Washington hails first direct meeting of Azerbaijani, Armenian foreign ministers in Tbilisi
By Vugar Khalilov
US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried has highly appreciated the first direct meeting between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in Tbilisi, Azernews reports, citing the Foreign Ministry.
In a telephone conversation with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on July 17, Donfried underlined the importance of maintaining direct contacts.
The parties exchanged views on current regional issues, including various directions of the Azerbaijani-Armenian normalization process.
Bayramov brought to her attention Azerbaijan's well-known position on securing peace and progress in the region, including the opening of communications, delimitation of the two states' borders, beginning work on the future peace treaty, and Azerbaijan's initiatives in these directions. The need to fully carry out the parties' obligations under the trilateral statements was highlighted.
Other issues of mutual interest were also discussed during the telephone conversation, the ministry said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also welcomed the first direct meeting between the Azerbaijani Foreign minister Jeyhun Bayramov and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan on July 16 in Tbilisi.
“Jeyhun Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan took a positive step today, meeting in Tbilisi. Direct dialogue is the surest path to resolving Azerbaijani and Armenian differences,” Blinken wrote on his Twitter account.
Moreover, Iran's ambassador to Azerbaijan Seyed Abbas Mousavi also expressed support for the first direct meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran supports any process/initiative that leads to lasting peace, stability, and security in the region. Bilateral talks and intra-regional dialogues (3+3 Mechanism/Iran, Russia, Turkiye+Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia) are the best for long-term stability and cooperation in the South Caucasus,” Mousavi tweeted.
On July 16, 2022, a bilateral meeting was held between the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The ministers touched on a number of issues related to the normalization of relations between the two countries. Both parties underlined the implementation of their commitments and exchanged views on possible future steps.
Bayramov noted that all efforts should be aimed at achieving progress in the regulation of interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia based on the post-conflict realities that arose after the resolution of the armed conflict between the two states. In this context, the need to implement all the provisions of the trilateral statements signed by the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian leaders, especially the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from the territory of Azerbaijan, was emphasized.
Touching on humanitarian issues, Bayramov drew attention to the importance of clarifying the fate of nearly 4,000 missing Azerbaijanis.
The ministers stressed the importance of maintaining direct engagement between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
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