YEREVAN, WASHINGTON—Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian and the U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had a phone conversation on March 3. As it is their first talk since Tillerson’s confirmation as a Secretary of State, Nalbandian congratulated and wished him success, also expressing hope for a further development of the already strong Armenia-US relations.

Tillerson, in turn, stated that the new U.S. administration values the close relationship between the two countries and is committed to their further strengthening.

During their conversation, the U.S. and Armenian officials touched upon issues of the bilateral agenda, and discussed a number of pressing regional and international topics. Tillerson further thanked his Armenian counterpart for Armenia’s significant contribution to the international peacekeeping efforts.

He also expressed appreciation to the Government of Armenia for receiving and sheltering of tens of thousands of Syrian refugees.

Nalbandian and Tillerson exchanged views on possible steps to advance the process of peaceful settlement of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) conflict. The Foreign Minister of Armenia briefed Tillerson on the recent developments along the conflict zone, and underscored the need to implement agreements reached during the 2016 Vienna and Saint Petersburg summits.

Secretary Tillerson reassured his Armenian interlocutor that the United States will continue to support the peaceful resolution of the conflict.