Interfax
April 22 2004

Azerbaijani president finds visit of German minister important

Baku. (Interfax-Azerbaijan) – The visit of German Foreign Minister
Joschka Fischer to Baku will give an impetus to bilateral relations,
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said receiving Fischer on
Wednesday.

“The visit is creating a good foundation for speeding up economic
cooperation because today Azerbaijan is a developing country and has
created all the necessary conditions for investments,” he said. He
pointed to Azerbaijan’s successes in integration in European
institutions.

However the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh remains a threat to regional
security and obstructs the full-scale economic development in the
region, Aliyev said.

In his turn Fischer expressed Germany’s readiness to offer its
assistance in settling the conflict. He said that Azerbaijan having a
special position in the South Caucasus needs stability for steady
economic development.