U.S 'committed' to help Armenia, Azerbaijan find sustainable peace and prosperity, Blinken tells Mirzoyan

Washington on Monday reinstated its commitment to help Armenia and Azerbaijan find sustainable peace and prosperity, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Washington, D.C. to launch the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue.

"Secretary Blinken thanked the Foreign Minister for the flexibility Armenia has shown and encouraged further direct talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, underscoring the U.S commitment to help Armenia and Azerbaijan find sustainable peace and prosperity, including in our capacity as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair,"  State Department said in a readout of the meeting.

The Secretary committed to further strengthening bilateral relations in line with the shared democratic values and continuing cooperation on Armenia’s reform agenda. During their meeting, Blinken and Mirzoyan signed a Nuclear Cooperation Memorandum of Understanding, paving the way for increased cooperation on civil nuclear matters as Armenia looks to diversify its energy supply.

"I just want to take this opportunity as we’re sitting here to, in the first instance, praise the leadership of the prime minister and his government, the democratic reforms that they’ve been pursuing, the progress that continues to be made – but also to very much welcome the dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and to express real appreciation for the vision and the courage and the flexibility that the prime minister and Armenia have been showing in this process working toward what we all want, which is a lasting peace" - Blinken said at the signing ceremony.

"... I also want to note that we value our partnership aimed at peace and stability in our region, and in this regard I want to highlight the important role the United States of America play as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, which has a mandate from the international community to facilitate a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.  I also appreciate United States support through the Armenia-Turkish normalization process and United States strong stance on the recognition on the condemnation of the Armenian genocide and confirmation of this stance this year, too." Mirzoyan added.

They also discussed Armenia’s progress in implementing democratic, rule of law, and anti-corruption reforms.

"This will lead into tomorrow’s [U.S.-Armenia] Strategic Dialogue." State Department's spokesperson Ned Price told TURAN's Washington correspondent about the meeting.

The Strategic Dialogue "will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of U.S.-Armenian diplomatic relations. It underscores our shared commitment to strengthening bilateral ties and a bilateral relationship that is both broad and deep and that will be broader and deeper at the conclusion of this Strategic Dialogue." Price said during a daily press briefing.

Armenian FM on Monday also met with USAID Administrator Samantha Power to discuss the Strategic Dialogue and Armenia’s priorities for additional USAID support and programming.

"The Administrator noted that USAID is deeply concerned by the growing regional impact of Russia’s unprovoked war against Ukraine, and is focused on helping regional partners in their efforts to strengthen and diversify their economies, provide energy security, and promote broader stability." USAID Spokesperson Rebecca Chalif said in a press release.

"During the meeting, the two also discussed the Armenian government’s efforts to support regional peacebuilding, work to combat corruption, and Prime Minister Pashinyan’s participation in President Biden’s Summit for Democracy. Administrator Power emphasized USAID’s support for these efforts, underscoring their critical importance in establishing the foundation for sustained economic growth and prosperity," according to the readout of the meeting.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.