Aliyev and Blinken discuss normalization of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations

BAKU. May 2 (Interfax) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the process of normalizing relations between Baku and Yerevan during a phone conversation on Sunday, the Azerbaijani leader's press service said.

Aliyev said during the phone call that the installation of the Lachin checkpoint on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border "is in line with Azerbaijan's sovereign rights and complies with all international provisions," the press service said.

The objective of this move is "not to limit movement but, on the contrary, to ensure control", and "traffic is already passing via this checkpoint," the Azerbaijani president said.

It was also noted during the Aliyev-Blinken phone call that the rights of ethnic Armenians living in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijani will be enforced in compliance with the Azerbaijani constitution and international treaties to which Azerbaijani is a party.

The phone conversation took place at the U.S.' initiative, the press service said.