Azerbaijan and Armenia make ‘tangible progress’ towards reaching consensus- Antony Blinken
YEREVAN, May 5, /ARKA/. Azerbaijan and Armenia have made "tangible progress" towards reaching a consensus in talks over the past few days, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday after the end of four-day Armenian-Azerbaijani talks outside Washington D.C.
‘The two sides have discussed some very tough issues over the last few days, and they've made tangible progress on a durable peace agreement," Blinken said at a closing session for the bilateral peace negotiation.
“I hope that they see — and I believe that they do, as I do — that there is an agreement within sight, within reach.”
“The last mile of any marathon is always the hardest; we know that,” Blinken said as he thanked his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts for their efforts.
“But the United States is here to continue to help both of our friends cross the finish line. And as I say, I think we’re very much within reach of that.”
‘Foreign Ministers Mirzoyan and Bayramov shared their views on the current situation and stated their positions on existing issues related to normalization of relations,’ the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement after the end of the Washington talks.
It said the ministers and their teams advanced mutual understanding on some articles of the draft bilateral Agreement on Peace and Establishment of Interstate Relations, meanwhile acknowledging that the positions on some key issues remain divergent.
‘Both Ministers expressed their appreciation to the US side for hosting negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The parties agreed to continue the discussions,’ the statement said.
Antony Blinken said in a related statement, ’This week I hosted Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenia Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan for bilateral peace negotiations at the George P. Schultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center. After an intensive and constructive series of bilateral and trilateral discussions, the parties made significant progress in addressing difficult issues. Both demonstrated a sincere commitment to normalizing relations and ending the long-standing conflict between their two countries.
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed in principle to certain terms and have a better understanding of one another’s positions on outstanding issues. I have proposed the Ministers to return to their capitals to share with their governments the perspective that, with additional goodwill, flexibility, and compromise, an agreement is within reach. They will continue to have the full support and engagement of the United States in their effort to secure a durable and sustainable peace.’-0-
