Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Washington on May 1
Before Meeting, Blinken Expresses U.S. Concern to Aliyev about Lachin Checkpoint
Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday hosted a meeting between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov in Washington, where normalization of relations between the two countries was discussed.
According to Armenia’s foreign ministry, the humanitarian situation resulting from the Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor was discussed, as was the regional security situation.
In its statement issued after the meeting, Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry only mentioned the discussion about regional security issues and normalization of relations with Armenia.
During a telephone conversation on Sunday with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Blinken expressed the United States’ “deep concern” over Baku’s decision to establish a checkpoint at the Lachin Corridor.
“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev today to underscore the importance of Azerbaijan-Armenia peace discussions and pledged continued U.S. support. Secretary Blinken shared his belief that peace was possible,” said a statement issued by the State Department.
“He also expressed the United States’ deep concern that Azerbaijan’s establishment of a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor undermines efforts to establish confidence in the peace process, and emphasized the importance of reopening the Lachin corridor to commercial and private vehicles as soon as possible,” added the State Department readout of the call.
Blinken also held a telephone conversation on Saturday with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and underscored “the importance of Armenia-Azerbaijan peace discussions and pledged continued U.S. support,” according to a State Department readout of the call.
“Secretary Blinken reiterated that direct dialogue and diplomacy are the only path to a durable peace in the South Caucasus. He expressed his appreciation for the Prime Minister’s continued commitment to the peace process,” a State Department statement added.
According to the prime minister’s press service, Pashinyan emphasized to Blinken that Azerbaijan’s actions in the Lachin Corridor are in line with Baku’s policy of ethnic cleansing in Karabakh and the complete eviction of of Armenians from Artsakh.
“The Prime Minister emphasized the importance of the adequate response of the international community to Azerbaijan’s actions, which undermine regional security, and taking active steps towards the unconditional implementation of the judgment of the International Court of Justice,” Pashinyan’s office said.
Earlier on Monday, Blinken held separate talks with Mirzoyan and Bayramov.
Armenia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan said in a social media post that Blinken and Mirzoyan “issues related to regional stability & security, process of normalization of relations between Armenia & Azerbaijan. Humanitarian situation resulting from illegal blockade of Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan was touched upon.”
Last week Armenia and Russia confirmed that a meeting between Mirzoyan and Bayramov would take place in Moscow in the near future, without specifying a date.
Evidently, the Blinken-mediated meeting, which was announced on Friday, preceded the Moscow talks as Russia has stepped up its insistence that the U.S. and the European Union are muscling their way into areas under Moscow’s purview.
Russian foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova declared on Thursday that given the agreement to hold talks in Moscow the attempts by the United States and the European Union, particularly France, to play an “honest mediator” role have failed.
“The attempts of the French and American partners to convince everyone that they are guided solely by the interests of achieving peace in the South Caucasus can be dismissed by their periodic anti-Russian attacks,” said Zakharova.
“Such announcements do not attest to constructive efforts or their claim of being an honest mediator. Such expressions strengthen our sentiments that the real aspirations of Washington and Paris are politicized, and are aimed at undermining Russia’s positions. Caring about the fate of the people living in the region is clearly not included in their plans,” Zakharova added.