Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has stressed at a meeting with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken that the Azerbaijani armed forces must be withdrawn from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.

In the course of the meeting, Mirzoyan underscored that the use of force or the threat of force is unacceptable, and international mechanisms must be introduced to prevent further escalations.

The Foreign Minister highlighted the importance of immediate resolution of humanitarian issues, including the repatriation of prisoners of war.

Mirzoyan also reiterated the readiness of the Armenian side to be involved in the process of comprehensive normalisation of relations.

According to a statement from the Department of State, the sides discussed next steps, and the Secretary encouraged the sides to meet again before the end of the month.