During the meeting with Blinken, Aliyev said that Armenia is trying to delay the negotiation process
During the meeting with Blinken, Aliyev said that Armenia is trying to delay the negotiation process
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that Armenia, which responded to the proposal for a peace agreement after 70 days, is trying to delay the negotiation process.
According to the statement of the Administration of the President of Azerbaijan, Aliyev had a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
During the meeting, held at Blinken's request, Aliyev said that "the recent statements and steps taken by the United States against Azerbaijan have caused serious damage to Azerbaijani-American relations."
Stressing that the speech of James O'Brien, Deputy Secretary of State for European and Asian Affairs of the US Department of State, in the House of Representatives of the US Congress on November 15 was biased, Aliyev said that these statements did not reflect the realities of Azerbaijan and were rejected by his country.
Aliyev stressed that Baku had closely followed the statements of U.S. officials about the postponement of high-level bilateral contacts with Azerbaijan and that bilateral relations could not be the same as before, and that the necessary response had been given.
Aliyev recalled that on November 16, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan issued a statement on this issue and recalled Baku's decision to cancel high-level visits from the United States.
According to the statement, U.S. Secretary of State Blinken asked Aliyev to allow O'Brien to visit Baku next month to normalize bilateral relations. Aliyev agreed to Blinken's request on the condition that the unfair ban on visits to the United States by high-ranking Azerbaijani officials after O'Brien's visit would be lifted. Blinken also accepted Aliyev's condition.
Recalling that Yerevan responded to Azerbaijan's proposal to conclude a peace treaty submitted to Armenia on September 11, 2023, 70 days later, on November 21, Aliyev said: "This delay shows once again that Armenia is using the peace treaty as an excuse to delay the negotiation process."
Aliyev and Blinken also exchanged views on the meeting of the border demarcation commissions of Azerbaijan and Armenia, which is scheduled to be held in the border region on November 30.