Karabakh main goal of EU envoy’s visit to Azerbaijan – paper

525 Qazet, Baku
19 Mar 04

Text of unattributed report by Azerbaijani newspaper 525 Qazet on 19
March headlined “Heikki Talvitie has arrived in Baku” and subheaded
“The Baku government wants the European Union to be a mediator in the
Nagornyy Karabakh settlement”

The special representative of the European Union for the South
Caucasus, Heikki Talvitie, arrived in Azerbaijan on 18 March. On the
first day of his visit, Talvitie met Russian ambassador to Azerbaijan
Nikolay Ryabov, US ambassador Reno Harnish, Turkish ambassador Ahmet
Unal Cevikoz and Norwegian ambassador Steinar Gil.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has told Azartac news agency that
Talvitie is to meet state and government officials within the
framework of the visit and discuss Azerbaijan’s integration into the
West, the acceptance of European values and issues of democracy. Ways
to settle the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict will be the main focus of the
discussions.

The ministry also said that the EU might play an important role in the
Nagornyy Karabakh settlement because this organization was of special
importance to the OSCE Minsk Group. The EU might participate in talks
together with the OSCE Minsk Group cochairmen and entitle one of the
cochairmen to speak on behalf of the EU.