News - US State Department: Blinken discusses, with Pashinyan and Aliyev, possibility of signing peace agreement

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the possibility of concluding a peace agreement between the two countries with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. This is noted in two statements attributable to Matthew Miller, Spokesperson of the US Department of State. According to one of the statements, Blinken "welcomed President Aliyev’s commitment to conclude a durable and dignified peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia." The US Secretary of State said that "recognized the suffering that this long-standing conflict has caused Azerbaijanis and Armenians alike and underscored the benefits that peace would bring to everyone in the region." In addition, Blinken discussed the bilateral relations between the US and Azerbaijan with Aliyev, and "noted recent points of concern in the relationship and also spoke about opportunities to strengthen cooperation, especially around the peace process, and the importance of high-level engagement.” In another statement, the US State Department spox noted that Blinken "discussed U.S. support," in his conversation with Pashinyan, “for efforts to reach a durable and dignified peace agreement.” At the same time, the Secretary of State “reaffirmed the United States’ ongoing support for Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” and “outlined efforts to increase bilateral cooperation with Armenia.”