Peace Talks Between Azerbaijan and Armenia to Be Held in Washington

The spokesperson for the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated on Saturday that Armenia and Azerbaijan will hold a new round of negotiations in Washington on Sunday in an effort to normalize relations. According to Reuters, Ani Badalyan, the spokesperson for the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced on her official Facebook page that "from April 30, Ararat Mirzoyan, the Armenian Foreign Minister, will be on a working visit in Washington, D.C." Azerbaijan has not yet responded to this news. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union and gaining independence in 1991, Armenia and Azerbaijan have faced each other in two major wars over Nagorno-Karabakh. Although this region is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, its inhabitants are predominantly Armenian. Despite years of mediation efforts between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the two countries have yet to reach a peace agreement to resolve unresolved issues such as border demarcation and prisoner exchanges. Last Sunday, Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint at the Lachin corridor, which connects the Nagorno-Karabakh region to Armenia; a move that Armenia calls a gross violation of the 2020 ceasefire. Washington expressed deep concern that the establishment of a checkpoint by Azerbaijan in the Lachin corridor "could undermine efforts to build trust in the peace process." The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan met last February with the presence of the U.S. Secretary of State on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Antony Blinken described this meeting as a historic opportunity for establishing real peace after 30 years of conflict between the two countries and added that Washington is committed to supporting efforts for peace.