YEREVAN, June 20 (Sputnik) – Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan discussed international and regional issues with US Under Secretary of State David Hale, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Mnatsanakyan is on a trip to Washington where he will meet with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov on Thursday to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

"In Washington, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met with US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale. The parties discussed a number of topical international and regional issues," the statement says.

The minister confirmed consistent cooperation of Armenia with world and regional partners aimed at strengthening the country's security agenda.

Mnatsakanyan also explained Armenia's position on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue at Hale's request.

The conflict in Armenian-dominated Nagorno-Karabakh started in 1988 with the autonomous region announcing its secession from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1991, the Armenia-backed region proclaimed independence from Azerbaijan and the creation of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. This move triggered a military conflict, which led to Baku losing control over the region.

The situation in the region is monitored by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group chaired by Russia, the United States and France, within the framework of which negotiations on peace settlement has been conducted since 1992.