US Involvement in the Region Has a Positive Impact, Says National Security Secretary

The Secretary of Armenia's National Security Council, Armen Grigoryan, is in Washington, where he has also met with the Azerbaijani side through US mediation. In an interview with 'Voice of America,' Grigoryan discussed the meeting and other relevant topics. The conversation took place before the recent border clashes on September 28.

Jake Sullivan, the US National Security Advisor, announced on Twitter that he hosted Hikmet Hajiyev and Armen Grigoryan for direct and constructive negotiations, referring to the discussions at the White House on September 27 between Grigoryan and the Azerbaijani president's assistant Hajiyev. He reported that the meeting addressed issues related to avoiding further violence and conducting timely and focused negotiations. 'We also identified specific steps to move forward to support the establishment of sustainable peace,' Sullivan stated.

In an interview with the Armenian service of 'Voice of America,' Secretary Grigoryan described the meeting as 'effective.' 'We discussed the agenda for resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, as well as themes related to establishing peace in the region. These relate to unblocking, delimitation, border security, and other issues that bring stability and peace to the region,' Grigoryan said.

Meanwhile, Hikmet Hajiyev, the assistant to the Azerbaijani president, also commented on the meeting, expressing gratitude to the American side for facilitating it. In his post, Hajiyev noted, 'We highly appreciate Jake Sullivan’s efforts to arrange the meeting between the delegations of Azerbaijan and Armenia at the White House to discuss and advance the agenda of sustainable peace and stability in our region.'

Armen Grigoryan emphasized that Armenia and Azerbaijan are currently discussing four interconnected agendas: humanitarian, unblocking, delimitation and demarcation, and issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. 'In these areas, we have sought clarity on how we are moving forward, and all of this is linked to a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The specificity has been about how we are progressing on these topics.'

Grigoryan reminded that apart from their meeting format, Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations are also underway through other channels, including foreign ministers, deputy prime ministers, and heads of national security services. In addition to this, according to Grigoryan, there are also meetings between the heads of state which are connected to progress recorded in other formats.

He pointed out two main factors that made it possible to cease hostilities during the recent military confrontations on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. According to him, these are the responses of the Armenian army and the involvement of the American side. 'The personal involvement of Secretary Blinken, who has had several calls with the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan, as well as the intensive involvement of the US at other levels, has sought to halt the escalation. In this regard, these two factors have played a crucial role—namely, the response of the Armenian army and the involvement of the American side,' Grigoryan said.

Armen Grigoryan stressed that US involvement in the region has a positive effect and brings additional security guarantees.