US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted the overseas ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in New York on Monday within the first direct talks between the 2 facets since fatal border clashes previous this month.
Blinken’s trilateral assembly with Armenian International Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani International Minister Jeyhun Bayramov got here at the sidelines of the United Countries Common Meeting.
What was once mentioned on the assembly?
“Blinken conveyed condolences for the lives misplaced and emphasised the want to save you additional hostilities, underscoring the significance of returning to the peace procedure,” State Division spokesperson Ned Worth mentioned in a remark.
“They mentioned subsequent steps, and the secretary inspired the perimeters to fulfill once more prior to the top of the month,” Worth added.
In Monday’s assembly, Armenian International Minister Mirzoyan referred to as for Azerbaijani defense force to withdraw from Armenian territory and for “global mechanisms” to be offered “to stop additional escalations,” a remark from the Armenian International Ministry mentioned.
In the meantime, Azerbaijan’s Bayramov mentioned prior to the assembly that his nation is “happy with the extent of family members” with the United States and added that his direct discussion with Mirzoyan was once now not peculiar.
“We’re at all times open for conferences,” he mentioned.
What’s the struggle about?
For many years, Armenia and Azerbaijan had been locked in pressure over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2020, a six-week struggle left 1000’s useless and noticed Azerbaijan make important territorial positive factors.
Intense artillery shelling broke out previous this month, killing greater than 170 amongst troops on each side and rekindling tensions. Every nation blamed the opposite for the preliminary provocation. Final week, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on a ceasefire.
Preventing between the 2 former Soviet states additionally threatens to drag Turkey, a key supporter of Azerbaijan, and Russia — Armenia’s safety guarantor — right into a broader struggle at a time when geopolitical tensions are already prime.
Forward of the talks, Blinken had mentioned that Washington was once “inspired through the truth that the preventing has ceased and there have now not been any further army movements over the previous few days.”
On Sunday, US Speaker of the Space Nancy Pelosi visited Armenia and decried “unlawful and fatal assaults through Azerbaijan on Armenian territory.”