Blinken hosts Armenian, Azeri foreign ministers, urges return to peace talks

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets with Armenian delegation together with International Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, and a delegation with Azerbaijan together with Azerbaijani International Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, in New York Metropolis, New York, U.S. September 19, 2022. Craig Ruttle/Pool through REUTERS

WASHINGTON, Sept 19 (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with the international ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan in New York on Monday, marking the primary direct talks between the 2 sides since lethal border clashes this month, the State Division mentioned.

Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to a ceasefire final week, ending two days of violence linked to a decades-old dispute between the previous Soviet states over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The combating, which both sides blamed on the opposite, left greater than 170 troopers lifeless and threatened to tug Turkey, Azerbaijan’s key backer, and Armenia ally Russia right into a wider battle at a time of already excessive geopolitical tensions. learn extra

Convening Armenia’s Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijan’s Jeyhun Bayramov on the sidelines of the United Nations Basic Meeting, Blinken emphasised the necessity to forestall additional combating and return to the peace course of, State Division spokesperson Ned Value mentioned in a press release.

“They mentioned subsequent steps, and the Secretary inspired the edges to satisfy once more earlier than the top of the month,” Value mentioned.

Talking earlier than internet hosting the international ministers on Monday, Blinken mentioned Washington was “inspired by the truth that the combating has ceased and there haven’t been any further army actions over (the) previous couple of days.”

The combating, from Sept. 12-14, was the deadliest since a six-week struggle in 2020 that left hundreds lifeless and noticed Azerbaijan made important territorial features in and round Nagorno-Karabakh.

Reporting by Rami Ayyub and Kanishka Singh; Modifying by Kim Coghill and Lincoln Feast

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