Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Kerry Donfried on Saturday,  Armenian Foreign Ministry press service informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

During the meeting, the parties discussed Armenia-US bilateral relations based on shared values of democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, as well as the prospects for expanding cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

Underlining the importance of the positive dynamics of the mutual visits and official contacts Mirzoyan mentioned with satisfaction the visit of the Armenian delegation to the USA in May of this year, the meetings at that time, and the renewal of the works of the Armenia-US strategic dialogue. The sides also discussed issues concerning the regional security and stability.

Mirzoyan briefed his interlocutor on the activities of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Border Demarcation and Security Commission, as well as the current developments in unblocking the economic ties and transport communications in the region.

Touching upon the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, the Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs touched upon the necessity of fully resuming the peace negotiations in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs aimed at a comprehensive and lasting settlement of the conflict, and highlighted the U.S. efforts as a Co-Chair country in this regard. He also presented the humanitarian issues resulting from Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh in 2020, in particular Mirzoyan mentioned the immediate release and repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in Azerbaijan, preservation of Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories taken over by Azerbaijan as a result of war.

The Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs also presented the developments around the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey.

The need for taking concrete steps towards the settlement was noted.