US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken noted the progress towards a peace agreement between Baku and Yerevan and pointed to the need for free movement along the Lachin corridor. This is stated in a statement by the head of the press service of the State Department, Ned Price, following a trilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in Munich on February 18.
It is noted that Blinken drew attention to the proposal of the President of the European Council Charles Michel to take sides in Brussels.
“During the conversation, the Secretary of State stressed the need for free and open commercial and private transit through the Lachin corridor. He also urged the parties to open other transport routes.
Earlier that day, Aliyev announced the presence of progress in Yerevan’s position on the issue of a peace treaty. During the meeting, Baku also offered Yerevan to create checkpoints on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
On February 16, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that the side had completed work on a draft peace agreement with Azerbaijan and sent it to Baku, as well as to the member states of the OSCE Minsk Group. He noted that the Armenian side understands that the document should be acceptable to Azerbaijan. Therefore, the draft peace treaty was drawn up in such a way that in the end it was possible to obtain a document that could be signed at any time.
Before that, on February 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed with Aliyev the situation in the South Caucasus region. During the course, a positive attitude was noted for the unconditional implementation of the entire range of relevant agreements between the three countries. The leaders also discussed the prospects for further development of trade and economic cooperation between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, including the implementation of joint projects in the fields of energy and transport.
On October 31, at a summit in Sochi with the participation of Putin, Aliyev and Pashinyan agreed to refrain from the use of force, as well as to discuss and resolve all problematic issues solely on the basis of mutual recognition of sovereignty. In a joint statement, the politicians stressed the importance of active preparations for the conclusion of a peace treaty between Baku and Yerevan.
The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border escalated in the fall of 2022. Yerevan and Baku accused each other of the escalation, and also reported deaths on each side.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have disputed ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh since 1988. Then the region, which is inhabited mainly by Armenians, announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan SSR. During the military conflict of 1992-1994, Baku lost control over Karabakh.
