U.S. Says 'Continues To Engage' With Azerbaijani, Armenian Leadership 'Highest Levels'

The United States said on Friday it "continues to engage" with Azerbaijan and Armenia, despite latest clashes, TURAN's U.S. correspondent reports.

"We continue to engage with Azerbaijani and Armenian leadership at the highest levels in pursuit of a permanent resolution to the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh," Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters in New York..

The Ambassador's comments came as State Department's Acting Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs Yuri Kim on the margins of the UN General Assembly met with Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan to discuss Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Azerbaijan has the responsibility to protect civilians and ensure humanitarian organizations can provide food, medicine and other essentials without obstruction or delay. We reiterate that we will continue to strongly support Armenia’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and democracy," Kim tweeted following the meeting.

No similar meeting with Azerbaijani FM Bayramov, which is also currently in New York to attend UNGA, has been announced as of Friday night.

In the meantime, Secretary Blinken, who wrapped up with New York meetings on Friday, did discuss the Karabakh issue during his meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Fidan.

"The Secretary....  encouraged support for efforts to end hostilities and prevent a deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh," the State Department said in a readout.

Blinken also spoke about the conflict during his new conference at UNGA Friday afternoon.

"I had the opportunity this week to speak to both leaders – Prime Minister Pashinyan, President Aliyev. And what I expressed to both is our deep concern about the actions this past week, particularly Azerbaijan’s military actions," he said.

As a general proposition for the United States, Blinken added, "we want to make clear that the use of force is unacceptable and it runs counter to the efforts that we’ve been engaged in – but more important, both countries have been engaged in – to find a just and dignified peace in the region. This is something that’s manifestly in the interests of both Azerbaijan and Armenia."

He went on to add, "... Both have invested in it, including President Aliyev and Prime Minister Pashinyan. And this is something that we’ve worked to support along with the European Unionn. So the actions that we saw this week simply run counter to that effort, and that kind of just and durable peace that we’re working toward would be a tremendous benefit to both countries, to the region, and also, I think, a strong change for the better in the current of history after 30 years of conflict."

The U.S. is also "deeply concerned" about the humanitarian situation for the population inside Nagorno-Karabakh, and "the imperative of having unimpeded access for humanitarian organizations to reach populations in need is also front and center in our thinking," Blinken said.  "So we’ve been in close touch with all sides – we’ve been in close touch with the European Union as well – to try to move this back to a better place.  There have been conversations just over the last 24 hours involving Baku, involving those representing ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh"

"And moving back to talking, negotiating, diplomacy is where we want to drive this," The Secretary concluded.

When it comes to Washington's position on both Armenia and Azerbaijan's sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, Blinken said, "we stand for those propositions for everyone concerned."

Alex Raufoglu