US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Monday to offer continued US assistance in facilitating bilateral peace discussions with Azerbaijan, according to a readout of the call provided by Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel. Blinken thanked Pashinyan for Armenia's commitment to peace and encouraged concrete steps forward in finding solutions to outstanding issues.

Blinken reiterated US support for direct talks and diplomacy to support a lasting and sustainable peace in the South Caucasus and emphasized that there is no military solution. He is expected to engage with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev in the coming days, according to diplomatic sources.

This development comes as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried announced that she will be stepping down by the end of March. Her departure leaves an important post empty at a time when Washington is focused on keeping its allies focused on supporting Russia's annexation policy in its neighborhood.

Meanwhile, another Assistant Secretary of State, Michele Sison, who is in charge of International Organization Affairs, is scheduled to visit Azerbaijan next week as part of a wider trip that will also take her to Madagascar, South Africa, Mauritius, Mongolia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos. During her travels, Sison will discuss areas of current and potential multilateral cooperation, including achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, climate change, food insecurity, and global health security.