Aliyev Complains to Blinken about Armenia’s Constitution
Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a telephone conversation with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on Monday, days after reaching out to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, to discuss the progress of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks.
“The Secretary of State and Aliyev discussed regional issues as well as bilateral cooperation, including the importance of Azerbaijan’s compliance with international and human rights obligations,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement on Monday.
During his conversation with Aliyev, Blinken “reaffirmed the importance of a durable and dignified peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” and “welcomed recent progress between the parties, including agreement on a border delimitation regulation.”
“The Secretary emphasized the importance of the bilateral relationship between the United States and Azerbaijan and highlighted the U.S. commitment to a successful COP 29 meeting in Baku later this year,” Miller added.
However, a readout of the same conversation from Aliyev’s office suggested that the Azerbaijani leader attempted to assure Blinken that “thanks to Azerbaijan’s efforts, new realities have emerged in the region, based on justice and international law,” and that Baku supposedly has been the initiator of the peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Aliyev reportedly repeated his demands and threats to Armenia about changing its constitution and his insistence to terminate the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group.
It its statements on Blinken’s telephone conversations with both Aliyev and Pashinyan, no mention was made about changes to Armenia’s Constitution, which Yerevan has insisted is a domestic concern. Officials working on amending the constitution have suggested that a potential referendum on the matter be held in early 2027.
Miller, the State Department spokesperson, issued a similar statement on Friday about Blinken’s call with Pashinyan, adding that the Secretary of State and the Armenian leader “discussed the expanding U.S.-Armenia relationship, including cooperation on energy, trade and investment, and education.”
“The Secretary reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to ongoing efforts to support a prosperous, democratic, and independent Armenia that benefits the people of Armenia and the broader Caucasus region,” Miller added.
