Azerbaijani President Aliyev emphasized during a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that amending the Armenian constitution and dissolving the OSCE Minsk Group remain crucial preconditions for signing a peace agreement with Armenia. This stance responds to Armenia’s earlier proposal for an interim peace deal that would omit these contentious issues. Separately, Azerbaijan reported a 9% YoY decline in gas exports in the first eight months of 2024.