Blinken, Lavrov and Le Drien Call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to Refrain From Provocative Actions

The United States, Russia and France have called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to resume “direct dialogue” and fully comply with their agreements brokered by Moscow.

In a joint statement issued on Tuesday night, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian also said the conflicting sides must not use force to resolve border disputes.

“The [OSCE Minsk Group] Co-Chair countries call on Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from inflammatory rhetoric and provocative actions and to implement in full the commitments they undertook on 9 November 2020 and reconfirmed on 26 November 2021 in statements made by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, and President of the Russian Federation and other jointly agreed ceasefire arrangements,” read the statement.

Blinken, Lavrov and Le Drian said they expect Baku and Yerevan to “work constructively” to demarcate the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and restore economic and transport links between the two South Caucasus states.

They also called on the sides to continue the dialogue between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan begun at meetings held in New York in September and Paris in November, as well as to continue contacts at the leadership level to promote a lasting and sustainable peace in the region.

They also called on the sides to continue the dialogue between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan begun at meetings held in New York in September and Paris in November, as well as to continue contacts at the leadership level to promote a lasting and sustainable peace in the region.

“The Co-Chair countries also note with concern recent incidents on the non-demarcated Armenia-Azerbaijan border and reaffirm that the use or threat of force to resolve border disputes is unacceptable,” added the top diplomats of the three mediating powers.

They further urged the sides to allow U.S., Russian and French envoys co-chairing the Minsk Group to visit the conflict zone “as soon as possible” and “assess the situation on the ground first-hand.”