Trend Info, Azerbaijan
April 28 2006

Azeri, US presidents to discuss co-op in security, energy sectors

Source: Trend
Author: Z.Ibrahimli

28.04.2006

The cooperation in the security, energy, consolidation of bilateral
relationships, as well as situation around Iran will be in focus of
discussion in a meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
and US President George W.Bush in the White House on 28 April, Trend
reports. The bilateral meeting on the top crowns the Azerbaijani
President’s three-day official visit to Washington as the head of
state.

On the eve of the Azerbaijani-US Summit the White House stated
Washington is considering Baku as its `key ally’ in strategically
important region of the world and `valuable partner’, rendering
important assistance to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo”. There were
placed peacekeeping contingent of Azerbaijan.

According to the US Administration, during the forthcoming talks with
Aliyev Bush plans to touch upon the issues like “promotion of
democracy and cooperation in the Caucasus, diversification in the
energy sector, as well as general decisiveness [of both countries] to
work jointly in the name of freedom and security.

Addressing to the Council of International Relationships, the
Azerbaijani leader said that he does not regard the issue of Iran as
central one in the meetings in Washington. Aliyev underlined that
Azerbaijan was not going to participate in any armed operations
against Iran, if it transits from suppositions to reality.

Obviously, Aliyev and Bush will pay especial attention to a problem
of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani Foreign
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov announced that Baku was not waiting new
proposals from Washington on the resolution of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, ITAR-TASS announces.