Azerbaijani FM briefs US top official on progress in peace talks with Armenia

On October 21, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with Michael Carpenter, Special Assistant to the US President and Senior Director for Europe at the National Security Council.

Discussions centred on bilateral and regional issues, as well as the current state and prospects of the normalisation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Caliber.Az reports, citing the Foreign Ministry.

The importance of intensifying efforts to foster positive dynamics in US-Azerbaijani relations and identifying future cooperation opportunities was emphasized during the meeting.

Bayramov briefed Carpenter on the progress of the normalisation process and the peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, including the outcomes of the recent meeting in Istanbul.

He highlighted that while substantial progress has been made in the negotiations, the main obstacle to signing the peace agreement remains Armenia’s ongoing territorial claims against Azerbaijan, as outlined in its Constitution and other legal and political documents.

The two officials also exchanged views on other regional issues of mutual interest. 

Previously, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev stated that it would be "simply impossible" to reach a peace deal with Armenia as its constitution contains territorial claims against Azerbaijan. These claims and other legislative acts remain key obstacles to finalizing the peace agreement.

Armenia’s Declaration of Independence, signed in August 1990, includes a joint decision by the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Karabakh Council to "reunify the Armenian SSR and the Mountainous Region of Karabakh".

By Khagan Isayev