Azerbaijan-Armenia: U.S. Says 'Never Tied' Peace Agreement To COP29

The United States said on Tuesday it'd 'never tied' a possible peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia to Baku hosting the UN’s COP29 climate conference next month, TURAN's Washington correspondent reporters.

"We wanted to see a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan months ago and have been pushing for a peace agreement, ultimately hoped to get one over the line," State Department's Spokesperson Matthew Miller told a daily briefing when responding to TURAN's questions.

Miller went on to add, "... But that’s up to the two parties, not the United States."

Talks to end the conflict between Baku and Yerevan were renewed last month in New York, with Baku calling for a “COP truce”, and asking countries “to transcend political challenges, stand in unity and commit to the truce during the month of COP29”.
 

In their turn, Armenian officials have expressed hopes that while there were outstanding issues that still needed to be agreed, a deal could be signed before the climate conference.  “It would be good to sign it by COP29,” Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan was quoted by Financial Times as saying last week.

However, in an interview to TV Berlin last week, Azerbaijani negotiator Elchin Amirbayov expressed skepticism about Yerevan' claim that it was ready to sign a peace agreement "tomorrow".

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who hosted a trilateral Ministerial meeting last month in New York, commended on the progress that had been made toward peace, and encouraged continued progress by both countries to finalize an agreement "as soon as possible." 

Alex Raufoglu