a way that promotes the peace and security and prosperity of the region as a whole. So we’ve been very clear, and we’ll stay with our own statements.”

TURAN also asked O’Brien whether the U.S. saw Armenia’s future in the European Union. “… It is clear that the people of Armenia are choosing a path of prosperity and integration into global markets that requires a set of reforms and support so that Armenia’s businesses are able to take advantage of these opportunities,” the assistant secretary said, adding that along with the U.S. assistance, the EU has also announced a program of intensifying business cooperation and investment as well. “All of those things go to how the country positions itself as it goes forward.”
 

As for the U.S. efforts, USAID’s Assistant Administrator Erin McKee said that following the events last fall in Nagorno-Karabakh, USAID plans to provide nearly $8.5 million in psychosocial support and address housing and shelter needs for displaced persons and refugees. With this funding, USAID will partner with national and local governments as well as nongovernmental organizations to concretely demonstrate to the people of Armenia that their democracy is delivering. “And USAID will ensure that those in need have access to state-sponsored services by helping the government of Armenia communicate these opportunities.” 

She went on to add, “We are also focused on building Armenia’s energy security and independence. Our new $8.6 million program will improve Armenia’s ability to access and integrate increased renewable energy. Further, contingency planning will provide Armenia a coordinated response in the event of supply disruptions while improving energy efficiency. This funding will also strengthen Armenia’s ability to better manage critical cybersecurity vulnerabilities to the country’s energy infrastructure.” 

USAID will also help stabilize food security for Armenia by supporting efforts to increase the grain production and storage capacity of Armenian farmers. The upcoming $6 million food security program will increase agricultural productivity of staple crops in a climate-smart and efficient manner. This will be done through modernizing Armenia’s food system, and we can increase domestic production and reduce dependence on imports. 

The U.S. will also continue to support needed reform and enhanced government capacity. “This work, which is grounded in digital democracy, will modernize and expand Armenia’s approach to public administration, trade diversification, and economic integration. But most importantly, we are focused on supporting the people of Armenia with human dignity as a top priority. We have expanded our efforts through the newly announced $2.5 million program to address crimes involving violence or threats of violence targeting LGBTQI persons, discrimination, labor rights violations, and gender-based violence. USAID will also help capture and preserve any evidence of atrocities and recent conflicts so that those responsible are held accountable for their actions.“

She concluded: “Hopefully, what you all heard today is our efforts to support Armenia’s choice and their hope to preserve and protect those choices, whether it’s economic diversification, energy security, or opportunity for livelihoods, peace and stability for all of its citizens. And so that is both our intention and what we are ramping up to expand and deliver in a meaningful way at the request of the Armenian people and its government”