WASHINGTON, Sep 25 (AFP) - The United States said Monday that Russia had shown it is not a reliable partner after Armenia blamed Moscow for failing to prevent Azerbaijani forces' capture of Nagorno-Karabakh.

"I do think that Russia has shown that it is not a security partner that can be relied on," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Sunday criticized Russia, which had sent peacekeepers after fighting in 2020, for failing to intervene last week as Azerbaijan seized the territory from ethnic Armenian separatists.

Russia called his remarks unacceptable and said Armenia was trying to sever ties.

The United States said it supported calls by Armenia at the United Nations for an international mission to verify the treatment of ethnic Armenians by Azerbaijan.

"We do believe there should be an international mission to provide transparency, reassurance and confidence to the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh and the international community that their rights and security will be protected consistent with the public statements that Azerbaijan has made," Miller said.

Azerbaijan has said it will respect the rights of all citizens regardless of ethnicity, denying Armenia's claims that it plans to carry out ethnic cleansing.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lauded Baku's "historic success" at a meeting with Azerbaijan's leader Ilham Aliyev in the country's western exclave of Nakhichevan.

Asked about Erdogan's visit, Miller said: "We continue to hope that all of our allies and partners can play a constructive role in reaching a lasting agreement and that, of course, would include Turkey."

Photo from TASS