Blinking: agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan in sight

According to the United States, Armenia and Azerbaijan are moving closer to a solution to their conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. “Following a series of intensive and constructive bilateral and trilateral talks, the parties have made significant progress in resolving difficult issues,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Washington on Thursday (local time).

Both countries have shown “genuine commitment to normalize relations and end the protracted conflict,” Blinken said after meeting Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirsoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Yejhun Bajramov this week.

The two countries in the South Caucasus have been at war over Nagorno-Karabakh since the breakup of the Soviet Union. While the region, which is largely inhabited by Armenians, managed to escape from Baku in a bloody civil war with the help of Yerevan in the 1990s, Azerbaijan managed to take revenge in 2020.

Fragile truce

In the ceasefire agreement, Azerbaijan secured control over two-thirds of Nagorno-Karabakh’s territory. A Russian peacekeeping force must monitor compliance with the ceasefire. However, the ceasefire remains fragile. Again and again there are skirmishes between the two sides.

Blinken said that both Armenia and Azerbaijan better understand each other’s positions on the outstanding issues. He suggested that Mirzoyan and Bayramov return to their capitals to make it clear to their governments that with extra goodwill, flexibility and compromise, an agreement is within reach.

Just over three weeks ago, several soldiers were killed in renewed fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Fighting escalated not far from the Lachin corridor, which has been blocked by Azerbaijanis for months and is Armenia’s only access to the crisis region of Nagorno-Karabakh. (sda/dpa)