No:497/23, Press release on the meeting of Minister Jeyhun Bayramov with Louis L. Bono, Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations of the U.S. Department of State
16 September 2023 14:00
On 16 September 2023, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov met with Louis L. Bono, Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations of the U.S. Department of State.
During the meeting, the current situation in the region, the normalization and peace process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and existing threats and challenges were discussed.
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov emphasized that the side obstructing the implementation of the agreement reached during the contacts between President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on 1 September of the current year on the simultaneous opening of the Aghdam-Khankendi and Lachin roads is Armenia and the so-called regime created by it, as was the case with previous agreements. It was stated that these facts, in turn, once again show that, contrary to the allegations voiced regarding an alleged “humanitarian crisis” and “blockade” in the region, the situation is by no means humanitarian, but in fact political.
It was stated that, despite the Armenian side’s continuous military-political provocations, its smear campaign against Azerbaijan throughout the world, and its support for separatism in our territories, as well as against the background of our country demonstrating a constructive position, it is unacceptable that a number of international partners closely familiar with the situation in the region, including the U.S. side, fall for Armenia’s narratives and repeat the allegations of the Armenian side.
In this regard, it was stated that it is regrettable that the groundless allegations disseminated by Armenia with the aim of distracting attention from the presence of Armenian armed forces, which are the main threat to peace and security in the region and have still not been withdrawn from the territories of Azerbaijan, and misleading the international community, were reflected in the speech of Yuri Kim, Acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs of the United States, in recent days. It was emphasized that the failure by the U.S. official to state in the Senate that the opening of the roads in parallel in accordance with the 1 September agreement with the U.S. side was obstructed by Armenia and the so-called regime created a wrong impression regarding the situation.
It was recalled that the recent steps taken by Armenia, including the congratulatory message of Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on 2 September, which promotes separatism in our territories, dealt a serious blow to the normalization and peace process.
Azerbaijan’s commitment to the agreement on the parallel use of the roads was once again emphasized.
During the meeting, an exchange of views was also conducted on other issues of mutual interest.
