Baku, Azerbaijan, April 29
Trend:
On April 28, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made a phone call to President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Trend reports.
Touching upon the development of Azerbaijan-US bilateral relations, the US Secretary of State stressed the importance of further strengthening the ties. Noting the cooperation in the fields of energy security and regional security, Antony Blinken emphasized the significance of the successful implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project, and also hailed Azerbaijan`s participation in the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.
Expressing gratitude for the telephone call, the head of state underlined that Azerbaijan-US relations have a rich history, and once again thanked the US government for supporting the implementation of the Southern Gas Corridor project. Touching upon the cooperation in the field of regional security, President Ilham Aliyev stressed the importance of Azerbaijan's participation in the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan from the initial stage.
During the conversation, the sides exchanged views on the situation after the Armenian-Azerbaijani war. President Ilham Aliyev affirmed Azerbaijan's position on this issue, noting that restoration works are being carried out in the country`s territories destroyed by Armenians.
President Ilham Aliyev also noted the significance of opening communications in the region and stressed Azerbaijan's position on ensuring long-term peace.
President Ilham Aliyev and the US Secretary of State also discussed the future activities of the OSCE Minsk Group.
During the phone conversation, the sides stressed the development of democratic processes, the importance of the ensuring of human rights, preservation and ensuring of the political pluralism in Azerbaijan.
Antony Blinken said this year too the waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act was extended.
President Ilham Aliyev extended his gratitude for this.
At the same time, regarding the US President`s recent statement on the so-called Armenian genocide, the Azerbaijani President said Turkey was Azerbaijan`s close friend and ally, which played a critical and positive role in the region in the post-conflict period, adding that the US President`s statement was met with concern by the Azerbaijani leadership and public.