US State Department deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel has commented on the potential for talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan during the upcoming NATO summit in Washington, scheduled for July 9-11. Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers have been invited to the summit.

At a press briefing on July 2, Patel reaffirmed the US commitment to fostering dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “Let me just say broadly in the context of the issue in the South Caucasus, this is a priority for us, a priority for the Secretary and other officials across this department,” Patel stated. “I have no doubt that it’s something we’ll continue to work towards.”

While he emphasized the importance of engagements between the two countries, Patel refrained from providing specific details about the potential meetings at the summit. “Specific meetings and engagements on the summit's margins – I just don't want to speak to the schedule yet,” he added.

Earlier, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed optimism about the potential for a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia, describing it as an extraordinary opportunity to end decades of conflict.

“There is an extraordinary opportunity, potential to realize a peace agreement between the countries that ends decades of conflict and actually creates in the region, I think, a tremendous opportunity for economic connectivity, for economic growth, for connecting countries both east, west, north and south,” Blinken stated.

He also emphasized the US's intense diplomatic efforts, undertaken in close collaboration with the European Union, to facilitate a peace agreement. He indicated that this goal is within reach and emphasized its importance for the interests of both nations and the broader region.