Mirzoyan meets with Bayramov in U.S. instead of Russia

The trilateral meeting between Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was held in the U.S after Blinken's bilateral meeting with both ministers.

The meetings were held in Arlington, at George P. Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center.

In November 2022, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov of Azerbaijan met in Washington, DC. Their next meeting was scheduled for December 23 in Moscow, but  at the last moment, the Armenian side refused to participate in the trilateral meeting of the foreign ministers with Russian and Azerbaijani counterparts.

The discussions between the parties, which started Monday morning, are proceeding constructively, according to a Senior State Department official. According to the senior diplomats, the U.S. 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.

Another U.S. official expressed hope that the parties will have direct and honest discussions this week to reach a settlement of the issue.

The U.S. expressed disappointment regarding Moscow's possible negative reaction to these talks. The most important thing is for the parties to be able to communicate with each other, wherever it happens - in Washington, Brussels or Moscow, the high-ranking U.S. diplomat said, emphasizing that Washington's goal is to provide a platform to achieve a lasting, balanced, and dignified peace..