On October 4, Politico reported, citing sources, that high-ranking officials from the US, European Union, and Russia held secret talks in Istanbul regarding the situation in Karabakh before the commencement of Azerbaijan’s counter-terrorism operations in the region. The meeting took place on September 17.

A senior diplomat told the publication that the negotiators wanted to pressure Baku to end the nine-month blockade of Karabakh and open a corridor for humanitarian aid convoys from Armenia. "According to a source, the main focus of the meeting was on 'how to get those damn trucks moving,'" the publication added.

According to Politico, the US was represented at the meeting by Louis Bono, Washington’s Senior Advisor for Negotiations in the Caucasus; the European Union by Toivo Klaar, the representative in the region; and Russia sent Igor Khovaev, the special presidential envoy for relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.