Armenia, Azerbaijan agree to expedite negotiations in Washington talks

FILE PHOTO: Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center right, speaks during a meeting with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Aziz oglu Bayramov, left, and Armenia's Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, right, at Blair House, Monday, Nov. 7, 2022, in Washington. Alex Brandon/Pool via REUTERS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed at talks in Washington to expedite negotiations between the two South Caucasus nations that have clashed repeatedly over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, the U.S. State Department said on Tuesday.

"The foreign ministers agreed to expedite their negotiations," State Department spokesman Ned Price said of Monday's talks between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov. "Yesterday was positive in that the two sides met, they surfaced many of their areas of disagreement, at the end of the day they were able to agree on a joint statement. They were able to agree to continue meeting, engaging in direct dialogue and diplomacy in the weeks that follow."