Azeri president meets Spanish foreign minister in New York

Lider TV, Baku
24 Sep 04

[Presenter] Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is due to deliver a
speech at the 59th session of the UN General Assembly today. The
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict will be the key topic of the president’s
speech. The president has already held a number of meetings.

[Correspondent over video of Ilham Aliyev meeting named officials]
President Ilham Aliyev, who is on a visit in New York, has received
Solomon Pasi, chairman of the OSCE [Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe]. The president called on the OSCE chairman to
boost the organization’s efforts in the settlement of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagornyy Karabakh conflict. The sides exchanged
opinions on the OSCE’s future activities and its expansion. Pasi
informed President Ilham Aliyev of Bulgaria’s position on this issue.

Following this meeting, President Ilham Aliyev met the president of
Exxon Mobile. The Exxon Mobile president congratulated Ilham Aliyev on
the 10th anniversary of the Contract of the Century. He spoke about
successful projects of development of the Caspian natural
resources. The meeting also discussed the Exxon Mobile company’s
future activities in Azerbaijan.

President Ilham Aliyev also met Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel
Moratinos. Extending greetings from Spanish King Juan Carlos I and
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to President Ilham
Aliyev, Moratinos said that the Spanish government was closely
observing processes in Azerbaijan and was of high opinion of President
Ilham Aliyev’s policy. The president noted great potential for the
development of relations between the countries. By exploiting this
potential, we should expand political, economic and other ties, the
president said, adding that our country was successfully integrating
into European structures. Since Azerbaijan joined the European Union’s
Wider Europe policy, we have been planning to bring our ties with this
body to a new stage, end quote.

One of the meetings President Ilham Aliyev held throughout the day was
with the president of the Open Society Institute, George
Soros. Stating that he is very keen on processes in Azerbaijan, Soros
said that our country is developing economically.

Mahsati Seyidzada for Lider TV.