Top US diplomat, Azerbaijani president discuss Azerbaijan-Armenia ties

By Zehra Nur Duz

ANKARA (AA) - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev discussed the process of normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia in a telephone call Wednesday.

Blinken reaffirmed the determination of the US to contribute to normalization and noted that there was a “historic opportunity” to normalize ties and ink a peace deal. He added that Washington would continue its efforts to realize the target.

Aliyev welcomed Blinken's continuous attention to the normalization process and efforts the US is making to achieve that goal.

“Despite the efforts and negotiations in this direction, the contradictory statements by Armenian leaders in recent days have a negative impact on the normalization of relations between the two countries and the advancement of the peace agenda,” said Aliyev.

The sides exchanged views regarding the next meeting on the peace treaty and confidence-building measures.

The conversation comes after the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers met Nov. 7 in Washington under the auspices of their US counterpart on a possible peace treaty, amid increasing political discussions between the two countries.

The leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia agreed to reaffirm their commitment to a comprehensive normalization of Baku-Yerevan relations and to ensure peace, stability, security and sustainable economic development of the South Caucasus after the Oct. 31 trilateral talks in Sochi.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan.

In the fall 2020, Baku liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of fighting that ended in a Moscow-brokered truce.

The peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.