AzerTag, Azerbaijan
April 22 2006
FM MAMMADYAROV: `IN USA, WIDE RANGE OF ISSUES OF COOPERATION WILL BE
DISCUSSED’
[April 22, 2006, 11:57:52]
As was reported, visiting Moscow to partake at the sitting of the
Council of heads of MFA of the CIS countries, foreign minister of
Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov has commented position of Azerbaijan on
a number of key questions of internal and foreign policy.
In particular, speaking to representatives of the Russian and
Azerbaijan media, the head of foreign policy department has declared,
that during forthcoming visit of the President of the Azerbaijan
Republic Ilham Aliyev to the USA and meetings with President George
Bush, a wide spectrum of questions of bilateral cooperation, and also
questions of the international and regional character will be
discussed. According to the minister, one of the important themes of
negotiations will be settlement of conflicts on the Caucasus. Also
will be discussed issues of ensuring energy safety, combat against
international terrorism, in particular, participation of Azerbaijan
in anti-terror coalition.
Making comments on the question, whether in the USA will be discussed
the theme of Iran, Elmar Mammadyarov has informed: `The theme of Iran
can sound in the context of regional policy. We do not have any
problem with Iran, we have common borders, there passes a unique way
of delivery of cargoes to Nakhchivan, isolated from Azerbaijan as a
result of the conflict to Armenia. Iran is our close neighbor, we are
united by much in the economic and cultural plan, the history, and
religion, there lives many Azerbaijanis. Iran is the regional
country, the regional leader and we support settlement pf the
questions by diplomatic means, and any state has the right under
control of IANE over peace development of atomic engineering’.
The head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan informed,
that new offers during negotiations in Washington concerning
settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are
difficult for expecting. `Positions which were constant in Azerbaijan
during 15 years, remain unchanged. We always supported and continue
to support that the question should be solved according to norms and
principles of international law, with known resolutions of Security
Council of the United Nations, decisions of the OSCE. And there is no
doubt, if we wish to solve the conflict really and that it
periodically did not flash, the decision should be based exclusively
on legality. Intermediaries try to find things in common to pull
together positions of the parties. As to concept of
`self-determination’, by principles of international law, it does not
mean infringement of territorial integrity. Self-determination of
people or national minority is realized within the limits of
territorial integrity, and Azerbaijan is from its part ready to give
to the Armenian national minority within the limits of Nagorno
Karabakh the highest degree of autonomy. This example is known for
all and widely practiced in the world, in Europe’, the Minister told.