US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to maintain the momentum of peace negotiations in a telephone conversation on Tuesday (15 November) with Armenian prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan.
The US State Department said that Secretary of State Blinken welcomed the efforts of Armenia and Azerbaijan to support bilateral peace talks after the November 7 talks. He emphasized that it is necessary for both sides to maintain the momentum of negotiations and avoid provocations. He also called for continued progress in the direction of achieving concrete results to contribute to the peace process," the message said.
After the phone conversation, Blinken also posted on his Twitter page.
"I called on Prime Minister Pashinyan to maintain the momentum of peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia after the meeting of foreign ministers in Washington on November 7. The United States remains committed to that effort," Blinken wrote.
On Wednesday (16 November) Secretary of State Blinken spoke with the Azerbaijani president, Ilham Aliyev. According to the State Department spokesperson the two discussed "outcomes and next steps on the Armenian-Azerbaijani bilateral peace discussions". "The Secretary underscored U.S. support for the peace process and urged the two sides to schedule further talks, as agreed in Washington. He urged President Aliyev to maintain the ceasefire and limit provocations, while exploring confidence building measures with Armenia to set the stage for peace."