US top official’s visit to Azerbaijan signals thaw in strained ties
- 9 December, 02:19
US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien visited Azerbaijan on December 6 amid the recent deterioration of bilateral ties.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received O’Brien in the first high-level meeting between the two countries since Baku and Washington mutually cancelled such visits last month.
According to the readout posted on the Azerbaijani president’s website, “the sides stressed the importance of US Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien's visit to Azerbaijan in terms of discussions on various aspects of bilateral relations and the exchange of ideas on regional issues.” Furthermore, Aliyev emphasized Baku’s commitment to regional peace after the return of the Karabakh region to Azerbaijan and its victory over Armenia in the war in 2020. He suggested that “the United States could contribute to the process by considering the new realities.”
James O'Brien, in turn, said that the relations between the United States and Azerbaijan had deep roots and that the two countries were good partners, according to the readout.
“Had positive and constructive meetings in Baku. As I told President Aliyev, the U.S. welcomes visits by the Central Bank Governor and Energy Minister,” O’Brien posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. He added that Secretary Antony Blinken looks forward to hosting foreign ministers Bayramov and Mirzoyan in Washington soon for peace negotiations. Earlier, Ceyun Bayramov refused to visit Washington for peace talks with his Armenian counterpart in protest to O’Brien’s critical remarks.
At a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on November 15, O’Brien said that the US authorities had canceled a number of visits by high-ranking Azerbaijani officials due to the lack of progress in reaching a peace settlement between Baku and Yerevan. Another blow to the relations was delivered after the US Senate passed the Armenian Protection bill that would suspend military aid to Azerbaijan.
The readout on Aliyev’s website did not mention the recent deterioration of bilateral ties.
