Blinken Proposes Meeting Again with Mirzoyan and Bayramov by End of September

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has proposed another meeting this month between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“Secretary Blinken expressed condolences for the loss of life and emphasized the necessity of preventing further hostilities. They discussed the next steps, and the Secretary urged both sides to meet again by the end of the month,” the State Department's statement reads.

The department noted that the meeting between Mirzoyan and Bayramov was the first direct negotiation since the recent escalation between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The Mirzoyan–Bayramov meeting took place on September 19 in New York.

Blinken participated in the meeting between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov within the framework of the UN General Assembly's annual session.
It is recalled that Azerbaijani armed forces had been conducting intensive fire from artillery and heavy-caliber firearms towards Goris, Sotk, and Jermuk since September 13. The adversary also employed drones.

On September 16, during a government session, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that the confirmed number of Armenian casualties was 135. As of September 14 at 20:00, a ceasefire regime has been established along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which is still being observed.

According to the statement from the National Security Council of Armenia, the number of those killed and missing due to Azerbaijan's large-scale aggression has reached 207, including 3 civilians killed, with the whereabouts of 2 civilians considered unknown, 293 servicemen wounded, 7 civilians injured, and 20 servicemen captured.