The United States is interested in facilitating direct engagement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Monday, June 6.

Price's remarks came ahead of a meeting between Assistant Secretary of State Karen Donfried and Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev.

"Assistant Secretary Donfried will convey to Mr. Hajiyev the U.S. interest in facilitating direct engagement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, including our role as a Minsk Group co-chair and our support for recent EU efforts to bring both countries together," Price said.

"This is something that Secretary Blinken has had an opportunity to engage with the leaders of these two countries on in recent days and recent weeks. It continues to be something we wish to promote."

United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken earlier welcomed the first joint meeting of the Armenia-Azerbaijan bilateral Border Commissions, which was held on the border between the two countries on May 24. The next meeting of the commissions of Armenia and Azerbaijan on the delimitation of the border will be held in June in Moscow.