Blinken reported on progress in reaching a peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan

Azerbaijan and Armenia at the talks in the United States have made tangible progress towards a peace agreement. This was announced by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during a speech at the closing meeting of the bilateral peace talks in Arlington, Virginia.

“Over the past few days, both sides have discussed a number of very difficult issues and have made tangible progress towards a lasting peace agreement,” he said (cit. according to TASS).

Negotiations between Baku and Yerevan at the level of foreign ministers began in Arlington on 1 May. This was the first meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia Jeyhun Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan since September 2022.

On the eve of May 3, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev informedthat by the end of this month the foreign ministers of the two countries will hold a new round of talks in Russia. He also expressed hope that the US ministerial meeting would lead to some progress.

The reason for the meeting was the situation in the Lachin corridor, where on April 23 the State Border Service of Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint on the only road connecting the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) with Armenia. Earlier, Baku accused Yerevan of transferring military, ammunition, including mines, and other military supplies to Karabakh. In this regard, Azerbaijan decided to establish a checkpoint.

In response, the Armenian Foreign Ministry indicated on the illegality of the installation by Azerbaijan of the checkpoint in the Lachin corridor. Yerevan also called on the Russian Federation to lift its blockade and ensure the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from the entire security zone of the corridor. The Azerbaijani authorities insist on the legitimacy of their actions. On April 26, Armenia applied to the International Court of Justice on this issue.

In turn, the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned Azerbaijan’s unilateral steps to install a checkpoint in the Lachin corridor zone and called on the parties to comply with the terms of the tripartite agreement. The US State Department also condemned Azerbaijan, noting that the installation of the checkpoint “undermines efforts to build confidence in the peace process.”