US Secretary of State Anthony BlinkenWASHINGTON, Apr 6On the eve of the Armenian-Azerbaijani talks, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, noting that «now is not the time» for escalation in the Transcaucasus, the State Department reports. According to the report, Blinken discussed the situation with Pashinyan around Ukraine and the forthcoming negotiations between Pashinyan and Aliyev with the head of the European Council Charles Michel. A meeting between Pashinyan and Aliyev is scheduled for Wednesday in Brussels at the initiative of Michel. «The Secretary of State emphasized that now is not the time for further escalation in the region,» the statement says. Blinken expressed support for the peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The press service of the State Department reported that Blinken spoke separately with Aliyev, also expressing support for the planned talks. «He (Blinken — ed.) emphasized the willingness of the United States to help by engaging bilaterally and with like-minded partners,» the US Foreign Office points out. «/>Putin discussed the situation in Karabakh with Aliyev and PashinyanPashinyan went to Brussels on Tuesday, where he will have a conversation with Michel. There, on April 6, a trilateral meeting of the Prime Minister of Armenia with Michel and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev is scheduled. This is the second meeting in a similar format — Pashinyan, Aliyev and Michel also met in the Belgian capital on December 14, 2021. Before that, two meetings of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan were held with the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin on January 11, 2021 in Moscow and November 26 in Sochi. The details of the upcoming talks are not reported. Earlier, the European Council noted that the leaders will talk about the events that have taken place since their last contacts, and «discuss further ways to build a secure, stable and prosperous South Caucasus.» It is expected that the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will discuss the possibility of starting negotiations on a peace treaty.
