UPDATE - Armenia normalization in focus as Azerbaijani president meets US official, EU envoy

UPDATES WITH ALIYEV'S MEETING WITH EU ENVOY; REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE

By Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL (AA) - Normalization of ties between Azerbaijan and Armenia was in focus as President Ilham Aliyev met with officials from the US and EU in the capital Baku.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday met with US Senior Adviser for Caucasus Negotiations Louis Bono and discussed the normalization of relations with Armenia.

“The head of state expressed his satisfaction with the results of the meeting of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia within the framework of the Munich Security Conference and expressed his gratitude to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken for his continuous efforts in this direction,” a statement by the Azerbaijani presidency said, following the meeting.

According to the statement, Bono conveyed Blinken’s greeting to Aliyev and said that Blinken is of the opinion that the Munich Security Conference meeting was successful.

It said that Aliyev and Bono exchanged views on the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and the negotiation process for the peace treaty between the two countries.

Later, Aliyev also met with EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar and discussed the process of normalization of relations between Baku and Yerevan, as well as the negotiation process on the peace treaty between the two countries.​​​​​​​

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

In the fall of 2020, in 44 days of clashes, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation. The Russian-brokered peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.