Top Azerbaijani, Armenian diplomats meet in US, discuss peace treaty

ISTANBUL (AA) – The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers met in the US capital Washington DC under the auspices of their US counterpart on a possible peace treaty.

“The ministers shared views on the elements of a possible peace treaty and acknowledged that there are a range of issues that still need to be addressed. Both sides reiterated the commitments undertaken by the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia in their meetings on October 6 in Prague, and October 31 in Sochi,” read a statement by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan “agreed to expedite their negotiations and to organize another meeting in coming weeks.”

The statement added that the ministers also had a joint meeting with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

Meanwhile, Blinken expressed his support for “the independence and territorial integrity” of both countries.

“The United States is committed to the peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Direct dialogue is the best way to a truly durable peace, and we are very pleased to support that,” a statement by the Department of State noted.

“As a friend to both Armenia and Azerbaijan, the United States is committed to doing everything that we can to support you in this effort; to walk the path to a durable peace with you, to help in any way that we can,” it added.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

In fall 2020, in 44 days of clashes, Baku liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation, ending in a Moscow-brokered truce. The peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.