US Secretary of State, Turkish FM Discuss Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Process

WASHINGTON, DC — The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict was on the agenda of newly appointed U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s phone call with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan reported by the U.S. State Department on Thursday.

Fidan phoned Rubio to congratulate him on the appointment, confirmed by the U.S. Senate earlier this week, and discuss bilateral relations and regional affairs.

According to the State Department spokeswoman, Tammy Bruce, the top U.S. diplomat reaffirmed “the importance of U.S.-Turkey relations, Turkey’s role as a key NATO Ally, and our shared interests in the region.”

“The Secretary and the Foreign Minister also discussed the importance of a durable and dignified peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” Bruce said in a statement. She did not give details of that discussion.

Citing Turkish Foreign Ministry sources, Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency reported that the two men “stressed the significance of coordination on regional issues.”