State Department backs offer to hold Sargsyan-Aliyev summit

The United States supports France’s initiative to hold a summit of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Paris, State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said when responding to a question about the escalation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, according to the website of the Department of State.

“I don’t have any confirmation of those specific reports, but clearly, a peaceful settlement is in the interests of both countries,” J. Psaki said. In her words, the U.S. as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair is committed to helping both sides reach a peaceful settlement to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

“It is our hope that the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan will accept French President Hollande’s invitation to hold a summit in Paris as soon as possible and that they will agree to structured negotiations that will lead to a peace agreement,” Jen Psaki said, noting that the U.S. calls on both sides to redouble their efforts at the negotiating table and to focus on the benefits that peace will bring to people across the region. “Inflammatory rhetoric and statements run counter to the principle of reducing tensions, and so we certainly think that that damages the peace process, and that’s why we are encouraging them to redouble their efforts,” Psaki said.