US hosts talks with Armenia, Azerbaijan

International

-DW News

Washington,
Sep
20:
US
Secretary
of
State
Anthony
Blinken
hosted
the
foreign
ministers
of
Armenia
and
Azerbaijan
in
New
York
on
Monday,
in
the
first
direct
talks
between
the
two
sides
since
deadly
border
clashes
earlier
this
month.

Blinken’s
trilateral
meeting
with
Armenian
Foreign
Minister
Ararat
Mirzoyan
and
Azerbaijani
Foreign
Minister
Jeyhun
Bayramov
came
on
the
sidelines
of
the
United
Nations
General
Assembly.

What
was
discussed
at
the
meeting?

“Blinken
conveyed
condolences
for
the
lives
lost
and
emphasized
the
need
to
prevent
further
hostilities,
underscoring
the
importance
of
returning
to
the
peace
process,”
State
Department
spokesperson
Ned
Price
said
in
a
statement.

Armenia
announces
cease-fire
with
Azerbaijan

“They
discussed
next
steps,
and
the
secretary
encouraged
the
sides
to
meet
again
before
the
end
of
the
month,”
Price
added.

In
Monday’s
meeting,
Armenian
Foreign
Minister
Mirzoyan
called
for
Azerbaijani
armed
forces
to
withdraw
from
Armenian
territory
and
for
“international
mechanisms”
to
be
introduced
“to
prevent
further
escalations,”
a
statement
from
the
Armenian
Foreign
Ministry
said.

Meanwhile,
Azerbaijan’s
Bayramov
said
before
the
meeting
that
his
country
is
“satisfied
with
the
level
of
relations” with
the
US
and
added
that
his
direct
dialogue
with
Mirzoyan
was
not
unusual.

“We
are
always
open
for
meetings,”
he
said.

What
is
the
conflict
about?

For
decades,
Armenia
and
Azerbaijan
have
been
locked
in
tension
over
the
disputed
territory
of
Nagorno-Karabakh.
In
2020,
a
six
week
war
left
thousands
dead
and
saw
Azerbaijan
make
significant
territorial
gains.

Intense
artillery
shelling
broke
out
earlier
this
month,
killing
over
170
troops
on
both
sides
and
rekindling
tension.
Both
countries
blamed
the
other
for
the
initial
provocation.
Last
week,
Armenia
and
Azerbaijan
agreed
on
a
ceasefire.

Fighting
between
the
two
former
Soviet
states
also
threatens
to
pull
Turkey
—
Azerbaijan’s
key
supporter
—
and
Russia
—
Armenia’s
security
guarantor—
into
a
broader
conflict
at
a
time
when
geopolitical
tensions
are
already
high.

Almost
100
killed
in
Armenia,
Azerbaijan
clashes

Ahead
of
the
talks,
Blinken
had
said
that
Washington
was
“encouraged
by
the
fact
that
the
fighting
has
ceased
and
there
have
not
been
any
additional
military
actions
over
the
last
few
days.”

On
Sunday,
US
Speaker
of
the
House
Nancy
Pelosi
visited
Armenia
and
decried
“illegal
and
deadly
attacks
by
Azerbaijan
on
Armenian
territory,”

Source: DW