Blinken believes Azerbaijan, Armenia 'very close' to peace agreement

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday at a meeting with his counterparts from Azerbaijan and Armenia that Baku and Yerevan are "very close" to reaching a "durable" and "dignified" peace agreement.

"Over the last year, year and a half, Armenia and Azerbaijan have done very important work toward negotiating and concluding a peace agreement -- one that is durable, one that is dignified, and one that would open extraordinary possibilities for both countries, the region that they share, and for their relationship with the United States," Blinken told reporters before meeting Ararat Mirzoyan from Armenia and Jeyhun Bayramov from Azerbaijan on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Washington.

Blinken noted efforts by the U.S. and the EU for the peace talks between the two as Brussels and Washington hosted negotiations.

"Today is an opportunity to take stock in the progress that's been made, what remains. But based on all of the engagements that we've had, including in recent weeks, I believe both countries are very close to being able to reach a final agreement -- one that the United States would strongly, strongly support," he said.

Bayramov "reiterated Azerbaijan's commitment to the peace process" in a post on X following the meeting.

Mirzoyan said last month that Armenia is ready to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, adding that it may be drafted within a month.

Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev said last week the two countries may finalize the "basic principles" of the treaty "within a few months" but a peace agreement can only be signed if Armenia changes its Constitution.

"The main condition (for signing) the peace agreement is to change Armenia's Constitution because it contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan. And until this happens, the peace agreement will not be signed," said Aliyev.

In May, Armenia returned four villages to Azerbaijan that it occupied during the First Karabakh War.