Trump advisor: Conflict in South Caucasus must end

U.S. President Donald Trump's National Security Advisor Mike Waltz on Sunday held a phone call with his Azerbaijani counterpart Hikmet Hajiyev, calling for the finalization of a peace deal between Yerevan and Baku and the release of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan.

"Conflict in the South Caucasus must end.  I spoke this week with Mr. Hikmet Hajiyev, the national security advisor for President Aliyev in Azerbaijan," he posted on X.

"We are pleased Azerbaijan and Armenia have taken a big step forward and agreed to a peace treaty.  I told him we should finalize this peace deal now, release the prisoners, and work together to make the region more secure and prosperous. 

"America's Golden Age will bring peace and prosperity to the world, and we won't stop working until that happens," Waltz said.

Earlier on Saturday, Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Executive Director Aram Hamparian stressed the need for "a real peace – a just and enduring peace that respects the rights of the Armenian nation and ensures the return of Armenians to Artsakh – not a fake ‘peace’ – a one-sided surrender of Armenian security and sovereignty forced on Yerevan at the point of a gun."