AZERBAIJAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER ELMAR MAMMADYAROV MET US SECRETARY OF STATE CONDOLEEZA RICE
[August 03, 2005, 14:14:56]

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Aug 3 2005

Visiting USA Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov has
met on August 2 with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, reports
AzerTAj’s Washington-based correspondent.

Before that, Mr. Tom Casey, Acting Spokesman of the United States
Department of State at the briefing said the US “certainly were going
to thank the Government of Azerbaijan for its assistance in the global
war on terror. Understand that Azerbaijan does have military forces in
Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kosovo. We are also going to stress and talk
about the importance, as we always do in our conversations with the
Azeri Government, of the parliamentary elections in November and the
importance of those elections meeting international standards. And we
certainly expected the subject of Nagorno-Karabak to come up as well.”

Minister Mammdyarov in his part told journalists after the meeting
who has appreciated talks with Condoleeza Rice as useful. In his
opinion the United States as a member of the OSCE Minsk Group promised
to make more active its efforts on the peaceful settlement of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In regards to the
United States’ position on the conflict’s settlement on the territorial
integrity principle, Mr. Mammadyarov said that it’s unchangeable.

Elmar Mammadyarov said the meeting has focused also on the improving
of democracy in Azerbaijan. The United States is concerned
with more progress in this sphere. From this point of view the
parliamentary elections in November were stressed as an important
moment. We have also talks about economic projects. The parties have
expressed satisfaction with realization of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum projects. Ms. Rice has noted the Azerbaijan’s
leadership in realization of global projects. Elmar Mammdyarov has also
emphasized importance of the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railroad
for Azerbaijan. A prospect of cooperation between the United States
and Azerbaijan within the international organizations was discussed
during the meeting.

Foreign Minister Mammadyarov has met on the same day with the OSCE
Minsk Group’s co-chair from the United States Steven Mann. They
have a talks on the negotiations for peaceful settlement of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.