Azerbaijan president sure that Karabakh settlement is possible
By Sevindzh Abdullayeva, Viktor Shulman

ITAR-TASS News Agency
March 21, 2005

BAKU, March 21 — Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev hopes that 2005
proves important for settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and
is sure that possibilities for that are not exhausted.

“I want to hope that progress will be achieved on this track,” he
said at celebrations of Novruz Bairam festivity in Baku on Monday.

He stressed that “diplomatic successes of Azerbaijan and its political
steps to settle the conflict have created a new situation in the
negotiation process and can positively influence it”.

“Azerbaijan wants to restore the territorial integrity on the basis of
the international law and to do it in a peaceful ways,” Aliyev said,
referring to a six-year war of Azerbaijan and its mostly Armenian
breakaway enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“If, however, we are unable to reach a fair resolution of the conflict
on the basis of the negotiations, a new situation will arise and
Azerbaijan will take up other variants of settlement,” Aliyev added.

He stressed that Azerbaijan would be able to solve its problems by
enhancing its economic potential, strengthening its army and improving
the well-being of people.

“We must make Azerbaijan a strong and rich state,” Aliyev said.

He outlined a concept of development of the country, stressing that
national interests of other states should be secured and mutually
beneficial relations with all friendly neighbour countries established.

Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili’s wife Sandra took part in
the celebrations.

She arrived in Azerbaijan for a three-day visit at the invitation of
the Azerbaijani president’s wife Mikhriban Aliyeva.