US OFFICIAL DENIES PRO-ARMENIA BIAS

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 4 2006

Baku, April 3, AssA-Irada
The allocation of more financial assistance to Armenia than Azerbaijan
does not imply that the United States favors this country on the issue
of settling the long-standing Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict,
said the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and
Eurasian Affairs Matthew Bryza visiting Baku.

Washington backs Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and solving the
dispute on the basis of the United Nations resolutions, said Bryza.

“The UN Security Council resolutions represent worldwide laws and we
support them. We are interested in the continuation of peace talks.

The key issue here is for the sides to reach agreement that would
benefit both of them,” the American official added.

Commenting on the operation of the self-proclaimed Upper Garabagh
republic’s office in the U.S., Bryza said this is in line with American
laws. He said American laws do not ban the opening of any entity’s
representation in his country despite certain restrictions.

“We allow any given organization to operate in the United States and
forbid this only if it runs counter to our laws. There is nothing
illegal about the activity of an organization from the Garabagh region
in the U.S. We see nothing illegal in the activity of the Cyprus Turks’
community there either. But personally, I have not held any officially
meetings with the Upper Garabagh representatives.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress