Azerbaijan and the United States on partnership priorities

Baku/24.10.18/Turan: Azerbaijan and the United States successfully cooperate in various fields, stated the Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at a meeting with the adviser to the US president on national security, John Bolton, on Wednesday. Aliyev stressed that the United States, as co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, plays an important role in finding ways to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Ignoring the four UN Security Council resolutions demanding the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, Yerevan seeks to maintain the status quo and thus freeze the conflict. Pointing to the need to restore the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Aliyev expressed the hope that the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries would bring practical results. Aliyev also pointed to the participation of Azerbaijan in the peacekeeping operation in Afghanistan and provides it with important transport and logistics support. Referring to other areas, Aliyev noted the long-term cooperation with the United States in the energy sector, thanks to which global projects are being implemented at the regional level, such as, for example, the Southern Gas Corridor worth $ 40 billion. Aliyev stressed that Baku attaches great importance to the visit of Bolton and is convinced that it will serve to strengthen the partnership between the two countries. Bolton, for his part, said that relations with Azerbaijan are priorities for the United States. He pointed to the growing importance of bilateral ties in the political, economic and other fields of security. Bolton pointed to the location of Azerbaijan in a very important strategic part of the world and his visit aims to also discuss issues related to the challenges of international stability and security - the fight against terrorism, trafficking, etc. Concerning the Karabakh conflict, Bolton said that the United States understands that this issue is the top priority for Azerbaijan. One of the goals of his visit is to study the assessment by the Azerbaijani side of the situation around the settlement. During the meeting, other areas of strategic cooperation between Azerbaijan and the United States were discussed, the report said on the website of the head of state. -06D-