The US remains committed to promoting a peaceful future for the South Caucasus region. Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State, stated this at Wednesday’s department press briefing, answering the question about the ongoing negotiation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“We believe that direct dialogue is key to reaching a lasting peace, and we believe that that is possible between these two countries,” Patel added.

“[US] Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken had the opportunity to join the opening plenary session, as well as welcome the [Armenian and Azerbaijani] foreign ministers for a dinner the evening before. Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations Lou Bono continues to be deeply engaged on this process, but I don’t want to pre—get ahead of the process as it’s ongoing,” noted the Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State. 

Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations are in progress for the fourth day in Washington. According to some sources, they will conclude on Thursday, whose format is still not finalized. According to the Turan news agency of Azerbaijan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken may participate in the concluding talks between foreign ministers Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov Thursday.

Also, a tripartite meeting was held Wednesday in Washington between FMs Mirzoyan, Bayramov, and US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.