Azerbaijan backs Georgia in South Ossetia conflict – minister

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
12 Jul 04

The Azerbaijani government supports Tbilisi in the Georgian-Ossetian
conflict, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has said.

The latest developments in South Ossetia concern Azerbaijan as well,
and Baku supports Georgia’s territorial integrity, Mammadyarov
said. What is more, Georgia is Azerbaijan’s strategic partner, he
said. Although the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has issued no
statement over the situation in South Ossetia, it has informed Georgia
of its stance, he said.

The minister also spoke of the current visit to the region of the OSCE
Minsk Group cochairmen, who are mediating the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict. It is too early to talk about the co-chairmen’s any new
proposals or ideas on how to resolve the conflict. The co-chairmen –
Yuriy Merzlyakov [of Russia], Henry Jacolin [France] and Steven Mann
[USA] – visited Armenia today [12 July]. Tomorrow, they will leave
Yerevan for the occupied part of Azerbaijan, Karabakh, and will visit
Baku on 14 July.