US welcomes negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan “whether they take place in Brussels or in Moscow”

May 19. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The Government of the United States has welcomed this Thursday the resumption of negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, after the leaders of both countries have announced a meeting in Moscow within the framework of bilateral contacts to try to reach a peace agreement. to end the conflict, centered in the Nagorno Karabagh region.

“We welcome the reports that the parties will continue to engage in these discussions, and we reiterate our conviction that peace is within our reach and that direct dialogue is key to resolving these issues,” said the deputy spokesman for the Department of State, Vedant Patel, in a press conference.

“Our view is that direct talks between the parties are of the utmost importance, and we are pleased that they happen and take place. Whether they take place in Arlington, in Brussels or in Moscow, our support for this effort will continue to endure,” added the spokesperson.

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, revealed this Thursday that on May 25 they will hold a meeting in Moscow with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in response to a proposal by Russia to hold a trilateral summit mediated by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin.

He also stressed that the mutual recognition of the territorial integrity of both countries is an important step towards achieving peace and stressed that during the meeting he held on Sunday with Aliyev in Brussels “another step was taken.”

Baku recently described the meeting held in Brussels on Sunday between Aliyev and Armenia as “useful”, noting that the meeting “was result-oriented in terms of advancing the normalization agenda between the two countries.”

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been involved in various confrontations in recent years, the last in 2020, over the control of Nagorno Karabagh, an Azeri territory with a majority Armenian population that has been a focus of conflict since it decided to separate in 1988 from the Azerbaijan region integrated into the sovietic Union.