On July 16 the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, and Minister Ararat Mirzoyan visited Georgia to meet with each other in a meeting hosted by the Georgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss stability and peace in the region. The pair also held separate meetings with Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili.

"Azerbaijani MFA Bayramov and Armenian MFA Mirzoyan took a positive step on July 16, meeting in Tbilisi. Direct dialogue is the surest path to resolving Azerbaijani and Armenian differences," a State Department Spokesperson told the Accent.

"The United States remains committed to promoting a peaceful, democratic, and prosperous future for the South Caucasus region. As the Secretary has emphasized, we continue to encourage further peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and reiterate the United States stands ready to engage bilaterally and with like-minded partners, including through our role as an OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair, to help the countries find a long-term comprehensive peace," the Spokesperson added.