On January 23, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

According to the US State Department, Blinken urged President Aliyev to open the Lachin Corridor for commercial traffic and encouraged him to increase efforts in bilateral negotiations with Armenia. "State Secretary Antony Blinken spoke with the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev today and called for the immediate opening of the Lachin Corridor for commercial traffic. He stressed that the risk of a humanitarian crisis in the Lachin corridor undermines the peace prospects between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The State Secretary encouraged President Aliyev to redouble his efforts in bilateral peace talks with Armenia. He also expressed concerns about human rights in Azerbaijan," Ned Price, the Spokesperson of the State Department, said in the statement.

State Secretary Blinken noted on his Twitter page that he had a telephone conversation with President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev: "I called on President Aliyev to immediately restore commercial traffic in the Lachin corridor. The daily blockade creates the risk of a humanitarian crisis and undermines the steps taken by Armenia and Azerbaijan on the road to peace. The United States is committed to supporting these efforts."

According to the Press Service of the President of Azerbaijan, during a telephone conversation, the US Secretary of State expressed his concern about the situation in the Lachin Corridor in the territory of Azerbaijan.

"Antony Blinken expressed the commitment of the United States to the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and expressed his support for the negotiations on a peace treaty," the report said.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that there are no blockades on the Lachin-Khankendi (Stepanakert in Armenian) road and emphasized that from December 12, 2022, about 980 vehicles have been allowed to pass through this road. He said the rest belonged to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

"At the same time, the president of Azerbaijan emphasized that about 90 patients living in Karabakh and people in need of medical assistance have been taken to Armenia through the International Committee of the Red Cross. President Ilham Aliyev said that all this shows that the Lachin-Khankendi road is not closed by Azerbaijan," the information said.

According to the report, President Aliyev stressed that the illegal exploitation of Azerbaijan's mineral deposits in the territories of Azerbaijan, where Russian peacekeepers are temporarily stationed, should be stopped. He added that Azerbaijan should be allowed to conduct constant monitoring and inspection in that territory.

"The President of Azerbaijan said that mines manufactured by Armenia in 2021 were illegally transported using the Lachin road. President Ilham Aliyev noted that our country is committed to the peace process and the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The head of state emphasized that the peace treaty to be signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan should contain only the normalization of bilateral relations based on the norms and principles of international law and the five principles presented by Azerbaijan," the information added.

President Ilham Aliyev noted that the rights and security of the civilian Armenian population living in the Karabakh economic zone of Azerbaijan will be ensured based on the Constitution and laws of Azerbaijan.