Negotiations between the heads of foreign affairs of Armenia and Azerbaijan on the "Agreement on Normalization of Relations" document, with the mediation of the US, have started in Washington. Several senior US diplomats gave details of the negotiations, the VOA Armenian Service reports.

The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will have a series of meetings this week, high-ranking officials of the US State Department said during a telephone briefing with reporters. The discussions between the parties, which started Monday morning, are proceeding constructively, said Luis Bono, US Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations of the US State Department and US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group.

According to these senior diplomats, the United States is committed to contributing to the peaceful, democratic, and prosperous future of the South Caucasus region, and direct dialogue is the only way to resolve issues and achieve lasting peace, which Washington promotes.

The talks are taking place at the George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center nearby Washington, D.C. Monday morning, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken already hosted Foreign Ministers Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov—first in separate short meetings, and then in the format of trilateral discussions.

The American side expressed disappointment regarding Moscow's negative reaction to these negotiations. The most important thing is for the parties to be able to communicate with each other, wherever it happens—in Washington, Brussels or Moscow—noted the high-ranking US diplomats, emphasizing that Washington's goal is to provide a platform to achieve a lasting, balanced, and dignified peace.

As per Bono, the Munich meeting made it clear that the parties are committed to the peace process, which Bono describes as very complex and comprehensive. The document being discussed is called "Agreement on the Normalization of Relations." Bono notes that the United States seeks for the parties to normalize their relations, to be able to live together, to strengthen economic ties and even their collective security in the region. This is a complex and comprehensive process, within which all issues are discussed, he says.

According to this representative of the US State Department, one of the issues being discussed between the parties in the ongoing negotiations on a comprehensive agreement is the treatment of ethnic minorities in Armenia and Azerbaijan, which refers to the rights and security of ethnic minorities.

Speaking about the Lachin corridor, the American side reaffirmed that in the past few months, Washington has made very clear the importance of ensuring commercial and humanitarian free movement through the Lachin corridor, and continues to be engaged in those discussions, expecting that movement through the corridor will soon be restored.

US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Erica Olson also expressed hope that the parties will have direct and honest discussions this week to reach a settlement of the issue. The US is committed to supporting that process and is honored to host this important dialogue, which can continue, said Olson, emphasizing the ongoing nature of the negotiations.