'We are strongly supporting the peace effort that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been developing with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev,' said US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien as he addressed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing on the Future of Europe. 'We are working very hard so that the expressed desire of peace can be manifested in agreement. Why that matters? Look at the map. The Central Asian countries are incredibly rich, and right now their only options to the global markets fundamentally are through Russia or China. If we can open up the road that goes through Azerbaijan and Armenia, then they will have access to global markets, and much less dependence on Russia and China,' O'Brien added. Source: Azerbaijan State News Agency