Voice of America
July 21 2004

Azerbaijani President: No Compromise in Country’s Territorial
Integrity
VOA News

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev says his country will not
compromise its territorial integrity in a dispute with Armenia.
During a visit in northern Azerbaijan Wednesday, President Aliyev
said concessions on Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity are not even a
topic of discussion.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been at odds over Nagorno-Karabakh, an
ethnic Armenian enclave that declared independence from Azerbaijan in
1988. A six-year war over the area claimed some 35,000 lives.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammedyarov held talks
in Washington with Secretary of State Colin Powell and other
officials.

A State Department spokesman says talks with Secretary Powell Tuesday
focused on bilateral ties and cooperation in the global war against
terrorism. The spokesman says Mr. Powell stressed Washington’s
continued support for political and economic reform in the former
Soviet republic.