BAKU, September 27. /TASS/. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has held talks with representatives from the White House and US Department of State, focusing on ensuring stability in Karabakh after Baku’s operation and on establishing contact with local Armenians, according to the statement on the Azerbaijani president’s website.
"At the meeting they exchanged views on the situation after the anti-terrorism activities carried out in the Karabakh region of Azerbaijan," the statement said.
It is reported that the meeting was attended by Samantha Power, the US president’s special envoy and Administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Yury Kim, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Europe and Eurasian Affairs, and Louis Bono, Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations at the Department of State.
Aliyev said that hundreds of pieces of military equipment, weapons and ammunition have been seized, and now "the process of disarming the Armenian Armed Forces and pulling them out of the territory of Azerbaijan is underway."
The president pointed out that civilians were not harmed in the anti-terrorist measures, as only "illegal Armenian armed formations" and military facilities were targeted.
"President Aliyev underscored that the rights of Armenians residing in the Karabakh region, as well as the rights of other ethnic minorities in Azerbaijan, will be ensured under the country’s national legislation and international obligations," the statement said.
Azerbaijan’s president added that representatives of Azerbaijan’s authorities were engaged in the dialogue on the reintegration of Armenians in Karabakh. Aliyev spoke about Baku’s willingness to arrange a trip to Karabakh for the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office accredited in the country in the near future.
"The talks emphasized the importance of ensuring stability in the region and dialogue with local Armenians," the statement said.
On September 19, tensions flared up again in Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku announced it was launching what it described as "local anti-terrorist measures" and demanded the withdrawal of Armenian troops from the region. Yerevan, in turn, said there were no Armenian forces in Karabakh, calling what was happening "an act of large-scale aggression." Russia called on the parties to the conflict to stop the bloodshed and return to a diplomatic settlement. On September 20, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry announced that an agreement had been reached in coordination with the Russian peacekeeping contingent to suspend anti-terrorist activities in Karabakh.