I Am Pressing Azerbaijan to Reopen the Lachin Corridor: U.S. Secretary of State

After his speech at the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Secretary of State Blinken answered questions from Congress members regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process. “Let me step back for a moment, because I think this is a very important moment, and the conversation around it needs to continue. I am actively trying to understand how we can help Armenia and Azerbaijan reach a peace agreement that would regulate their relations, as well as address the rights of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and the protections afforded to them, border delimitation, and other issues. I think there is an opportunity; I don’t want to overstate it, but there is a chance to actually bring the preparation of the peace agreement to fruition,” Blinken said.

He noted that during the Munich Security Conference he met with Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Aliyev. “Then the two foreign ministers came to Washington. I expect they will come again,” Blinken stated. He emphasized that they have been working on framing the agreement: “Here we are not imposing anything on Armenia, but simply responding to Armenia's expressed strong desire to see if we can help reach an agreement that, at least in many respects, would put an end to a conflict that has lasted more than 30 years. It is difficult; there are issues. At the same time, you rightly point to the real issues in the Lachin corridor, so that there can be movement of people, private citizens, commercial transport to deliver what is needed to the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh. I am putting pressure on Azerbaijan, including this week, to reopen this corridor. We are working on this issue. Without exaggeration, I believe that there is now a favorable moment that fundamentally serves the interests of the people of Armenia as well as those of Azerbaijan.”