The Armenia-Azerbaijan border
The United States warned late Wednesday that there would be “serious consequences” in the event that Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity were violated.
The statement came after the Lemkin Institution for Genocide Prevention issued a “Red Flag Alert” for an impending attack by Azerbaijan on Armenia on Wednesday.
“Any violation of Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity would lead to serious consequences,” the State Department said in response to an inquiry from Voice of America about the Lemkin Institute alert.
“The United States resolutely supports Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We’ve stressed that any violation of this sovereignty and territorial integrity would lead to serious consequences. We regularly stress our expectations, such as the call against the use of force, and we continuously follow the situation. Armenia is a close partner and friend to the United States, and we expect to work with the Armenian authorities to strengthen Armenia’s political and economic security,” the State Department added.
Last month, Politico reported that Secretary of State Antony Blinken had issued a similar warning during a telephone call with several Democratic Congressional leaders.
The State Department later downplayed the report, saying that such a warning was not issued by Blinken.