The US on Tuesday opened three days of peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, in its latest attempt to quell a conflict that has flared repeatedly.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began the closed-door talks with the adversaries' foreign ministers at a State Department office just outside Washington, in the second such negotiations session he has led in as many months.
“We continue to believe that peace is within reach and direct dialogue is the key to resolving the remaining issues and reaching a durable and dignified peace,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said before the talks, which would cover “very sensitive” areas.
Russia has historically been the mediator between the two former Soviet republics but the US and EU have been increasingly active as Moscow becomes bogged down in its invasion of Ukraine.
Armenia has repeatedly accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to live up to promises to protect ethnic Armenians in line with a 2020 ceasefire negotiated by Moscow after six weeks of fighting left thousands dead.
Russia last week pressed Azerbaijan to allow traffic through the Lachin corridor that links Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, a mainly ethnic Armenian area effectively controlled by Yerevan since war during the collapse of the Soviet Union.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said Azerbaijan had blocked access for convoys delivering aid to Karabakh, raising concerns of shortages of food and medicine.
Russia said that Azerbaijan was breaching its obligations to allow traffic to flow.
Azerbaijan has insisted that civilians and aid convoys can travel through, with the blockade since December nominally staged by Azerbaijani activists to protest against illegal mining.
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What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
2nd row
Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes-GP)
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes-GP)
3rd row
Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing)
Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull Racing)
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Nico Hulkenberg (Renault)
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Carlos Sainz Jr (Renault)
Romain Grosjean (Haas)
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Kevin Magnussen (Haas)
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Fernando Alonso (McLaren)
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Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
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October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
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Age: 31
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T20 internationals: 41 matches, 29 wickets, average 30.3, economy rate 6.28
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Scores
Scotland 54-17 Fiji
England 15-16 New Zealand
