Azerbaijan's Conditional Aid Exchange with Armenia for Karabakh

Azerbaijan is willing to allow Red Cross aid from Armenia into the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave if Red Crescent aid from Azerbaijan is simultaneously permitted, according to Hikmet Hajiyev, foreign policy adviser to President Ilham Aliyev. The move aims to defuse tensions and facilitate peace talks between the two countries. Azerbaijan has restricted movement along the only road to Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia, citing concerns of arms smuggling, while Armenia claims a blockade has caused shortages of essential supplies. The proposal to open two roads for aid delivery was discussed in a phone call between President Aliyev and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.