ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
February 2, 2005 Wednesday

Karabakh settlement may boost economic coop in region – FM

By Sevindzh Abdullayeva and Viktor Shulman

BAKU

The resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will create
conditions for the development of economic cooperation in the region,
said Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov, presidential
special envoy at the talks on Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

Speaking at NATO’s seminar, “Economy, Security and Defence”, on
Wednesday, Azimov said, “There is certain progress in the talks on
the solution to the Karabakh problem.” The sides are holding
negotiations on possibilities of withdrawing troops from all occupied
territories, restoring communications, and returning refugees to
their homes. “Then discussions will focus on the normalisation of
relations between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of
Nagorno-Karabakh, between Azerbaijan and Armenia,” the diplomat said.

“Relations between Azerbaijan and Georgia, that have agreed to carry
out different projects in the energy sector, are an excellent model
of cooperation in the region,” he said. “The third country of the
region is losing its opportunities” due to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict,” Azimov said.

At the same time, he stressed, “Territorial compromises are
inadmissible and unacceptable in this aspect.” “Such conflict cannot
be settled on such base,” he added.

Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili’s initiatives on the
settlement of the South Ossetian conflict “may become an excellent
factor for Azerbaijan that may give an impetus to the resolution of
such conflicts,” Azimov pointed out.