In a telephonic exchange, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev spoke with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, focusing on regional tensions surrounding the Lachin corridor. The discussion addressed concerns about alleged violations by Armenia along the critical route that links Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan, and the broader implications for regional stability.
Aliyev highlighted that Armenia has been using the secondary Lachin corridor to move military personnel and equipment, noting that Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed in the area. He asserted that roughly 10,000 Armenian forces are still present in Azerbaijani territory and emphasized the necessity of establishing a checkpoint at the remaining border point of the Lachin road to improve security, transparency, and movement control in the region.
Following the talks, the Azerbaijani press service quoted Aliyev as rejecting Armenian claims about a blockade of the Lachin corridor as propaganda. He reiterated that Armenia has leveraged the presence of the European Union mission in its territory to justify escalations, while Azerbaijan maintains a stance aimed at upholding a peaceful and constructive peace agenda. The conversation with Blinken also touched on broader diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions through dialogue and international oversight.
Earlier reports indicated that Blinken conveyed support for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in ongoing peace talks with Azerbaijan, underscoring the international community’s interest in a stable and lawful resolution to the conflict. The parties continue to monitor developments and engage in discussions that could influence the status of the corridor, the role of peacekeepers, and the management of trust-building steps between Baku and Yerevan. The situation remains subject to rapid change as diplomacy and on-the-ground actions unfold in the region .