Blinken discusses peace negotiations with Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held talks with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan on Tuesday to discuss stalled peace negotiations between the two Caucasus nations. 

A decades-long conflict between Baku and Yerevan revolves around control over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Baku reclaimed from Armenian separatists in a swift attack in September. 

Washington, Brussels, and Moscow are making diplomatic efforts to normalize relations between the two countries, but achieving a broad-ranging peace agreement remains elusive. 

Azerbaijan refused to participate in talks scheduled in the United States earlier this month, citing Washington's "biased" stance. 

In a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Tuesday, Blinken emphasized the "strong relations" between the United States and Azerbaijan, while acknowledging recent "concerns in the relationship," according to his spokesperson Matthew Miller. 

The call was considered an attempt to bring the United States back into the heart of the negotiations amid diplomatic tensions between Washington and Baku. 

Earlier in November, US Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien announced the cancellation of several high-level visits to Azerbaijan, condemning Baku's military operation in Karabakh, which lasted only one day on September 19. 

After Azerbaijan reclaimed the region, almost all of its approximately 100,000 residents, mostly Armenians, fled to Armenia, causing a refugee crisis in the country. 

The world recognizes Nagorno-Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan, but Armenians have been the majority population for decades. It has been under the control of pro-Armenian separatists since the early 1990s. 

According to Baku, Aliyev informed Blinken that "recent statements and actions by the United States have seriously damaged relations between Azerbaijan and the United States." 

However, it was noted that the two sides agreed that O'Brien would visit Azerbaijan in December, and Blinken pledged to lift the imposed ban on visits by Azerbaijani officials to the United States. 

In a separate call, Blinken also spoke to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, reaffirming "US support for efforts to reach a permanent and just peace agreement." 

Peace talks, mediated by international parties between the former Soviet republics, have yet to make significant progress. However, the leaders of both countries confirmed that signing a comprehensive agreement by the end of the year is still possible. 

AFP