Blinken Calls for De-escalation: Details from Phone Conversations with Leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan

The spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, Ned Price, provided details about the phone conversations between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

During his conversation with Prime Minister Pashinyan, Blinken assured that the "United States is closely monitoring the situation in and around Nagorno-Karabakh." According to Price's statement, "He called for direct dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan to resolve issues related to or stemming from Nagorno-Karabakh."

In a phone call with the Azerbaijani president, Blinken "called for de-escalation," once again urging for direct dialogue to commence with Armenia.