The US on the Direct Dialogue Between the Governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan

The United States welcomes the restoration of direct dialogue between the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan. This was stated by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a meeting of the OSCE Foreign Ministers Council in Stockholm on December 2.

“We urge them (i.e., Armenia and Azerbaijan) to make progress on humanitarian issues, including prisoners, demining, and missing persons, and to investigate alleged violations of human rights and international humanitarian law, holding those responsible accountable. I hope that we can all, including Russia, work together to ensure that progress is sustained,” Blinken said.

Regarding delimitation and demarcation issues, the US Secretary of State noted: “We call on the parties to address important issues such as the delimitation and demarcation of borders, the restoration of economic and transport links, and to continue work under the auspices of the Minsk Group co-chairs for a lasting and peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

The 28th OSCE Ministerial Council taking place in Sweden also includes Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. The press secretary of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Vahan Hunanian, did not rule out a meeting between Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Stockholm.