RFE/RL Armenian Report – 08/06/2022

                                        Saturday, August 6, 2022


Blinken Again Talks To Armenian, Azeri Leaders


USA - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Kosovo President Vjosa 
Osman and Prime Minister Albin Kurti at the State Department in Washington, July 
26, 2022


U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for continued dialogue between 
Armenia and Azerbaijan late on Friday when he phoned the leaders of the two 
states to discuss the latest upsurge in violence in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“I urged continued restraint and direct dialogue with Azerbaijan to resolve 
these issues,” Blinken tweeted after his phone call with Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian.

In a separate tweet, he said he assured Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that 
the United States is ready to facilitate such dialogue.

According to the U.S. State Department spokesman, Ned Price, Blinken also 
“called for de-escalation” during his conversation with Aliyev. He told 
Pashinian that Washington is “watching the situation in and around 
Nagorno-Karabakh closely,” said Price.

Pashinian was cited by his office as accusing Azerbaijan of “deviating” from key 
terms of the Russian-brokered ceasefire that stopped the 2020 war in Karabakh.

“Secretary of State Blinken expressed concern about the tension and willingness 
to assist in stabilizing the situation,” added the office.

The State Department urged “immediate steps to reduce tensions and avoid further 
escalation” on Wednesday hours after two Karabakh Armenian soldiers were killed 
and 19 others wounded in fighting with Azerbaijani forces.

“The recent increase in tensions underscores the need for a negotiated, 
comprehensive, and sustainable settlement of all remaining issues related to or 
resulting from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” said Price.

Blinken already held phone calls with Pashinian and Aliyev on July 25. He said 
afterwards that he sees a “historic opportunity to achieve peace in the region.”

European Council President Charles Michel also spoke with the Armenian and 
Azerbaijani leaders by phone. Michel indicated on Friday night that he is poised 
to host fresh negotiations between them in Brussels.

“Ahead of our next leaders meeting in Brussels, pursuing dialogue and achieving 
concrete progress on all items on the agenda is key,” he wrote on Twitter.


Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.