Invasion of Georgia and Ukraine Shows Moscow's Low Respect for Sovereignty, Ned Price says
By Liza Mchedlidze
Monday, October 31, 2022
The press service of the Kremlin reported that the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev and Nikol Pashinyan, will hold a tripartite meeting in Sochi on Monday.
US State Department spokesman Ned Price, in response to a question about whether the US has any plans regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan crisis and what the US expects from the meeting in Sochi, said that Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Georgia shows that Russia is not a reliable and long-term partner.
"When we engage with Armenia and Azerbaijan, we do so with one goal in mind: to put an end to violence and put these countries on the path to a lasting and comprehensive peace.
We urged these countries that they should meet in the format that is most useful to them. We believe that direct dialogue is useful for resolving issues and achieving this lasting peace.
I am not going to comment specifically on the efforts of the Russian Federation, except to say again that these two countries have to decide what approach they will take to these negotiations.
I think the world knows Russia's history when it comes to its neighborhood and its neighbors. Russia's 2008 invasion of Georgia and its brutal incursion into Ukraine demonstrate that Moscow has little respect for the sovereignty of its neighbors and that it is not a reliable, long-term partner.
We think it is very different from the United States. Once again, our only goal is to help these countries end the violence and achieve the lasting and comprehensive peace that the Armenian and Azerbaijani people want," said Ned Price.
