Azerbaijan refused to hold talks with Armenia in the US

Political

Baku has refused a meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the United States, accusing Washington of "bias" after statements by the Assistant Secretary of State. The meeting was planned to discuss normalisation of relations between the two countries.

Azerbaijan refused to hold talks with Armenia in the US
The meeting of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, scheduled for 20 November in the US capital, will not take place. On 16 November, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said that Baku refused to participate in it due to "Washington's biased position". The meeting was supposed to discuss normalisation of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

Azerbaijan's refusal was caused by the words said the previous day by US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien. In his speech at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the Karabakh issue, he said that US relations with Azerbaijan "will not return to normal after the events of 19 September" as long as "progress towards peace" is not seen.

Baku called O'Brien's comments "counterproductive, groundless and unacceptable". The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry also noted that "the unilateral approach of the United States may lead to the loss of its role as a mediator" in the conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus.

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