Pelosi denounces «illegal assault» against the country by Azerbaijan from Armenia

© Provided by News 360 Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi - Michael Kappeler/dpa

The Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, has denounced this Sunday from Armenia the "illegal assault" against the country by the Azerbaijani Army after the fighting in recent days on the border, which has resulted in nearly 200 dead.

"Our meeting was of particular importance for us because of the focus on security after the illegal and deadly attacks by Azerbaijan on Armenian territory," he said during a press conference with the speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Alen Shimonian.

"We strongly condemn these attacks, we as a delegation representing the Congress, since they threaten the expectations of a much-needed peace agreement," he said, before stressing that "there can be no military solution to the conflict."

In this regard, Pelosi said that the United States "continues to closely monitor the situation" and reiterated Washington's support "for a negotiated, comprehensive and sustainable solution" to "all issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict".

Pelosi, who has become the first Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives to visit Armenia, stressed that "Armenia's territorial security and sovereignty is important to the United States," as reported by the U.S. news agency Bloomberg. "We should use our influence and weight to support it," she has argued.

For his part, Simonian stressed that during the meeting with Pelosi they discussed "regional issues and a wide range of bilateral cooperation." "Pelosi's visit to Armenia in this very difficult period is important for us," he said, as reported by the Armenian news agency Armenpress.

"During the region we discussed the military aggression launched on September 13 by Azerbaijan against the sovereign territory of Armenia," he unveiled, while adding that he denounced to Pelosi that "the Azeri Armed Forces have brutally shelled not only border positions, but also numerous settlements and civilian infrastructure in Armenia, which has caused numerous human losses."

"It is clear that Azerbaijan's military and political leadership is taking advantage of the fact that the international community's attention is focused on Ukraine," he criticized, while applauding the U.S. mediation to achieve "a fragile ceasefire agreement" between the two countries.

Armenia and Azerbaijan had a confrontation in 2020 to take control of Nagorno Karabakh, a territory with a majority Armenian population that has been the focus of conflict since it decided to separate in 1988 from the region of Azerbaijan integrated into the Soviet Union.

Hostilities between the two countries lasted six weeks and left thousands dead. They finally ceased when the two countries reached a Russian-brokered cease-fire agreement allowing Russian peacekeepers to settle in Nagorno-Karabakh for a period of five years.