WASHINGTON, September 20. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed at a meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in New York on Monday a path to settlement between Baku and Yerevan, the US Department of State reported. Blinken also called on the two sides to meet again later this month.

"Secretary of State Blinken hosted the Armenian Foreign Minister <…> and the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister <…> for the first direct talks since recent fighting. Secretary Blinken conveyed condolences for the lives lost and emphasized the need to prevent further hostilities, underscoring the importance of returning to the peace process. They discussed next steps, and the Secretary encouraged the sides to meet again before the end of the month," the press release reads.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 77th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

During the pre-dawn hours of September 13, the Armenian Defense Ministry said that Azerbaijani forces had opened fire on some of the country’s settlements. Baku said it was responding to provocations by Yerevan. Azerbaijan later said a ceasefire agreement was reached but Armenia said that the shelling had continued. The Armenian Security Council convened an emergency meeting where a decision was made to ask Russia to use the provisions of the Agreement on Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance and also to appeal to the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the UN Security Council.