Azerbaijan installed a concrete barrier on the Lachin Corridor on June 22

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone conversation with Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday.

According a readout from the prime minister’s press office, the two discussed “the situation in the region, the ongoing negotiations on the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the necessary steps to ensure the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, including the need for a Baku-Stepanakert dialogue with international involvement.”

Pashinyan reportedly also addressed the deepening humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh caused by Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and the steps necessary for ending that crisis.

The call comes days after President Biden’s National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, met with his Armenian counterpart Armen Grigoryan in Washington last week.

Meanwhile, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a briefing that U.S. is looking forward to the next round of talks between Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders, which are scheduled to take place on July 21. He added that the continuing talks will be a sign that the most recent meeting in Washington between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers were successful.

“We continue to believe an agreement is possible and we look forward to further talks in the coming months,” Miller said.