To His Excellency Joseph Biden, President-elect of the United States of America

Dear Mr. Biden.

I sincerely congratulate you on your election as President of the United States of America.

A successful partnership has been established between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United States of America in the political, security, energy, information and communication technologies, and other spheres. Our countries cooperate in strengthening international peace and security, combating terrorism and transnational crime and within the framework of the NATO “Resolute support” mission in Afghanistan.

We look forward to the relations of friendship and partnership between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United States of America becoming even stronger during your presidency.

Armenia, which had been keeping the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven adjacent districts of Azerbaijan under occupation for almost 30 years, starting from 27 September of this year subjected the positions of the Azerbaijani army, civilian population and facilities to shelling from large-caliber weapons and committed yet another military aggression against our country.

As a result of the deliberate and purposeful shelling of Azerbaijan’s civilian population on the part of Armenia, 93 civilians were killed, including a large number of minors, more than 400 people were injured, and civilian facilities were destroyed. Thousands of people from other countries were taken to Armenia to serve in the armed forces of this country as mercenaries. Armenia takes aim at important regional energy and transport infrastructure established also with the participation of the United States.

Azerbaijan expects the United States and other OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries to apply even more effort towards a fair settlement of the conflict. In accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council, Armenia must provide an exact timetable for the withdrawal of its armed forces from all the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that it is ready for substantive negotiations to resolve the conflict on this basis.

Armenia has completely destroyed the entire civilian infrastructure in the territories that have already been liberated and are still under occupation. In these territories, we will carry out large-scale improvement work, restore all historical, religious and cultural sites.

Azerbaijan is ready to ensure the coexistence of the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities in Nagorno-Karabakh on the basis of peace, security and mutual respect.

I would like to sincerely congratulate you again and wish you good health and success in your future activities for the well-being of the friendly people of America.

Sincerely yours,

Ilham Aliyev

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan

Baku, 9 November 2020