Latest statements by US seriously damage Azerbaijan-US ties Aliyev tells Blinken

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said that the latest statements and actions taken by the U.S. have seriously damaged Azerbaijan-U.S. relations.

Aliyev made the remarks during a telephone conversation with United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on 27 November, Azertag reports.

The head of state noted that the remarks about Azerbaijan, made by the US Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien at the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Europe hearing on November 15, 2023, were biased, failed to reflect reality and were rejected by Azerbaijan.

It was emphasized that Azerbaijani side took note of the statement about cancelling the senior-level engagements with Azerbaijan and “no chance of business as usual”, and responded adequately.

President Ilham Aliyev reminded that Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on this matter on 16 November, and that Azerbaijan had in its turn cancelled all senior-level visits from the US.

With the aim of normalization of relationship, Secretary Blinken has asked to allow the visit of the US Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien in December to Azerbaijan. President Ilham Aliyev has agreed to this proposal on the condition that after this visit the unfounded ban on the visits of Azerbaijani high-level officials to the United States will be lifted. Secretary Blinken has accepted that.

Furthermore, it was stated that on 21 of November Armenia sent its comments with regard to Azerbaijan’s proposals on the text of peace treaty, which was submitted on 11 of September 2023. Thus, Armenia has delayed its response for 70 days. 70-day-long delay demonstrates again that Armenia misuses the text of the peace treaty as a pretext for the prolongation negotiations process.

During the telephone conversation the sides also exchanged views with respect to the upcoming meeting of the Commissions on the delimitation of the state borders which will take place on 30 of November at the Azerbaijan-Armenia conditional border.