Blinken in phone call with Aliyev calls on Armenia, Azerbaijan to sign peace treaty as soon as possible

BAKU. June 21 (Interfax) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a phone call on June 20, the Azerbaijani presidential press service said.

"During the conversation, Blinken acknowledged progress in the Armenia-Azerbaijani talks on the peace agenda. He also reiterated the U.S.' readiness to continue to support the normalization of relations between the two countries and called on the sides to sign a peace treaty as soon as possible," the press service said.

Blinken said that the U.S. sees relations between Washington and Baku as a matter of great importance. He also highlighted constructive cooperation with Azerbaijan on their shared climate and energy goals, adding the U.S. was committed to helping make COP29, to be hosted by Azerbaijan in November 2024, a success.

Aliyev, in turn, said that Azerbaijan, which initiated the peace agenda, would continue its efforts to this end. However, in order to advance the peace agenda, it is important to ensure that Yerevan removes any territorial claims to Azerbaijan from the Armenian constitution, laws and internal regulatory documents, he said.

The need to officially shut down the OSCE Minsk Group and all of its institutions is long overdue, Aliyev said.

"The head of state also noted that Azerbaijan attaches great importance to relations with the U.S. and supports efforts to strengthen bilateral ties and raise them to a qualitatively new level," the press service said.

Aliyev and Blinken also exchanged views on other issues.

The phone conversation took place at Washington's initiative, the press service said.