U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken makes phone call to President Ilham Aliyev

On April 28, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a phone call to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Azernews reports.

Antony Blinken first conveyed his congratulations on the agreement reached regarding the border delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and emphasized that the United States commends it. The Secretary of State expressed the United States' readiness to continue supporting the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the advancement of the peace agenda.

The head of state noted that the agreement reached by the delimitation commission of the two countries was the result of the discussions held on a bilateral basis in the spirit of dialogue and mutual understanding. President Ilham Aliyev emphasized that the commencement of demarcation works on the border of the two countries following the delimitation process was a positive step.

The head of state mentioned that the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia would soon meet in Almaty, as per the suggestion of the Kazakh side, to continue negotiations on the peace treaty. Recalling that it was the Republic of Azerbaijan, who was the initiator of the peace treaty and its underlying five principles, and stressed that Azerbaijan would continue to spare no efforts to advance the peace agenda and that Azerbaijan had a strong political will in this regard. President Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan supports the establishment of an integrated South Caucasus regional cooperation model without any dividing lines.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his country’s intention to strengthen bilateral relations between the U.S. and Azerbaijan, noting cooperation in the fields of energy, climate, transport, and COP29. President Ilham Aliyev also emphasized Azerbaijan’s interest in developing bilateral relations with the U.S.

During the telephone conversation, the sides hailed the cooperation between the Azerbaijani and U.S. delegations within COP29.

Antony Blinken positively assessed the recent steps taken in Azerbaijan in the field of human rights, expressing his desire for their continuity.

President Ilham Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan’s commitment to its human rights obligations and the continuation of democratic reforms in the country.