Azerbaijan informs US of progress in talks with Armenia

Azerbaijan informed the visiting chief advisor of the US State Department on Caucasus Negotiations on Thursday about the prospects of negotiations with Armenia.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov held a meeting with US State Department official Louis Bono after his arrival in Baku, during which they discussed the current situation and prospects of talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

It further said that the current situation in the region, as well as the peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, were also on the agenda of the meeting.

According to the statement, Bayramov emphasized to Bono that Armenia did not completely withdraw its troops from Azerbaijan's territory, continued to challenge the country's sovereignty and territorial integrity, obstructed regional communications, and failed to maintain regional peace and stability in the region.

He also reiterated the validity of Azerbaijan's proposal to use the Aghdam-Khankendi road to help Armenian residents in Karabakh, in light of Armenia's "groundless" claims that Baku is blocking residents in Karabakh and that the border checkpoint established on the Lachin road is "illegitimate."

"It was also stated that Armenia's intervention in the efforts of the Azerbaijani side to reintegrate the Armenian residents is unacceptable," the statement added.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation during 44 days of clashes. The war ended with a Russia-brokered peace agreement.

Despite the ongoing talks on a peace agreement, tensions between the neighboring countries increased in recent months over the Lachin road, the only land route giving Armenia access to Karabakh.