AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Aug 15 2005

ISSUES OF INTEGRATION OF AZERBAIJAN TO EU STRUCTURES DISCUSSED
[August 15, 2005, 23:06:06]

Foreign minister of the Azerbaijan Republic Elmar Mammadyarov on 15
August met the delegation headed by the secretary of state of the
Swedish Premier office Lars Danielsson, now visiting the country.

Noting that the key goal of the visit is to have comprehensive
information on the current situation in the country, discuss
opportunities for bilateral relations between two countries, Mr. Lars
Danielsson expressed pleasure to visit Azerbaijan.

Minister Mammadyarov highlighted on the economic and socio-political
situation in the Republic, on the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh
conflict and current status of the peace negotiations to resolve the
question, on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum
gas and Baku-Tbilisi-Kars transport large-scale energy and transport
projects, as well as on the works to integrate to the Europe and
Euro-Atlantic structures as priorities of the foreign policy of
Azerbaijan.

Minister Mammadyarov informed that Armenia has occupied 20 percent of
territory of the country, and pursued the policy of ethnic cleanse,
underlining necessity of resolution to the problem in the frame of
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and noted that the occupation
factor is inadmissible in the XXI century, and that the problem
should find its solution in peace way and negotiations. Existent
of conflict in the region is major obstacle for integration to the
European structures, Mr. Mammadyarov emphasized.

The Minister spoke of the prospects of the cooperation of Azerbaijan
with the European structures, its steps made towards the “New
Neighboring Policy of Europe” and participation of the country in
the frame of NATO’s PfP program, as well as the democratic society
building process in the Republic.

In the meeting, also were exchanged views on a number of other
questions of regional and international significance, the reforms in
UN, humanitarian and social-economic situation in the Northern Cyprus
and others.