Azeri speaker, Iraqi envoy discuss Karabakh conflict, expanding ties

Trend news agency
23 Dec 04

Baku, 22 December, Trend correspondent X. Azizov: The Azerbaijani
speaker [Murtuz Alasgarov] received the Iraqi ambassador to Azerbaijan,
Umar Ismai’l, on 22 December.

Alasgarov said during the meeting that Azerbaijan is interested in
the development of ties with the Iraqi people which has the same
religious origin, Trend news agency reported.

Alasgarov said that Azerbaijan is watching the Iraqi developments
with great interest and wishes the restoration of peace and calm
in the country. Then the speaker told the guest about the roots and
consequences of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and Azerbaijan’s fair
position on the settlement of the conflict. He noted that as a result
of the policy conducted by [Azerbaijani] President Ilham Aliyev,
Azerbaijan will soon liberate its lands.

The ambassador said that the Iraqi people is also interested in the
development of ties with Azerbaijan.

We will try our best to develop Iraqi-Azerbaijani interparliamentary
relations after the parliamentary elections in Iraq in January 2005,
he said.

He said he will work in the sphere of developing economic, cultural
and political relations. The ambassador also said that not only the
Iraqi, but also the Turkoman people were concerned over the Karabakh
conflict. We support a speedy solution to the conflict within the
framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, Ismai’l said.