On April 3, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken spoke with the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, on the telephone.
As reported by the Azerbaijani mass media, Anthony Blinken stated that he received information that the tripartite meeting between the USA, the European Union, and Armenia to be held on April 5 causes concern for the Azerbaijani side and considers it essential to clarify this issue, in particular, speaking with President Ilham Aliyev.
The Secretary of State emphasized that the main topic of the upcoming meeting will be Armenia’s economic development.
Ilham Aliyev noted that during the tripartite meeting preparations, issues such as military support to Armenia and conducting joint military exercises, creation of military infrastructure in the border areas with Azerbaijan, and arming Armenia through the European Union Peace Mechanism at the expense of the US budget were discussed. He emphasized that such steps of an anti-Azerbaijani character, including France’s policy of arming Armenia, contribute to the arms race in the region and lead to provocations.
During the telephone conversation, Anthony Blinken emphasized that the April 5 meeting was not against Azerbaijan.
Issues related to the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace negotiation process were discussed. Ilham Aliyev noted that the negotiations of foreign ministers in Berlin on the peace treaty’s text help advance the process and are necessary to speed up the talks. Aliyev also emphasized that accusations made in the West about Azerbaijan’s intention to attack Armenia are entirely groundless.
In a conversation with Blinken, Ilham Aliyev stated that during the April 2 press conference, the French Foreign Minister lied and accused Azerbaijan of not recognizing Armenia’s territorial integrity and being a source of threat to Armenia. The President of Azerbaijan emphasized Azerbaijan’s commitment to the declaration adopted at the Prague meeting in 2022 and the Alma-Ata declaration.
In Aliyev’s opinion, the non-transparent preparation of the tripartite meeting of the USA, the European Union, and Armenia, which is scheduled for April 5, is not inclusive and is not postponed, despite Azerbaijan’s fair remarks, will lead to the creation of dividing lines and not to peace and cooperation. as a result of tension in the South Caucasus.
