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The Wall Street Journal

Putin Exploits the Armenians of Karabakh

As Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosts talks, he needs to press Yerevan to make peace with Azerbaijan.

michael_doran
michael_doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
An Azerbaijani checkpoint at the entry of the Lachin corridor, the Karabakh region's only land link with Armenia, on May 2, 2023. (Tofik Babayev/AFP via Getty Images)
Caption
An Azerbaijani checkpoint at the entry of the Lachin corridor on May 2, 2023. (Tofik Babayev/AFP via Getty Images)

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is hosting talks in Washington this week between Armenia’s Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, his latest effort to broker a peace agreement between the two countries.

Mr. Blinken has prepared the parties to expect several days of hands-on American mediation. This plan represents a significant expansion of Washington’s role as a peace mediator that should be lauded. In November, Mr. Blinken also hosted Messrs. Mirzoyan and Bayramov, but at that time he did little more than welcome his guests and encourage them to engage each other directly. Mr. Blinken now recognizes that, absent greater American involvement, Russia and Iran will work with the Armenians to spoil the peace process.

Read the full article in the Wall Street Journal.