The Azerbaijani government press agency APA reports that Baku rejected a planned meeting between the foreign minister of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the 31st meeting of the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers in Malta.

APA, citing unnamed diplomatic sources, says U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken initiated the meeting, but that Baku rejected the idea pointing out that the Biden administration, in general, pursues an unjust and biased policy towards Azerbaijan.

Despite the rejection, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southern Europe and the Caucasus Josh Huck and Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations Louis Bono visited Baku today to hold high-level meetings with their counterparts and to discuss steps to reach a Yerevan-Baku peace deal.

Photo: Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan meet in Washington (RA Foreign Ministry, July 10, 2024)