How Does the U.S. Assess Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry's Threat to Strike the Nuclear Power Plant? Response from the U.S. Embassy

The United States strongly condemns violence along the Armenian-Azerbaijani international border. This position was clearly articulated by Secretary Pompeo on Wednesday. This was reported by the U.S. Embassy in Armenia in response to a question on how the U.S., as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group and a member of the UN Security Council, assesses the fact that Azerbaijan's Ministry of Defense has stated it is ready to strike the Armenian nuclear power plant.

“We call on both parties to immediately cease the use of force and utilize existing communication channels between them to avoid further escalation and to strictly adhere to the ceasefire. We also urge the parties to work with the Minsk Group co-chairs to reinforce the ceasefire and return to substantive negotiations as soon as possible. We call on all parties to refrain from unhelpful rhetoric and actions that increase tensions on the ground,” stated the embassy's response.