U.S. State Department Confirms Meeting of Diplomats from U.S., EU, and Russia in Istanbul

The U.S. State Department has confirmed, in response to a query from the Armenian service of Voice of America, the information published in the media that days before Azerbaijan's attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, high-ranking diplomats from the U.S., EU, and Russia met in Turkey.

In its response, the State Department stated: "The meeting held in Istanbul on September 17 was aimed at addressing the urgent humanitarian needs in Nagorno-Karabakh. The United States remains deeply engaged in the situation and is committed to assisting the parties in achieving lasting peace in the South Caucasus."

It is noteworthy that the day before, the newspaper Politico reported that just a few days before Azerbaijan launched military aggression along the entire border of Artsakh on September 19, senior officials from the U.S., EU, and Russia held secret emergency negotiations in Turkey.

A senior diplomat, well-informed about the negotiations, told Politico that the meeting took place on September 17 in Istanbul and was part of efforts to exert pressure on Azerbaijan to end the months-long blockade of Artsakh.

The U.S. was represented by Senior Advisor Louis Bono regarding Caucasian negotiations, while the EU was represented by Toivo Klaar, the union’s representative for South Caucasus. From Russia, the special envoy for Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement, Igor Khovaev, attended the meeting.

Additionally, yesterday, Russian President's press secretary Dmitry Peskov also confirmed the news, but noted that there are certain inaccuracies related to the information.