BAKU. April 3 (Interfax) - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had a phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday to discuss the upcoming U.S.-EU-Armenia meeting, the Azerbaijani leader's website said.
The U.S. side initiated the conversation.
"Blinken said he has received information that Azerbaijan is concerned about the trilateral meeting between the United States, the EU and Armenia [in Brussels] on April 5 and therefore found it important to have a talk with the Azerbaijani president and clarify this issue," the report said.
The main purpose of this meeting is to discuss issues relating to Armenia's economic development, Blinken said.
Aliyev said, citing his information, that "issues relating to military support to Armenia and joint military exercises, the creation of military infrastructure facilities at the Azerbaijani border, and arming Armenia with EU and U.S. funding were also discussed in the process of preparations for the trilateral meeting," the report said. "Such anti-Azerbaijani steps, including the French policies to militarize Armenia, promote an arms race in the region and will lead to provocations," he said.
Blinken, for his part, said the April 5 meeting is not targeted against Azerbaijan.
The conversation also addressed the peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Aliyev said the meeting between the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Berlin, where the text of the peace treaty was discussed, was useful for progress in the negotiation process. Aliyev also emphasized the importance of speeding up the talks.
The accusations made in the West against Azerbaijan, which is accused of plans to attack Armenia, are fully unfounded, Aliyev said, adding that the French foreign minister had lied at the April 2 press conference with Blinken in Paris when he made accusations against Baku, saying Azerbaijan did not recognize Armenia's territorial integrity and was a source of danger to Armenia.
Azerbaijan is committed to the statement adopted following the meeting in Prague in 2022 and the Almaty Declaration, he said.
"President Aliyev said non-transparent preparations, the non-inclusive nature of the trilateral meeting between the United States, the European Union and Armenia scheduled for April 5, and also the fact that it was not postponed, despite fair remarks from Azerbaijan, will not lead to peace and cooperation in the South Caucasus, but to dividing lines and, consequently, tension," the report said.
The conversation between Aliyev and Blinken also addressed Azerbaijani-U.S. bilateral relations, cooperation between the countries on COP29 and green technologies.