US Urges Israel to Avoid Tensions in Jerusalem Amid Concerns for Armenians; Affirms Commitment to Diplomatic Initiatives in Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Process
The United States submitted a request to Israel concerning the Armenians living in Jerusalem.
“No specific response to that. But we have said on a number of occasions, we do not want to see the Government of Israel take any steps that would escalate tensions,” Matthew Miller, the spokesperson of the US Department of State, said during the press briefing.
Previously, prominent figures in the Armenian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem voiced serious concern that the Israeli government was leveraging the conflict in Gaza to displace many Armenian Christians from the Armenian Quarter. This issue is connected to the vicinity around the “Cows’ Garden” area of the Armenian Quarter.
During another Department press briefing on January 4, Matthew Miller stated that Russia does not “impede our crucial diplomatic endeavors for Armenia and Azerbaijan”. He affirmed that the United States would persist in pursuing these diplomatic initiatives despite questions about Russia hindering progress in the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process.
In response to the inquiry about the next meeting between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the United States, Matthew Miller stated, “We’ll have an announcement to make when we have a meeting scheduled.”