“I would define them as serious issues. These are all high stakes. They’re very important to Azerbaijan and they’re important to us. They are serious matters and I didn’t say serious disagreements, just serious issues for us to discuss,” U.S. Assistant Secretary Philip Gordon told a briefing, commenting on certain serious issues mentioned in the recent letter of Barack Obama to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. 

He also noted that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will discuss a number of key issues in the course of her forthcoming visit to the region. “In the Caucasus, energy is a critical issue and it absolutely will be a key part of the discussions. Energy is a key issue with Azerbaijan, the relationship with Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh is a serious issue, regional security,” Gordon stated.