2023-05-04 21:22:52
According to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, an agreement is emerging in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the contested Caucasus region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Both sides had “raised very difficult issues” in the past few days and “made tangible progress towards a lasting peace agreement,” said Blinken yesterday at the end of the four-day US-brokered talks near Washington.
The “pace of negotiations and the foundation laid” pointed to an eventual peace deal, Blinken said. He assured both sides of continued US support to “cross the finish line.” Such an agreement would be “not only historic, but also in the interests of the people of Azerbaijan and Armenia,” said Blinken. The “commitment and determination to move forward and solve the remaining problems” are “real”.
The two Caucasus republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been fighting over the border region of Nagorno-Karabakh since the collapse of the Soviet Union and have already fought two wars over the area. After recent fighting that left more than 6,500 dead in 2020, Russia brokered a ceasefire agreement that forced Armenia to give up large areas. Nevertheless, there are always deadly skirmishes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
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