Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Aug 19 2004

FOREIGN MINISTER EXPRESSES SATISFACTION WITH MOSCOW TALKS
[August 19, 2004, 19:51:04]

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov staying
in the Russian capital on an official visit, commented the results of
the talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, AzerTAj
Moscow-based correspondent reports.

The relations with Russian Federation, according to him, are one of
the priority directions of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy, and can be
marked at the moment as a strategic partnership of the two
independent states.

The Minister noted the talks were focused on the set of political and
economic issues including fight against terror, narcotics traffic and
illegal migration, as well as a number of international problems.

The parties also dwelled on the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Azerbaijan’s stance on the conflict
was accepted to a large extent by the Russian side, Minister
Mammadyarov stated. He stressed that the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict
should be solved on the principles of the international law including
that of territorial integrity of states. Minister Lavrov’s `Russia
stands for urgent resolution of the conflict’ shows that the position
of Azerbaijan demanding withdrawal of the Armenian forces from the
occupied territories and return of refugees to their native lands
becomes more and more acceptable for Russia.

Touching on the economic issues, the Azerbaijan Foreign Minister
advised as well that very interesting debates had been held over
several economic issues. In context of the instructions of both
Presidents and the documents signed between the two countries, the
Ministers supported increase in commodity turnover, development of
trade and economic links, and `North-South` transport corridor

On the same day, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Elmar
Mamadyarov met with the Russian State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov to
discuss prospects of the Azerbaijan-Russia relationship development
and the two countries interparliamentary links.

He also gave a talk on the `Exo Moskvy’ radio and answered a number
of questions concerning prospect of the Russia-Azerbaijan
cooperation.