I Met with Aliyev to Urge an End to Violence: Riker

I was in the region during the military operations that took place on September 13-14 and met with President Aliyev to urge an end to the violence. This was stated by Philip Riker, the co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group and senior advisor to the U.S. Secretary of State on Caucasus negotiations, addressing Azerbaijan's aggression against Armenia in September and the prospects for ongoing negotiations between the two countries.

He made this statement during a discussion at the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. “I was in the region during the military operations that took place on September 13-14 and met with President Aliyev to urge an end to the violence. My meetings with the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan were accompanied by meetings with Secretary of State Blinken, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, Assistant Secretary of State Donfried, as well as our partners at the Department of Defense. Up to this point, we continue our efforts, and the initiatives of the U.S., EU, and other partner countries laid the groundwork for a series of meetings between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to discuss peace-related issues,” Riker said.

According to him, despite the recent military operations, they draw inspiration from the pace of participation of the leadership of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the peace process. “The leaders have met several times in recent months under the auspices of the EU for negotiations, the last time on October 6 in Prague. The Prague meeting resulted in two significant outcomes that could serve as a basis for continuing the peace process. It concerns recognizing the 1991 Almaty Declaration as a basis for discussing border issues, as well as the decision to send EU observers,” Riker emphasized.