U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had separate meetings with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Ceyhun Bayramov on May 1 in Washington to discuss issues related to stability and security in the region and the process of regulating relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, including the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan, the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry reported.
Later Blinken, Mirzoyan and Bayramov met in the trilateral format. Peace talks between Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov were scheduled to start on May 1 outside the US capital Washington. Reportedly, the talks are to last four days.
‘The US is pleased to be hosting Foreign Minister Mirzoyan of Armenia and Foreign Minister Bayramov of Azerbaijan to facilitate negotiations this week, as they work together to pursue a peaceful future for the South Caucasus region," said State Department spokesman Vedant Patel.
"The secretary believes that direct dialogue is key to resolving issues and reaching a lasting peace," Patel added.
On the eve of the talks, Blinken held a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and expressed the United States’ deep concern over the checkpoint, Azerbaijan set up at the entrance of the Lachin corridor, saying it undermines efforts to establish confidence in the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace process.
Armenia slammed the establishment of the checkpoint as a gross violation of a 2020 cease-fire. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in his call with Blinken ahead of the Washington talks emphasized the importance of an adequate response by the international community to Azerbaijan’s actions and taking active steps toward the unconditional implementation of the judgment of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The Hague-based ICJ ruled in February that Azerbaijan must “take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles, and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions,” ARKA reports.
