Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks have started Tuesday, with the mediation of the American side, at the George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Virginia, nearby Washington, D.C., writes VOA Armenian Service.

The previous talks between Yerevan and Baku were held in the same place.

Matthew Miller, Spokesperson of US Department of State, informed during Tuesday’s Department press briefing that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken first had separate meetings with the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov, after which they met in a trilateral format. Miller, however, did not elaborate on what Washington expects from these peace talks, noting that a closed negotiation process was underway.

"We continue to believe that peace is within reach. We’ve hosted these two parties before. The [US] Secretary [of State] has talked to both foreign ministers on a number of occasions. We think the meetings are important this week. We think it’s important that they show progress," Miller said.

At the beginning of the aforesaid press briefing, Matthew Miller positively assessed the efforts of Armenia and Azerbaijan to effectively engage in the peace process.

“We will continue to assist them any way that we can to build on that momentum,” he said, emphasizing that Tuesday was the first day of these meetings that will continue through Thursday.

He called for waiting until the end of the talks to give assessments. It was hoped that Baku and Yerevan will manage to put aside their differences.

“He [US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken] met with them individually and met with them collectively. But I think we’ll wait until the end of the week to talk about how the talks went," the US State Department spokesperson noted.

Later, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed—in a tweet—about his meetings with the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"Hosting peace talks this week with Foreign Ministers Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov at the National Foreign Affairs Training Center. We support Armenia and Azerbaijan working together toward a durable and dignified agreement. Dialogue is key to lasting peace," Blinken tweeted.