ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 18, 2005
Russia plays great stabilising role in Caucasus – Azerbaijani FM
By Alexander Zyuzin
BEIJING, March 18
Russia plays a great stabilising role in the Caucasus, Azerbaijani
Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov, who accompanies Azerbaijani
President Ilkham Aliyev on his trip to China, said in an interview
with Itar-Tass on Friday.
As far as the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is concerned, Azerbaijan
always urged Russian leaders to be more active for soonest settlement
of the conflict, the minister said.
Russia itself is a Caucasian state, and its role is obvious,
Mamedyarov said.
The more actively Moscow will continue its activities in the
Caucasus, the more stable the region will be, he said.
This concerns not only political, but also economic issues. All the
countries of the south Caucasus have close economic ties with Russia,
the minister noted.