President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev received Michael Carpenter, Special Assistant to the U.S. President and Senior Director for Europe at the National Security Council.

Michael Carpenter expressed his gratitude for the meeting and delivered a letter from U.S. President Joseph Biden to the Azerbaijani head of state. He highlighted the U.S. support for the prompt signing of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, noting the historic opportunity presented by the current circumstances.

Emphasizing that such an agreement would open up significant opportunities for regional cooperation, Michael Carpenter reaffirmed the U.S.’s strong commitment to advancing the peace process.

President Ilham Aliyev reiterated that Azerbaijan had initiated the peace agreement and proposed its five core principles, emphasizing the country’s commitment to the regional peace agenda. He expressed concerns about Armenia’s delay of 70 days in submitting its latest proposals on the peace agreement, which raises doubts about Armenia’s commitment to advancing the process. The President also pointed out that Armenia’s territorial claims against Azerbaijan, citing constitutional justifications, remain a major obstacle to finalizing the agreement. He stressed that Azerbaijan would continue to take decisive steps to move the process forward.

The two also exchanged views on issues related to the bilateral agenda between Azerbaijan and the United States.