Blinken to Aliyev: Upcoming US-EU-Armenia meeting not against Azerbaijan
- 4 April, 11:38
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev that the forthcoming trilateral meeting between the United States, the European Union and Armenia, scheduled for April 5, is not aimed against Baku. Blinken made the comments in a phone call to Aliyev on Wednesday.
"Antony Blinken said that he is being informed about the Azerbaijani side’s concerns regarding the April 5 meeting of the United States, the European Union and Armenia and he believes it important to clear this issue up during his conversation with President Ilham Aliyev. The Secretary of State emphasized that the main content of this meeting will include Armenia’s economic growth," the statement published by Aliyev’s press service reads.
According to the statement, Aliyev told Blinken that “the non-transparent preparation of the trilateral meeting of the United States, the European Union and Armenia, its non-exclusive nature and the fact that it was not postponed despite Azerbaijan’s reasonable objections will not bring about peace and cooperation in the South Caucasus, but will end up in dividing lines and eventually tensions."
The two sides also discussed Azerbaijan’s domestic affairs, with Aliyev emphasizing that the attempts to interfere in Azerbaijan's internal affairs under the pretext of human rights issues are completely “unacceptable”.
“We do not accept the biased statements of some Western countries based on double standards regarding this issue. In this regard, the head of state reminded Secretary of State Antony Blinken about the arrests of opposition representatives in Armenia, including cases of fatalities during detention and human rights violations, emphasizing the unacceptability of the silence of Western countries regarding such incidents, citing them as clear examples of double standards,” the statement reads.
