On June 27, the new round of peace talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia began with the mediation of the United States. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken participated in the opening of talks with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. Before the negotiations, Blinken held one-on-one meetings with foreign ministers.

The MFA of Azerbaijan said on its Twitter page that Antony Blinken welcomed Jeyhun Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan would the next round of bilateral negotiations. The ministry also released photos of the meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Jeyhun Bayramov and Ararat Mirzoyan, with the participation of the US Secretary of State.

The meetings are held at the State Department's Diplomatic Service Institute's George Shultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center in Arlington, Virginia. According to the State Department, the next round of negotiations between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia on the "Bilateral Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Interstate Relations" project will continue until June 29.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the United States supports the joint efforts of Azerbaijan and Armenia to achieve a lasting peace agreement. Secretary of State Blinken made a statement about this after participating in the opening of the next round of peace talks between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia on June 27. "This week, peace talks are being held with foreign ministers Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov at the National Foreign Relations Training Center. We support the joint activities of Armenia and Azerbaijan to achieve a long-term and worthy agreement. Dialogue is the key to lasting peace," Blinken wrote on Twitter.

On June 27, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry reported that Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with State Secretary Anthony Blinken as part of his business trip to the United States. The parties discussed the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process, the prospects of the negotiations on the draft bilateral agreement on establishing peace and interstate relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the current regional situation.

"During the meeting, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov drew attention to the positions and approaches of Azerbaijan on the issues covered in the draft agreement. Attempts to obstruct the peace process and several provocative steps on the part of Armenia were emphasized. For the peace process to succeed, it was stated that it is important not to take these steps, to withdraw the Armenian armed forces, which have not yet been fully withdrawn from the territories of Azerbaijan, to respect territorial integrity and sovereignty both in word and deed," the report added.

On the same day, the Armenian Foreign Ministry stated that Ararat Mirzoyan met Antony Blinken in Washington, DC.

During the meeting, regional security and stability issues were discussed. The interlocutors touched upon the normalization process of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"The importance of the following issues was stressed: ensuring the delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on the Alma-Ata Declaration and the map of 1975, withdrawal of the troops from the border, as well as appropriately addressing the rights and security issues of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh as an important factor for the lasting peace in the region," the information said.

"Ararat Mirzoyan briefed upon the humanitarian crisis resulting from the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor. Minister Mirzoyan emphasized the imperative for Azerbaijan to renounce warmongering rhetoric as well as to release all Armenian prisoners of war," the report added.

Moreover, according to the information of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, on June 27, in the territory of Azerbaijan, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed, serviceman Ali Bakirov was injured as a result of fire from the Armenian side.

On June 28, the de-facto Ministry of Defense of Karabakh said that the Azerbaijani Army killed 4 Armenian soldiers in the direction of Aghdara/Martakert and Khojavand/Martuni.

In connection with the incident, the de-facto parliament of Karabakh called on the Armenian leadership to cancel the meeting with Azerbaijan in Washington.

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