Blinken offers US support to Armenia for peace talks with Azerbaijan

Secretary of State Antony Blinken offered Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan US assistance in facilitating bilateral peace with Azerbaijan during a phone call on Monday, the State Department said.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a yearslong dispute over disputed territory, which is inhabited by ethnic Armenians who do not want to be part of Azerbaijan. Baku claims the land known as Nagorno-Karabakh or Artsakh.

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“Secretary Blinken thanked Prime Minister Pashinyan for Armenia’s continued commitment to peace and encouraged concrete steps forward in finding solutions to outstanding issues,” State Department Spokesman Vedant Patel said in a statement.

The top US diplomat also reiterated US support for direct talks and diplomacy to support a lasting and sustainable peace in the South Caucasus and “stressed that there is no military solution.”

.@SecBlinken spoke with Armenian Prime Minister @NikolPashinyan today to encourage continued engagement to achieve peace with Azerbaijan. He reiterated U.S. support for the peace process and reopening the Lachin corridor to commercial and private traffic. https://t.co/oA5swytsqF

— Vedant Patel (@StateDeputySpox) March 20, 2023

Reports in recent weeks have indicated that Baku is preparing another offensive as it looks to cement its control over the disputed territory, part of which has been witnessing a blockade by the Azeris.

Read more: Death toll from Azerbaijan-Armenia border clash rises to five