U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed his support for the steps Armenia and Azerbaijan have taken toward achieving peace in the region. His remarks came in a congratulatory letter addressed to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the occasion of Nowruz, as reported by Haqqin.az .

“We welcome the steps taken by Azerbaijan and Armenia to establish peace in the region,” Trump wrote.

He added that he looks forward to the opportunity to work with President Aliyev and “values Azerbaijan’s friendship with the United States’ partner, Israel.”

Trump reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and expressed readiness to deepen bilateral cooperation.

On March 13, Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it had accepted Azerbaijan’s proposals on two previously unresolved articles of the peace agreement. Armenia stated that it is ready to begin consultations on the time and place for signing the agreement. However, Baku introduced new preconditions and declared that it is too early to discuss the signing schedule.