State Department: Armenia, Azerbaijan Agreed To Expedite Negotiations

Washington/09.11.22/Turan: In Washington this Monday, the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers agreed to expedite negotiations towards comprehensive and lasting peace, the State Department said on Tuesday, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.

"The foreign ministers agreed to expedite their negotiations and to organize another meeting in the coming weeks," State Department spokesman Ned Price told a daily press conference in response to TURAN's questions about the latest talks between Jeyhun Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan.

According to him, the ministers' Washington meeting "was positive" as they surfaced many of their areas of disagreement, and "at the end of the day they were able to agree on a joint statement."

While Secretary Blinken was involved in the Blair House discussions, Price noted that, there were opportunities throughout the course of the day for the two sides to meet and to attempt to bridge their differences, "in some cases without the United States as an active participant."

"Our role in this has been one of facilitator. We provided a space – Blair House, in this case – for the two countries to come together, just as we did in New York a few weeks ago in late September. But this is not an agreement that the United States is attempting to or seeking to – or even can – impose on the two sides," Price said,

He went on to add, "What we are doing is trying to create a space and an opportunity for the two sides to come together, to identify their differences – of which there are many – and to attempt to bridge them... But it is not for us to prescribe what this lasting comprehensive peace between the two countries might look like. We are not presenting them with a document that is ready to sign. We are doing everything we can to help enable the diplomacy that they themselves will need to undertake – and this is not unlike our approach to a number of challenges around the world, where we’ve demonstrated the viability and the effectiveness of this model."

Price mentioned the recent historic agreement that was reached between Israel and Lebanon, as well as Washington's role in Ethiopian, Yemen and other conflicts and challenges around the globe, saying that "it is not for us to prescribe, to dictate the terms of any peace agreement, of any accord, of any deal not involving the United States."

He then added: "But it is incumbent on the United States to use the leverage and the authority, the good offices that we have, the expertise and experience that we have in this building and throughout this government to try and help these processes along... We think yesterday with Armenia and Azerbaijan was an opportunity to do that, and we think the results are quite positive."

Asked by TURAN's correspondent whether the Secretary hoped or believed that the sides were ready to sign the peace contract by the end of the year, Price said, "we will leave that to the parties."

"This is a decision that they are going to have to make," he explained. "I think as you read from their joint statement, the ministers used the opportunity yesterday to share views on elements of a possible peace treaty, and they acknowledge that there are a range of issues that needed to be addressed. But they agreed to expedite their negotiations and organize another meeting in the coming weeks."

Washington "will do everything we can" to see to it that they are able to make progress towards that comprehensive and lasting peace as quickly as possible, ultimately leading to a comprehensive and lasting peace, Price concluded.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C. -0-