U.S. supports direct interaction between Yerevan and Baku - State Department spokesman

YEREVAN, September 27. /ARKA/. The United States believes that direct interaction between Armenia and Azerbaijan is not only in their interests, but also in the interests of the region and beyond. U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said at a press briefing on Monday.

He said for the U.S. it is  important to bring the two sides closer together. 'Of course, the Secretary of State had talks with both leaders but this was the first face-to-face meeting between the two Foreign Ministers since the latest escalation (on September 13)," Price said commenting on Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov's meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken in New York last week.

He said the secretary of state pointed out to them the importance of upholding the cease-fire, maintaining calm, and noted that Washington is committed to a sustained cease-fire and a peaceful resolution.

"We have made clear to both foreign ministers that the United States stands ready to support them bilaterally, multilaterally, with partners. This also includes our support for the efforts of European Council President Charles Michel," the State Department spokesman said.

Price said Blinken suggested that Mirzoyan and Bayramov exchange ideas on how to significantly advance the peace process before the end of the month.

"We've been in consistent communication with the parties for some time. We call on Azerbaijan to return troops to their original positions. We are calling for the withdrawal of armed forces and working to resolve all outstanding issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan through peace talks," Price said.

He stressed that Washington does not consider the use of force to be an acceptable course of action.

"We have made that clear privately. We have also stated that publicly, and we are pleased that our continued engagement with both countries, including at a high level last week in New York, has helped stop the fighting. We will continue to engage and encourage the actions necessary to achieve a lasting peace, because there can be no military solution to this conflict," the State Department official said.

"The U.S. will continue to maintain regular contact with both Armenian and Azerbaijani officials to resolve the conflict situation," he said. --0--