On 9 June, Philip Reeker, Acting Deputy Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, held a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia.
The MFA stated that during the meeting, high-ranking officials of the foreign policy departments of Armenia and the United States discussed a wide range of issues of bilateral interest. Special reference was made to the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the immediate repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held in hostage status, as well as the situation created by the incursion of Azerbaijani armed forces into the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.
Both sides reaffirmed the continued pivotal role of the co-chairmanship format of the OSCE Minsk Group in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The importance of addressing the emerging humanitarian issues and ensuring the unhindered entry of international humanitarian assistance to Artsakh was underscored.
The American side emphasised the need to de-escalate the tense situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, reaffirming the position enshrined in the US State Department’s statement of 27 May that Azerbaijani armed forces must withdraw to the positions they held as of 11 May.
Ideas were also exchanged on the agenda of the protection of human rights and the prevention of crimes against humanity. The importance of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide was underscored as an effective means of preventing such crimes in the future.
Further work carried out within the framework of the Armenia-US Strategic Dialogue was also discussed.
