US to host new round of Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks this month

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US will host representatives from Armenia and Azerbaijan later this month for another round of talks aimed at normalizing relations, the State Department announced Monday.

An exact date was not provided, but spokesperson Vedant Patel said the parties would use the talks to "continue to pursue a peaceful future for the South Caucasus region."

"Direct dialogue is key to resolving issues and reaching a durable and dignified peace," he said.

Peace talks have been ongoing in a number of different venues, including in Washington where negotiations were last held in early May. A follow-up round was held in Europe later last month that included a sit-down between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

Patel said the Biden administration is "pleased that talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan are proceeding in different venues."

Earlier Monday, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov a peace agreement with neighboring Armenia would be "inevitable" as the two sides continue work to end a decades-long dispute.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The Russia-brokered peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.

Despite the ongoing talks on a peace agreement, tensions between the neighboring countries increased in recent months over the Lachin corridor, the only land route giving Armenia access to Karabakh.​​​​​​​