U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in a telephone conversation on January 23 with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, urged the Azerbaijani leader to immediately open the Lachin Corridor to commercial traffic.

U.S. State Department Spokesperson Ned Price issued the following statement.

“He underscored that the risk of a humanitarian crisis in the Lachin corridor undermined prospects for peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.  The Secretary encouraged President Aliyev to redouble efforts in bilateral peace discussions with Armenia.  He also raised human rights concerns in Azerbaijan.”