Ned Price, the U.S. State Department spokesman, said Blinken described those talks as an “important step forward in the peace process.”
“Secretary Blinken expressed our appreciation for the positive steps Armenia and Azerbaijan are taking towards reaching a sustainable peace agreement,” he said in a statement on the call.
“The Secretary commended the release of POWs and reiterated our commitment to helping Armenia and Azerbaijan resolve issues peacefully and underscored that diplomacy is the only way forward,” added Price.
According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov “presented their opinions” about the Geneva meeting. They also discussed with Blinken ongoing efforts to negotiate an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty, reported the ministry.
The treaty sought by Baku was reportedly the main focus of Mirzoyan’s latest meeting with Bayramov. Neither side reported concrete agreements on this issue.
The United States has been at the forefront of international efforts to ease tensions and facilitate a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan since the September 13-14 fighting on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border that killed at least 280 soldiers from both sides.
Blinken held a trilateral meeting with Bayramov and Mirzoyan in New York on September 19. Eight days later, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan hosted talks in Washington between other senior Armenian and Azerbaijani officials.
The U.S. also helped to secure the release of 17 Armenian soldiers captured by Azerbaijani forces during last month’s border clashes. They were handed over to Armenia on Tuesday.