Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday initiated a telephone conversation with the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov.
According to a read of the conversation publicized by Armenia’s foreign ministry, opinions were exchanged regarding the Mirzoyan-Bayramov meeting in Geneva on Sunday.
Mirzoyan reportedly reiterated to Blinken and Bayramov the need for the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani armed forces from Armenia’s sovereign territory, the immediate repatriation of the Armenian prisoners of war illegally held in Azerbaijan and for the unconditional observance of the ceasefire regime. “The inadmissibility of resolving the issues with the use of force or the threat of use of force was stressed,” the foreign ministry said.
In the context of preventing new aggression, the importance of introducing international mechanisms for monitoring and controlling the border situation was emphasized.
During the conversation, the interlocutors exchanged views on the development of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace treaty and the creation of a discussion mechanism between Stepanakert and Baku, Armenia’s foreign ministry said.
“The sides agreed to continue discussions aimed at establishing stability and security in the South Caucasus,” added the statement.
Surprisingly, what the statement did not include was whether the three top diplomats discussed a video that has created an international uproar. The video, which appeared on social media sites on Sunday depicts Armenia soldiers being executed by Azerbaijani forces. The authenticity of the video was verified on Monday by Armenia’s Defense Ministry.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Monday deplored the depictions within the video and called for an immediate investigation of the incident.