ArmInfo.Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov held negotiations on May 1-4 in Arlington, VA.
The Ministers were hosted in George Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center. While in Washington they met with Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
The Ministers shared their views on the current situation and stated their positions on existing issues related to normalization of relations.
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.
A press statement by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reads:
"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."