US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urges Azerbaijani President to de-escalate tensions with Armenia

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken calls Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev to ease tensions with neighboring Armenia as call preceded US-EU initiative to bolster economic support for Yerevan

In a diplomatic effort aimed at diffusing tensions in the volatile Caucasus region, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken placed a call to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday, urging him to ease tensions with neighboring Armenia. The call preceded a scheduled US-EU initiative to bolster economic support for Yerevan.

During the conversation, Blinken expressed support for the ongoing peace negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia, emphasizing the potential “economic benefits to the entire region” that could result from a resolution to the longstanding conflict.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller conveyed Blinken’s message, stating that the Secretary of State underscored the lack of justification for heightened tensions along the border and cautioned against aggressive actions or rhetoric from either side, warning that such behavior could jeopardize the prospects for peace.

In addition to discussing regional stability, Blinken raised concerns about human rights in Azerbaijan and engaged Aliyev in dialogue on climate change. Notably, despite being a significant extractor of fossil fuels, Azerbaijan is set to host this year’s UN climate summit.

The call comes amid renewed hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan, with both sides trading accusations of opening fire across their border on Tuesday, reigniting fears of a return to conflict. Azerbaijan’s seizure of the Nagorno-Karabakh region from Armenian separatists in a swift military offensive last year heightened tensions in the region.

However, there have been recent expressions of hope for a comprehensive peace agreement, with both Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan voicing willingness to pursue diplomatic solutions. Pashinyan is scheduled to meet with Blinken and European Union leaders in Brussels on Friday, as part of a concerted effort by Western powers to strengthen ties and provide economic support to Armenia, which seeks to diversify its alliances beyond its traditional partnership with Russia.

Armenia’s relationship with Moscow has been a longstanding one, but tensions arose when Russia, preoccupied with the conflict in Ukraine and displeased by Pashinyan’s overtures to the West, refrained from intervening in Azerbaijan’s military campaign last year, much to Armenia’s dismay.

Source: AFP