President Ilham Aliyev receives assistant to US president [PHOTOS]

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Michael Carpenter, Special Assistant to the U.S. President and Senior Director for Europe at the National Security Council, Azernews reports.

Michael Carpenter expressed his gratitude for the reception and presented a letter from U.S. President Joseph Biden to the Azerbaijani head of state. He highlighted U.S. support for the swift signing of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, noting the historic opportunity available under current circumstances.

Emphasizing that the signing of a peace agreement would create broad opportunities for regional cooperation, Michael Carpenter affirmed that the U.S. is firmly committed to advancing this process.

Noting that Azerbaijan is the initiator of the peace agreement and its five core principles, President Ilham Aliyev emphasized the country’s support for the regional peace agenda. The President pointed out that Armenia’s delay in sending its latest proposals on the text of the peace agreement - after 70 days - raises certain concerns about Armenia's intentions to advance the process. President Ilham Aliyev underlined that Armenia's territorial claims against Azerbaijan, based on constitutional grounds, remain a key obstacle to finalizing the peace agreement. The head of state stressed that Azerbaijan would continue to take decisive steps toward advancing the process.

They also exchanged views on issues related to the bilateral agenda between Azerbaijan and the United States.