U.S. State Department Spokesperson Vedant Patel, at a May 3 press briefing, said that peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is only possible through direct dialog.

Patel said the U.S. is pleased to host the foreign ministers of the two countries who are now meeting in Virginia. but refrained from specifying what agreements, if any, have been reached.

“What I will reiterate again is that we remain committed to promoting a peaceful future for the South Caucasus region,” Patel told reporters.

Patel said Ankara’s recent announcement that it would suspend Armenian airline overflight permissions was “disappointing”.

“An agreement that had previously been reached between these two countries to resume air connections had been a very important confidence-building measure – not just between these two countries, but, again, for regional stability broadly. And it’s our sincere hope that Türkiye and Armenia can continue to rebuild economic ties and open transportation links as well,” Patel said.