On September 13, Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, received Philip Reeker, the Senior Advisor of the US Department of State for Caucasus Negotiations, the Press Office of the Azerbaijani President reported.

The sides discussed the "large-scale provocations committed by the Armenian armed forces in the Kalbajar, Lachin, and Zangilan directions of the two countries border on September 13."

Azerbaijani President noted that Azerbaijan had taken measures in response to Armenia's provocations, adding that responsibility for the provocation rests entirely with Armenia's military and political leadership.

During the conversation, they stressed the significance of ensuring peace and stability in the region, normalizing relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and continuing the peace agenda.

As previously reported by Caucasus Watch, while commenting on the press statement of State Secretary Blinken dated August 24, Leyla Abdullayeva, the Head of the Press Service Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, said that it is surprising that the United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken's press statement on the appointment of Philip T. Reeker to the position of senior adviser on the Caucasus negotiations shows an approach far from the post-conflict reality in the region. Abdullayeva said that Azerbaijan's position regarding the Minsk Group had been repeatedly and clearly expressed at the highest level. "Attempts to resuscitate the virtually non-functioning Minsk Group may result in the USA moving away from the normalization process of Azerbaijan-Armenia relations," she added. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman stated: "The Karabakh conflict has been resolved, and the Karabakh is an integral part of Azerbaijan. The international community, including our partners, should understand that connecting the talks on the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia with the Karabakh issue does not serve normalization at all."

On August 25, Caucasus Watch reported that in the traditional briefing at the State Department, Vedant Patel, the First Deputy Press Secretary of the State Department, commented on the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan regarding the appointment of Philip Reeker as co-chairman of the Minsk Group. Vedant Patel said that the Secretary of State appointed Ambassador Reeker as the Chief Adviser on negotiations in the Caucasus to emphasize the United States' commitment to promoting peace in the South Caucasus. "We are committed to direct dialogue between Azerbaijan and Armenia in a bilateral, multilateral manner and within the framework of cooperation with like-minded partners to achieve a comprehensive peace settlement between the two countries. His selection underscores our commitment to the Geneva International Discussions, where we will continue to hold ourselves accountable to our commitments under the 2008 ceasefire with Russia. As part of his role as a diplomatic advisor, Ambassador Reeker will represent the United States both in the OSCE Minsk Group and, as I mentioned, in the Geneva International Discussions," he noted.