Washington outlines Blinken's close attention to Baku-Yerevan normalisation

Principal Deputy Spokesperson of the US Department of State Vedant Patel has said that US State Secretary Anthony Blinken pays close attention to the normalisation of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations.

Patel made the remarks at a news briefing on February 1 in response to a question about Secretary Blinken’s concern that the sides, Azerbaijan and Armenia, are sleepwalking towards another war, Caliber.Az reports, citing the State Department website.

"It’s something that the department is paying close attention to. Secretary Blinken in particular, as you know, had the chance to speak with both the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. So this is something that we’re going to continue to remain deeply engaged on," the spokesman said.

Asked about the replacement of the US ambassador for the South Caucasus, Philip Reeker, by "non-ambassador career diplomat" Louis Bono, the spokesman said that he is the lead for US engagement to promote peace and stability for the South Caucasus.

"He also represents the United States in the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair format, as his predecessors have in this role. Specifically, what I will say, though, about his qualifications – as I just said, this is an enduring priority for the Biden administration. And Mr Bono is a senior leader in the department with significant experience working on challenging and complex issues. And he has the personal confidence of Secretary Blinken and this department in taking on this new role," Patel said.