Phone call between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and President Ilham Aliyev

On April 3, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a phone call to the President Ilham Aliyev. During the phone call, Blinken expressed concern over reports indicating that the upcoming trilateral meeting on April 5 between the U.S., the European Union, and Armenia was causing unease in Azerbaijan and in this regard, he emphasized the importance of clarifying these concerns with President Ilham Aliyev. Secretary of State expressed that the primary focus of the April 5 meeting would be Armenia’s economic development issues, not directed against Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev informed Blinken that according to the information he has, the preparation process for the trilateral meeting involved discussions on military support to Armenia, joint military exercises, the creation of military infrastructure in border areas with Azerbaijan, and arming of Armenia through the European peace mechanism of the European Union and U.S. budget funds. The head of state highlighted that such actions, including France’s policy of arming Armenia, contributed to an arms race in the region and could provoke further tensions.

The discussion also covered the peace negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev noted that the talks held by the foreign ministers in Berlin on the peace treaty text were useful for advancing the process and emphasized the need to expedite negotiations. The head of state emphasized that the accusations made in the West about Azerbaijan’s intention to attack Armenia are completely groundless. President Ilham Aliyev criticized French Foreign Minister’s false accusations at a press conference with Antony Blinken in Paris on April 2, which alleged that Azerbaijan did not recognize Armenia’s territorial integrity and posed a threat to Armenia.

The head of state emphasized that Azerbaijan is committed to the declaration adopted during the Prague meeting in 2022 and the Alma-Ata declaration. According to President Ilham Aliyev, the opaque and non-inclusive nature of the April 5 trilateral meeting, despite Azerbaijan’s legitimate objections was not postponed and could lead to division and increased tension rather than peace and cooperation in the South Caucasus.