Ex-foreign minister says Armenia may join BTE gas project if peace
talks are successful

10/05/2004 11:40

Baku, May 8, AssA-Irada — The statement, made by official Baku
concerning the liberation of seven occupied districts of Azerbaijan
by Armenia following the recent talks, has sparked different opinions.

Former foreign minister of Azerbaijan Tofig Zulfugarov has told
AssA-Irada that a concrete proposal concerning the liberation of
seven occupied districts should be expected after the meeting of the
two countries’ ministers scheduled to be held in Strasbourg on May 12.

Commenting on the absence of any reaction to the proposal by Armenia,
Zulfugarov did not rule out the possibility of applying pressure on
Yerevan, mainly on President Kocharian.

According to some sources, the United States has supported the
idea of liberating occupied territories and thus aspires to achieve
Armenia’s participation in the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum (BTE) gas pipeline
project. Giving a positive assessment to the idea, Zulfugarov said
that Armenia’s involvement in the BTE project may divert its attention
from the issue on Garabagh status.*