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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Sunday.

Blinken commended Aliyev for last week’s announcement that Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to use the 1991 Alma Ata declaration as the basis for border delimitation and emphasized its importance to the two sides concluding a durable and dignified peace, the State Department said in a statement.

"The Secretary urged President Aliyev to keep up the momentum with his Armenian counterpart, reiterating U.S. willingness to support those efforts. Secretary Blinken underscored our desire for a strong U.S.-Azerbaijan bilateral relationship, noting our efforts to cooperate on mutual energy, climate, and connectivity goals, and to ensure the success of COP 29 in Baku," it said.

"He welcomed Azerbaijan’s release of Gubad Ibadoglu to house arrest as a humanitarian gesture and called for his full, expeditious release. Secretary Blinken again urged Azerbaijan to adhere to its international human rights obligations and commitments and release those unjustly detained in Azerbaijan," the State Department added.