Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Aug 12 2004
DEFENSE MINISTER MEETS HIS AMERICAN COUNTERPART
[August 12, 2004, 18:25:59]
US Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld staying in Baku for a
one-day visit met on 12 August with Defense Minister of Azerbaijan
Colonel-General Safar Abiyev at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the prospects of bilateral
cooperation between Azerbaijan and USA, expanding of Azerbaijan
relations with NATO and other issues.
Colonel-General Safar Abiyev expressed the wish that the United
States, as the OSCE Minsk group co-Chair, would intensify its role in
the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh, unambiguously support the Azerbaijan’s stance on
the matter, and force Armenia to release the occupied territories.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld stated that the United State
supports territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and would exert every
effort as the OSCE co-Chair. Ambassador Steven Mann, according to
him, will do his best for the problem to be solved fairly within the
framework of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
The meeting was attended by Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United
States Hafiz Pashayev and Ambassador of the United States to
Azerbaijan Reno Harnish.