"We look forward to hosting another round of talks in Washington soon, as the parties continue to pursue a peaceful future in the South Caucasus region. We continue to believe direct dialogue is key to resolving issues and reaching a durable and dignified peace. The steps that are going to incite tensions and elevate tensions are certainly unproductive right now. as talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan are proceeding in different venues. And so will continue to engage on this and look forward to hosting another round of talks very soon," he said.
Regarding Russia's role in this process, Patel said if Moscow thinks that they can play a constructive role in this, certainly they are welcome.
"But we continue to feel that these talks are progressing, they're proceeding. The United States has been an important partner in this, the secretary personally has been engaged on this. We think direct dialogue is key to resolving this issue and reaching a durable and dignified peace and we also continue to think that dialogue can't be replaced in this process," he concluded.
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