Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reviewed the process of normalizing relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia in a phone call Wednesday.
Blinken reaffirmed the U.S.’s commitment to the process and noted that there was a "historic opportunity" to normalize ties and ink a peace deal. Washington will maintain its efforts to realize the said target, he stressed.
Aliyev welcomed Blinken's continuous attention to the normalization process and efforts the U.S. is making to accomplish that aim.
"Despite the efforts and negotiations in this direction, the contradictory statements by Armenian leaders in recent days have a negative impact on the normalization of relations between the two countries and the advancement of the peace agenda," said Aliyev.
The sides exchanged views regarding the next meeting on the peace treaty and confidence-building measures.
The conversation comes after the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers met on Nov. 7 in Washington under the auspices of their U.S. counterpart on a possible peace treaty, amid increasing political discussions between the two countries. The ministers were on the same page about expediting negotiations and continuing to engage in direct dialogue and diplomacy.
The leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia agreed to reaffirm their commitment to a comprehensive normalization of Baku-Yerevan relations and to ensure peace, stability, security and sustainable economic development of the South Caucasus after the Oct. 31 trilateral talks in Sochi.
The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan is linked to decades-old hostilities over control of the Karabakh region, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but, until 2020, illegally occupied by Armenia for three decades.
In September, at least 286 people were killed on both sides before a U.S.-brokered truce ended the worst clashes since 2020 when Armenian attacks escalated into an all-out war.
It claimed over 6,500 lives in six weeks before a Russian-brokered cease-fire saw Armenia cede swathes of territory it had illegally occupied for decades. The peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.