US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed appreciation for the positive steps Armenia and Azerbaijan are taking towards reaching a sustainable peace agreement. Blinken announced this during a telephonic conversation Tuesday with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov. 

“In a week that has been marked by too much violence, including the deaths of Armenian soldiers and Azerbaijani civilians in landmine explosions, he welcomed the meeting between the ministers on October 2 as an important step forward in the peace process.  The Secretary commended the release of POWs and reiterated our commitment to helping Armenia and Azerbaijan resolve issues peacefully and underscored that diplomacy is the only way forward,” adds the US Department of State readout attributable to spokesperson Ned Price.