YEREVAN, November 17. /ARKA/. ‘We continue to support peace talks to resolve the issues between Azerbaijan and Armenia,’ U.S. State Department spokesman Mathew Miller said Thursday in a comment on Azerbaijan’s refusal to send its foreign minister to Washington for normalization talks with Armenian counterpart, which were supposed to take place next week.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that Baku does not consider it possible to hold a meeting at the level of foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Washington on November 20, 2023 because of a US official’s “groundless” remarks.

US Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien at a hearing in the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday said that “Azerbaijan’s use of force eroded trust and raised doubts over Baku’s commitment to a comprehensive peace with Armenia.”

“Given this new reality, the Department has made it clear to Azerbaijan that there cannot be ‘business as usual’ in our bilateral relationship. The United States has condemned Azerbaijani actions in Nagorno-Karabakh, canceled high-level bilateral meetings and engagements with Azerbaijan, and suspended plans for future events.”  

In response to O/Brien’s remarks, Azerbaijan said such a unilateral approach by the United States could lead to the loss of its mediation role.’

"We would encourage the two parties to engage in those talks, whether they are here, whether they are someone else – whether they are somewhere else, and that’ll be – continue to be our policy,’ said Miller. -0-