Azerbaijan-Armenia Peace Talks: State Department Pledges 'Continued Senior-Level American Engagement'

Washington on Tuesday pledged "continued senior-level American engagement" in a peace process to address the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has recently assumed a key role in the effort to end the latest clashes between the two sides, and to secure a ceasefire.

Blinken in his talks with Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders on Monday reiterated U.S. support for clear border delimitation, transportation linkages, recovery and identification of missing persons, return of detainees and other issues.

Asked by TURAN's Washington correspondent whether the Secretary was willing to put this conflict in front of his queue in the weeks and months ahead, State Department's spokesperson Ned Price said during the daily press briefing: "What you can expect to see in the weeks and months ahead is continued American engagement, continued senior-level American engagement."

"I say that in the aftermath of the Secretary’s convening of the trilateral format of the ministers from both Armenia and Azerbaijan in New York City last month. It was the first time the ministers had come together in person since the most recent uptick in violence," Price added.

The spokesperson went on saying: "... You saw yesterday that the Secretary had an opportunity to speak to the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Phil Reeker, our senior advisor on this issue set, has remained in daily contact with individuals and stakeholders in both countries. So we will continue to remain engaged on this issue."

While Washington "can’t promise" a particular outcome, Price said, "I can promise that it will remain a priority for us."

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.