US Sees Setback on Nagorno-Karabakh Issue, Ned Price

The United States has identified a setback regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh issue and wishes to see the restoration of constructive dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan. This was stated by Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State.

“We are prepared to do what ultimately is most helpful. And at the end of last year, there were several meetings organized by the Secretary among his counterparts — trilateral meetings between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which were attended by Secretary Blinken. We did this at Blair House. We did this in New York. Of course, recently we have seen a setback in terms of Nagorno-Karabakh. We expect that constructive dialogue will be restored. We are ready for bilateral cooperation. We are prepared to work with our partners and through them, through the OSCE or, when and if appropriate, in a trilateral format, as we have done in the past,” Price said.

According to the diplomat, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to have a phone conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in the coming days. “The Secretary had the opportunity to speak with the leader of Armenia. I expect that he will have the opportunity to speak with President Aliyev in the coming days,” he stated.

Ned Price also emphasized that despite the resignation of Philip Reeker, the senior advisor for Caucasus negotiations, there are many people involved in this process within the department, one of whom is Secretary Blinken. “This is a personal priority for him,” the spokesperson noted.

Regarding the question of who will be at the negotiation table from the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides — country leaders or ministers, Price responded that this is a matter for the parties to decide.

On January 19, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the dire humanitarian situation in Artsakh caused by Azerbaijan's blockade of the Lachin Corridor. The U.S. Secretary also reaffirmed America’s commitment to supporting efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace.