U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Azerbaijan and Armenia have made "substantial progress" toward a peace agreement during negotiations held this week in Washington. Blinken stated in a closing session of the talks, "The two sides discussed some very difficult issues over the past few days and have made substantial progress toward a lasting peace agreement." He added that he believes a deal is imminent.
In comments made yesterday in Prague, as reported by Russian news agencies, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan mentioned several reasons why he believes Azerbaijan is responsible for the failure to reach a lasting peace agreement. The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry accused Pashinyan of making "absurd claims" and added, "Armenia must stop interfering in Azerbaijan's internal affairs and end its aggressive policies that it has pursued against Azerbaijan for many years."
In a six-week conflict in 2020 that ended with a Russian-mediated ceasefire, Azerbaijan regained vast territories lost in the first war following the collapse of Soviet rule. Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars over the past 30 years over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but largely populated by ethnic Armenians.
