Azerbaijan offered Armenia to open checkpoints on border, says President Aliyev

MOSCOW

Azerbaijan offered Armenia to open checkpoints on the border between the two countries, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Saturday.

Responding to questions from journalists on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany after a trilateral meeting between the US, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, Aliyev said Yerevan is yet to respond to the offer.

"If we are talking about the opening of communications, of course, checkpoints should be established at both ends of the Zangezur corridor and at the border between Lachin district and Armenia," Aliyev said.

Aliyev added “there is some progress" regarding a peace treaty between Azerbaijan and Armenia, adding that any mention of Karabakh in the peace treaty will be “unacceptable.”

He also called on Armenia to stop the illegal mining of Azerbaijan's resources.

Earlier, Aliyev met with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Opening the meeting, Blinken said Azerbaijan and Armenia have a “historic opportunity” to establish lasting peace after more than 30 years of conflict.

He added that the parties now focused on the peace process, including through direct negotiations, and also with the participation of the EU and US.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

In the fall of 2020, in 44 days of clashes, Azerbaijan liberated several cities, villages, and settlements from Armenian occupation. The Russian-brokered peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.