Baku: Yerevan obstructs peace process

Azerbaijan's Deputy Foreign Minister Elnur Mammadov have held a telephone conversation with U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Erica Olson, according to the Azerbaijani Foreign Minstry.

The ministry said that during the telephone conversation, bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and the U.S., the current situation in the region, as well as steps taken to normalize relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia were discussed.

Deputy Minister Elnur Mammadov said that Azerbaijan is interested in the successful completion of the process as the party showing the main initiative towards the normalization of relations with Armenia, including the signing of a future peace agreement. It was emphasized that, despite this, the efforts of Armenia to obstruct the peace process, including the recent military provocations that caused casualties in the border area, are aimed at undermining international efforts to negotiate.

Erika Olson, for her part, expressed the importance of establishing peace and stability in the region, for which it is necessary to sign a peace agreement. She noted that the American side is always ready to support these negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia on a bilateral basis.

During the telephone conversation, Elnur Mammadov and Erika Olson discuss other bilateral and regional issues of mutual interest.