On April 30, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a phone call to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
During the telephone conversation. Antony Blinken underlined the importance of peace treaty talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and pointed out that the U.S. would continue its support to this end. The U.S. Secretary of State said he believes in possibility of achieving peace and touched upon the opening of the checkpoint on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border.
President Ilham Aliyev noted Azerbaijan supports the peace agenda and that Azerbaijan had been the initiator of starting peace treaty talks and normalization of relations with Armenia. In this respect, the Azerbaijani side proposed 5 principles to Armenia in line with the norms and principles of international law.
With respect to setting up the “Lachin” checkpoint on the Azerbaijan-Armenia border, President Ilham Aliyev said that the checkpoint had been set up in accordance with Azerbaijan’s sovereign rights and all international rules.
The Azerbaijani President underlined that the aim was to ensure control rather than restrict movement as passage is already allowed through the checkpoint.
During the telephone conversation, the Azerbaijani leader noted that the rights of the Armenian population living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan would be ensured in line with the Azerbaijan’s Constitution and international documents the country is party to.