Some 60 U.S. congressmen on Thursday asked U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to pressure Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to support human rights protections and release political prisoners ahead of the COP29 climate summit to be held in the capital Baku next month, Reuters reports.

The congressmen, who include 10 senators and 48 congressional representatives, called on Blinken to force Azerbaijan to take tangible steps to release political prisoners and condemn provocative statements against Armenia that risk undermining peace talks following the occupation of Artsakh.

“We urge the State Department to secure the immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners, hostages, and prisoners of war, including ethnic Armenians, to create a more favorable environment for successful diplomacy in the COP29,” the congressmen's letter said.