Azerbaijan-Armenia: Washington Meeting 'Likely To Be Rescheduled', Sources Say

Washington D.C./08.06.23/Turan:    Preparations for the next round of Azerbaijan-Armenia peace talks in Washington D.C. are still underway, albeit with some scheduling challenges, TURAN's U.S. correspondent has learned from diplomatic sources.

"There is a good chance that the forthcoming meeting of the foreign ministers — Jeyhun Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan, might not take place on June 12th, or even next week, as it was initially believed," a source told TURAN.

"This is purely about scheduling and logistics," the source added when pressed for more details about the reasoning of the change, adding "The meeting might likely be rescheduled, but not cancelled, of course"

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan last week announced for the first time that the ministers were planning to meet in Washington D.C. on June 12th.

Both Azerbaijani and U.S. officials confirmed the meeting without specifying any date. 

The State Department on Wednesday did not comment on the scheduling issue.

When asked by TURAN about Washington's expectations of the upcoming meeting, Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said the following during a daily press briefing:  "I'm certainly not going to confirm or offer any insight into the schedule or any potential dates beyond just saying that we, of course, — as you heard me talk about earlier this week, — we look forward to hosting another round of talks in Washington as the parties continue to pursue a peaceful future in the South Caucasus region."

Patel went on to add,  "You've heard the Secretary [Blinken] and others speak to this. We continue to believe that direct dialogue is key towards reaching a durable and dignified peace."

Bayramov and Mirzoyan are expected to visit Washington for peace talks a second time in less than two months.

Alex Raufoglu