Blinken Calls on Aliyev to Immediately Open the Lachin Corridor

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in a phone call to "immediately" open the Lachin Corridor in order to restore the movement of commercial goods and reduce the risk of a humanitarian crisis, while also expressing concern about human rights in Azerbaijan, reports РИА Новости.

In addition, Blinken has urged Azerbaijan to double its efforts in bilateral peace negotiations with Armenia. According to the agency's statement, Blinken emphasized that the risk of a humanitarian crisis in the Lachin Corridor undermines the prospects for peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"The Secretary has urged President Aliyev to double the efforts in bilateral peace negotiations with Armenia," the State Department's statement noted.