The United States has urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to return to peace talks.

Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller told a briefing on Monday, October 2 that there are other issues beyond the status of Nagorno-Karabakh that are at dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“And we would encourage them to return to peace talks to discuss and ultimately come to resolution on those issues.”

On September 19, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, which left hundreds of Armenians killed and thousands of others displaced. On September 20, the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh agreed to a ceasefire on Azerbaijan’s terms, including the dissolution of the Defense Army. On September 18, President of the Republic of Artsakh Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree, according to which the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) will cease to exist by January 1, 2024. As of October 1, over 100,500 displaced residents have already fled Nagorno-Karabakh and reached Armenia.