US says there needs to be dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia

WASHINGTON

The US on Monday said there needs to be dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia, expressing readiness to facilitate such discussions.

"We have made very clear that path forward for resolving this conflict is ultimately at the bargaining table," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

"I don't want to speak to any upcoming meetings, but we have always made clear that we welcome dialogue," he said. "When the Secretary (of State Antony Blinken) has communicated with the leaders of both Armenia and Azerbaijan, he has made clear that there needs to be dialogue between the two parties."

"We are happy to play whatever role we can to facilitate that dialogue, and will continue to do so," he said.

Blinken, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Brussels Friday, though the absence of Azerbaijan in the trilateral meeting raised concerns in Baku.

Two days ahead of Friday's meeting in Brussels, Blinken held a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

According to the Azerbaijani presidency's readout of the call, Aliyev told Blinken that the trilateral talks, which are "non-inclusive" and were organized in a "non-transparent" manner, will not lead to peace and cooperation in the South Caucasus.

Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs James O’Brien said the meeting was focused on economic diversification and political reforms, while adding that the US also encouraged Armenia to "continue the path toward peace and try to achieve a final agreement with Azerbaijan."

The US has been pushing since last November to host top Azerbaijani and Armenian diplomats, Jeyhun Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan in Washington for peace negotiations but Baku refused to participate in the talks, citing Washington’s “biased” position.