Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there exists a unique opportunity to reach a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“There is a unique opportunity to implement a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan that will end years of conflict,” the State Department press service quoted Blinken as saying during a speech at the Brookings Institute in Washington.
America’s top diplomat said that such an agreement will “create tremendous opportunities for economic engagement and economic growth in the region, connecting countries both East and West, and North and South. Azerbaijan plays a critical role in this issue.”
The U.S. has been touting the economic benefits of such a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, emphasizing the role American companies may have in contributing to this effort.
Blinken emphasized the U.S. has been actively pursuing this effort through diplomacy and “trying to help Azerbaijan and Armenia move closer to a peace agreement.”
He said that Washington carried out this work in very close cooperation and coordination with the European Union, and expressed the opinion that Yerevan and Baku can indeed achieve peace.
“I spoke this about a week ago during a conversation with President Aliyev. I think it is feasible and fully consistent with the interests of the people of Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as the entire region,” Blinken added.
In a related matter, the State Department announced that it will continue high-level contacts with Baku without securing the release of political prisoners in Azerbaijan.
“This is a long process and it requires us to have continued engagement, and it’s something that I would expect both the Secretary [of State Antony Blinken] and Assistant Secretary [James] O’Brien and others to continue to be focused on,” State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said during a press briefing on Monday.
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