Blinken warns Azerbaijan over tensions with Armenia

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Wednesday, affirmed that "there is no justification for increased tension on the border" with Armenia, according to the US State Department.

In a statement released by State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, Blinken cautioned during this phone call "that aggressive actions and rhetoric from any side would undermine prospects for peace."

The US Secretary of State is currently in Brussels to participate in a NATO meeting.

He is scheduled to participate in a meeting on Friday with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and European Union leaders.

The statement also noted that Blinken called on "Azerbaijan to adhere to its international obligations and commitments regarding human rights and fundamental freedoms and urged the release of those unjustly detained."

Armenia and Azerbaijan, neighboring and competing states in the Caucasus, exchanged accusations on Tuesday of firing at their often volatile borders.

Armenia and Azerbaijan had previously faced off in two wars in the 1990s and in 2020 over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, which Baku's forces recently regained in September 2023.

The situation remains unstable despite several rounds of negotiations mediated by other countries, including the United States.

AFP