Azeri leader focuses on unresolved Karabakh issue at meeting with new envoys

Lider TV, Baku
12 Jul 04

[Presenter] Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity has been violated and,
despite international efforts, Armenia is not retreating from the
occupied territories. We are demanding that our territorial integrity
be restored and the international community express its attitude
towards this, [Azerbaijani] President Ilham Aliyev said at today’s
ceremony when receiving the credentials from the newly-appointed
ambassadors to Azerbaijan from France, Canada, Philippines, Ghana,
Algeria and the United Arab Emirates.

[Correspondent over videos of diplomats and the Azeri president]
France and Azerbaijan are friendly countries. During my tenure as
ambassador, I will further contribute to the comprehensive development
of the relations, the newly-appointed French ambassador to Azerbaijan,
Roland Blatmann, said. He also spoke about the Nagornyy Karabakh
settlement.

The ambassador said that France did nor recognize Karabakh’s
independence and supported Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity. France
supports tete-a-tete meetings between the Azerbaijani and Armenian
presidents, and including foreign ministers, the diplomat said. France
is for a peaceful solution of the conflict.

Speaking about Azerbaijani-French relations, President Ilham Aliyev
said that relations had strengthened after his visit to France at the
beginning of the year. Commenting on the Karabakh settlement, the
president said that Azerbaijan recognized the territorial integrity of
all states and wanted the same attitude towards ourselves.

[Aliyev, voice] France is a cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group and is
working as a cochairman. We hope that in the near future, the
Armenian-Azerbaijani-Nagornyy Karabakh conflict will be resolved on
the basis of international legal norms.

[Correspondent] Receiving the credentials of ambassadors from Canada,
Ghana, Philippines, the UAE and the Algerian People’s Democratic
Republic, President Ilham Aliyev said that the relations between these
countries would further develop. At the meeting with ambassadors of
the five states, the president also mentioned the Nagornyy Karabakh
problem.

[Aliyev] The most serious issue our country is facing is the
Armenian-Azerbaijan-Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. Despite all
international efforts, Armenia is not retreating from the occupied
lands and thus the conflict remains unresolved. Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity has been violated and we demand that
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity be restored and the international
community express a keener attitude to this issue.

[Correspondent] President Ilham Aliyev has stated that the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict will soon be resolved fairly with the support of the
international organizations.

Vahid Abbas for Lider TV.