The statements made by US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, who said that Karabakh cannot be given to Azerbaijan, aroused discontent of the Azeri society, Caucasian knot reports. In this view, the Azeri Foreign Ministry issued a formal release, which says, in part, "It is strange to hear such words from a representative of the US State Department, which has many times confirmed its support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and never recognized Nagorno Karabakh as an independent state". On this account the Azeri Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested the US officials to render explanation of the statements made by the US Ambassador to Armenia. Azerbaijan's Ambassador to the US Hafiz Pashayev also discussed the issue with US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Laura Kennedy. According to Pashayev "the US officials with regret heard Mr. Evans's statements" and he was assured that "the US supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and does not recognize Nagorno Karabakh".