The governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed to «accelerate negotiations» to try to reach a peace agreement following their recent clashes and have agreed to organize another meeting «in the coming weeks,» following a meeting in Washington with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The Armenian and Azeri foreign ministries have issued a joint statement in which they stressed that the heads of their respective portfolios, Ararat Mirzoian and Jeyhun Bayramov, respectively, have thanked the United States «for hosting the peace talks».
«The ministers shared their views on the elements of a possible peace treaty and acknowledged that there is a range of issues that still need to be addressed,» they said, before stressing that «both sides reiterated the commitments made by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at their October 6 meetings in Prague and October 31 in Sochi.»
Before hosting the meeting, Blinken had pointed to «very productive» discussions since the UN General Assembly and has shown Washington’s «commitment» to this process. «Direct dialogue is the best way to achieve a truly lasting peace, and we are very pleased to support this,» he said.
«The United States strongly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the restoration of independence in 1991 was a vital moment in securing the rights of both countries, rights that we strongly support,» he explained.
He also acknowledged that «The more than 30 years of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh have taken a tremendous human and material toll» and acknowledged that «the scars are deep». «What we are seeing now are real and courageous steps by both countries to leave the past behind and work towards a lasting peace,» he argued.
«Both countries are working to that end and to achieve a brighter future for the South Caucasus, a future of peace, of countries at peace, of countries working together for a better future,» said Blinken, who reiterated that the United States «is committed to doing everything possible to support these efforts.»
Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a ceasefire on September 15 and in early October agreed to commit to the UN Charter and the 1991 Alma Ata Declaration, through which both countries recognize each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Following this, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian stressed before Parliament that he expects the peace treaty with Azerbaijan to be signed before the end of the year.
The two countries have been involved in several clashes in recent years over the 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 Soviet Union-integrated region of Azerbaijan.
