Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev has spoken to U.S. President Barack Obama amid growing concern in Baku over efforts to reconcile close ally Turkey with arch-rival Armenia, Aliyev's office said Wednesday.
The presidential administration said that Obama had called Aliyev Tuesday after a visit to Turkey, where the U.S. leader urged Turkey and Armenia to "move forward" in talks to establish diplomatic ties and open their shared border.
"The two presidents had a frank conversation during which they expressed satisfaction at the successful development of Azerbaijan-U.S. relations," Aliyev's administration said in a statement.
"Barack Obama informed the Azerbaijani leader about steps taken by the United States concerning Turkey-Armenia relations. President Ilham Aliyev brought the Azerbaijani state's position on the issue to the U.S. president's attention."
Top officials in Azerbaijan have expressed concern over reports that Ankara and Yerevan will soon sign a landmark deal paving the way for formal diplomatic ties and opening their shared border.
Baku has long insisted that any deal should be contingent on Armenian concessions in the dispute over Nagorny Karabakh, an ethnic Armenian enclave that broke away from Baku's control during a war in the early 1990s.