Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised a “further strengthening” of diplomatic ties when the US and Armenia began a bilateral strategic dialogue on Monday.
Blinken hosted Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan at the State Department for a meeting in which the two countries signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement, which “improves our cooperation on energy security and strengthens our diplomatic and economic relationship,” according to the State Department.
The arrangement is intended to help Armenia diversify its energy supply, according to a second statement from the department.
In a statement, spokesperson Ned Price said Blinken and Mirzoyan “discussed Armenia’s progress in implementing democratic, rule of law, and anti-corruption reforms.”
“They also talked about Armenia’s continued dialogue with its neighbors,” he said.
“Secretary Blinken thanked the Foreign Minister for the flexibility Armenia has shown and encouraged further direct talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, underscoring the U.S. commitment to help Armenia and Azerbaijan find sustainable peace and prosperity, including in our capacity as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair,” he added.
Armenia and Turkiye are set to hold the next round of ministerial-level normalization talks on May 3.