Yerevan /Mediamax/. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed real appreciation for "the vision and the courage and the flexibility” Nikol Pashinyan shows in dialogue with Azerbaijan.

The Secretary of State said it during the meeting with the Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.

“I just want to take this opportunity to, in the first instance, praise the leadership of the prime minister and his government, the democratic reforms that they’ve been pursuing, the progress that continues to be made – but also to very much welcome the dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and to express real appreciation for the vision and the courage and the flexibility that the prime minister and Armenia have been showing in this process working toward what we all want, which is a lasting peace,” the Secretary of State said.

“These are challenging times in many, many ways, and they’re challenging for Armenia, but know that you have a strong and true friend and partner in the United States,” Blinken stressed.

In his turn, Ararat Mirzoyan highlighted the important role the United States of America plays as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group.

“I also appreciate the support of the United States through the Armenia-Turkish normalization process and the United States’ strong stance on the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian genocide and confirmation of this stance this year, too,” Armenian foreign minister stated.