US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosted the international ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in New York on Monday, marking the primary direct talks between the 2 sides. Deadly border conflict earlier this month,
Blinken’s tripartite assembly with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Zehun Bayramov came about on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
What was mentioned within the assembly?
State Department spokesman Ned Price stated in an announcement, “Blinken expressed condolences for those killed and stressed the need to stop further hostilities, underscoring the importance of returning to the peace process.”
“They discussed the next steps, and the secretary encouraged the parties to meet again before the end of the month,” Price added.
At Monday’s assembly, Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan known as on the Azerbaijani armed forces to withdraw from Armenian territory and introduce “international mechanisms” to “prevent any further progress”, an announcement from the Armenian Foreign Ministry stated.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s Bayramov stated earlier than the assembly that his nation was “satisfied with the level of relations” with the US and added that his direct talks with Mirzoyan weren’t uncommon.
“We are always open for meetings,” he stated.
What is the battle about?
For many years, Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in tensions over the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2020, hundreds of individuals died in six weeks of battle and Azerbaijan had vital territorial beneficial properties.
intense artillery fireplace Earlier this month, greater than 170 have been killed and tensions flared up once more between troopers on each side. Each nation blamed the opposite for the preliminary provocation. Last week, Armenia and Azerbaijan comply with a ceasefire,
Fighting between the 2 former Soviet states additionally threatens to attract Turkey, a significant supporter of Azerbaijan and Russia – Armenia’s safety guarantor – right into a wider battle, at a time when geopolitical tensions are already excessive.
Prior to the talks, Blinken stated Washington was “enthused by the fact that fighting has ceased and that there has been no additional military action in the past few days.”
On Sunday, US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Armenia and condemned “illegal and deadly attacks on Armenian territory by Azerbaijan”.
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
