Armenia's Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian on Monday held a phone call with Philip Reeker, the US Acting Assistant Secretary of European and Eurasian Affairs.

The interlocutors exchanged views on issues of bilateral agenda, emphasizing the role of the Armenia-US Strategic Dialogue in advancing and deepening the cooperation agenda. During the conversation, Ara Aivazian and Philip Reeker reiterated their mutual readiness to continue the practical efforts towards the further strengthening of the Armenian-American relations, including through regular contacts and consultations at different levels, expansion of multifaceted cooperation, the Foreign Ministry of Armenia said in a press release. 

During the phone call, the top officials discussed in detail issues of regional security and stability.  In the context of the steps being undertaken to address consequences of the Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh, Aivazian drew his interlocutor's attention to the inadmissibility of Azerbaijan’s efforts to create impediments in addressing humanitarian issues, in particular the repatriation of prisoners of war and captured citizens of Armenia.

The sides stressed the need to address the core issues of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship, as clearly indicated in the December 3 statement of the high representatives of the co-chair countries. FM Aivazian emphasized the importance of multiplying the efforts in fighting against xenophobia to ensure lasting peace and security in the region, including through excluding the recurrence of massive human rights violations.