Antony Blinken
Peace In Karabakh 'Continues To Be Of Great Importance To Secretary Blinken', State Department Says
The State Department said on Thursday that it continues "to be deeply engaged" in the Azerbaijan-Armenia peace process, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
"Ensuring a cessation of hostilities between Armenia and Azerbaijan, specifically in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, continues to be of great importance to Secretary Antony Blinken" Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel said when asked by TURAN about this week's diplomatic engagements with Baku and Yerevan.
U.S. Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations Louis Bono, as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Erika Olson have been traveling separately in the region this week.
When asked about details of talks in Baku and Yerevan, Patel said he didn't have any specific readout to offer. However, he reminded that the Secretary had the opportunity to meet with the leaders of these countries (Azerbaijan and Armenia) a number of weeks ago on the margins of the Munich Security Conference.
"It’s something that we continue to be deeply engaged in... It’s something that Mr. Bono continues to be engaged in, in addition to others in this department as well," he said.
Asked by TURAN whether another ministerial meeting could be expected following this week's talks, Patel said: "I’m just not going to get ahead of any scheduling, but I’m sure we’ll have more to share soon."
Alex Raufoglu
Politics
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On January 7, the Baku Court of Grave Crimes began an investigation into the case of the activist of the Popular Front Party of Azerbaijan (PFPA) Mehman Aliyev, who is accused of illegal drug trafficking.
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On January 7, the head of state, Ilham Aliyev, gave an interview to local TV channels. As of 18:00, the content of the interview had not been published.
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In late December, the Nakhchivan Court for Serious Crimes concluded the trial of former Minister of Finance of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR), Rafael Aliyev, and former head of the Nakhchivan Customs Committee’s department, Mansur Askerov. Both were accused of embezzling state budget funds in collusion with others. In his testimony, Askerov revealed that illegal fees were being collected for cargo and from passengers. Sahat Habibbeyli, appointed head of Nakhchivan Customs in 2020, had instructed Askerov to include only a portion of the collected funds in the Transport and International Relations (TIR) program.
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The "Republican Alternative" Party (REAL) has proposed a program to reform local governance ahead of the municipal elections on January 29, aiming to expand opportunities for economic activity at the municipal level. The new program has been developed with consideration of the existing economic problems in the country. The government of Azerbaijan seeks to obtain external loans for its projects, the economic feasibility of which raises doubts.
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