Blinken hopes Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict can be moved to negotiating tableSeptember 14, 2022 - 13:13 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed hope that the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan can be moved to the negotiating table. "I spoke to Prime Minister [Nikol] Pashinyan of Armenia and President [Ilham] Aliyev of Azerbaijan last night; pretty early in the morning for them," Blinken told reporters on Tuesday, September 13. "We’d seen the outbreak of hostilities again, something that is in no one’s interest. It’s not in the interest of the people of Azerbaijan, it’s not in the interest of the people of Armenia, it’s certainly not in the interest of the larger region. And I spoke to both, urged them to do everything possible to pull back from the conflict and to get back to talking about building a lasting peace between their countries. "We have our special envoy in the region right now working with both countries. I’ll be in close touch with them going forward, and my hope is that we can move this from conflict back to the negotiating table and back to trying to build a peace." Also Tuesday, Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said that the United States has seen significant evidence of Azerbaijani shelling inside Armenia and significant damage to Armenian infrastructure. The Armenian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday morning that the situation on the border remained tense, with the Azerbaijani military continuing to shell the Armenian positions and civilian homes. Photos published online show damage to residential buildings in villages situated the closest to the border. 49 Armenian servicemen have been confirmed dead. Top stories Six total incidents have burned 19 old-growth trees. Friday night 8 trees were torched along the beautiful main entrance. The EU does not intend to conduct military exercises with Armenia, Lead Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano says. Hikmet Hajiyev has said that there is no place for USAID operation in Azerbaijan any longer. A telephone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan before the CSTO summit is not planned, Peskov says. Partner news | Seven injured in massive gas station explosion in Armenia The Investigative Committee of Armenia has unveiled details about a massive explosion at a gas station on the Yerevan-Sevan highway. Pashinyan’s spokesperson denies intention to visit Baku for COP29 Pashinyan’s agenda doesn’t include a trip to Baku for the COP29 conference, his press secretary Nazeli Baghdasaryan has said. Russia accuses West of preparing invasion of CSTO countries NATO is preparing an invasion of the CSTO countries, the number of provocations in the air is growing, Sergei Shoigu has said. Lithuania sending €100,000 to help Armenia fight floods consequences Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took to social media to thank his Lithuanian counterpart for the contribution. |