US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on 8 July that he is optimistic a peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia could be reached "pretty soon," signaling Washington’s most upbeat assessment of the diplomatic track in months. The two South Caucasus neighbors have been negotiating a treaty to end decades of conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions. Rubio’s remark follows a June briefing by the US Helsinki Commission that urged a more active American role in the talks. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are expected to meet in Dubai later this month, a session that diplomats hope will finalize outstanding border and security issues. While no timeline was given, Rubio’s comments suggest the United States sees the forthcoming summit as a pivotal opportunity to conclude the pact.