The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan (Ararat Mirzoyan, Jeyhun Bayramov) shook hands yesterday in Washington D.C. before sitting down with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in an attempt to resolve lingering differences to draft a peace agreement.

Bayramov Tweeted the following after the meeting.

At the initiative of @SecBlinken had a meeting with Armenian FM @AraratMirzoyan in #WashingtonDC. I reiterated #Azerbaijan’s commitment & readiness for the soonest conclusion of the 🇦🇿🇦🇲 #peace agreement, and urged to refrain from actions that would undermine the process. pic.twitter.com/xTyJ9q15FH

— Jeyhun Bayramov (@Bayramov_Jeyhun) November 8, 2022

The Armenian Foreign Ministry released a statement that the ministers exchanged ideas on the elements of a possible peace agreement and noted several problems still need to be addressed.

"The two sides reaffirmed the commitments made by the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the meetings held on October 6 in Prague and October 31 in Sochi," the statement reads.

Blinken, before sitting down with Mirzoyan and Bayramov, said:

“I think it’s also fair to say that 30-plus years of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh have had tremendous human, material costs – lives lost, scars that are deep.  But what we are seeing now are real steps, and courageous steps, by both countries to put the past behind and to work toward a durable peace.  Both countries are working to that end and to, ultimately, a brighter future for the South Caucasus – a future of peace, countries at peace, countries working together for a better future.”

Photo: Jeyhun Bayramov’s Twitter page