MUNICH (RFE/RL) — The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan met in Munich on Saturday, February 18, for talks organized by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“We believe that Armenia and Azerbaijan have a genuinely historic opportunity to secure enduring peace after more than 30 years of conflict,” Blinken said at the start of his trilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
“The parties themselves have renewed their focus on the peace process, including through direct conversation as well as with the EU and ourselves,” he said. “The United States is committed to doing anything we can to support these efforts, whether it’s directly with our friends, whether it’s in a trilateral format such as this or with other international partners.”
Neither Blinken nor the conflicting sides announced any concrete agreements after the talks held on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
An Armenian government statement said that the three men discussed ongoing negotiations on an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty as well as transport links between the two South Caucasus states and a demarcation of their border.
“Prime Minister Pashinyan reaffirmed the Armenian side’s determination to achieve the signing of a treaty that will truly guarantee long-term peace and stability in the region,” added the statement.