"We Are Not Imposing This on Armenia". Blinken on the Peace Treaty

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken believes that Azerbaijan and Armenia may soon reach peace agreements. He made this statement on March 22 during remarks at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing.

"I think there is a favorable opportunity; I don't want to overstate it, but there is a favorable opportunity that allows us to actually get to the point of finalizing the peace agreement," Blinken said, commenting on Washington's efforts to facilitate the resolution between Baku and Yerevan.

"I met in Munich (earlier this year) with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev at a security conference. The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were recently in Washington. I expect them to come back. We have been working on the text," Blinken stated.

According to the head of U.S. diplomacy, he is actively engaged in the resolution of issues between Azerbaijan and Armenia, supporting the aim that the parties "reach a peace agreement that will address the relations between Baku and Yerevan," as well as relate to the "rights and protections of ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh," border delimitation, and other matters.

Blinken offered U.S. assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan in discussions around peace. "We are not imposing this on Armenia. We are responding to the strong desire expressed by Armenia to see if we can help reach an agreement that would at least in many ways end a conflict that has lasted for more than 30 years," Blinken noted.

He also mentioned the "real issues with the Lachin corridor." "I am putting pressure on Azerbaijan, including this week, to reopen that corridor. We are working on that," the Secretary stated.

He added that there are now favorable circumstances that "will deeply align with the interests of both Armenia and Azerbaijan." It is noteworthy that in 2021, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev announced his willingness to sign a peace treaty with Armenia. In March 2022, Baku presented a five-point proposal to Yerevan regarding the normalization of relations. The Armenian side has made amendments and sent back its version. Since then, there have been several rounds of negotiations between the parties at various levels.