Azerbaijan: Obama Offers Assurances about Turkish-Armenian Rapprochement

US President Barack Obama telephoned Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on April 7 in a bid to allay Baku's concerns about a potential rapprochement between Azerbaijani ally Turkey and foe Armenia.

A White House release on the phone conversation states that Obama underscored the importance of such reconciliation for the region's greater peace and security. The call came a day after Aliyev said that he would keep his options open for export routes of much-coveted Azerbaijani oil and gas. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Baku fears that if Turkey lifts its blockade of Armenia, Azerbaijan will be handicapped in its attempt to drive Armenia out of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas. Azerbaijan was conspicuously absent from recent meetings in Istanbul, where Obama pushed Turkey to open its borders with neighboring Armenia.

Speaking to Aliyev, Obama reaffirmed his commitment to a strong relationship with Azerbaijan and to supporting progress toward a resolution of the Karabakh conflict. Baku has not yet issued a statement on the Obama-Aliyev conversation.