After welcoming Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov at the George P. Schultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center in the U.S. capital on May 1, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reiterated on Twitter that dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan is “key to reaching a lasting peace in the South Caucasus region.”
Vedant Patel, principal deputy spokesperson at the Department of State, expounded on Washington’s vision for prospects of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“We believe that peace is possible between these two countries, and we are glad to be welcoming them,” Patel said during a press briefing on May 1 when asked about the Mirzoyan-Bayramov talks.
“We think that direct dialogue through diplomacy is key here… This is something that the Secretary has been deeply engaged on; he’s had the opportunity to convene trilateral meetings as well as speak to the foreign ministers and leaders of these two countries. And we will continue to be engaged on this issue,” he added.
Patel would not be drawn into speculation about how long the Washington-hosted peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan would last.
Earlier, a senior Department of State official privy to the negotiations told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that bilateral talks between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan would be held over the course of “a few days.”
The official, who did not wish to be named, said: “We expect discussions throughout the week. Our goal is to make sure that the ministers are able to sit down and talk to each other.”
Department of State officials also confirmed that the situation around the Lachin Corridor, the only road linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia that Azerbaijan effectively closed on April 23 by setting up a checkpoint, was one of the topics raised at the Washington meetings.
“We have not parsed our words about the need for the free flow of traffic and people and commerce through the Lachin corridor. That continues to be the case and it’s something that we will continue to raise directly with our Armenian counterparts,” Patel said.