TREND, Azerbaijan
June 3 2006

If position of Azerbaijan is strong, thesis of territorial integrity
of country will dominate

Source: Trend
Author: R.Agayev

03.06.2006

The final statement of the Foreign Ministry of Russian Federation
(RF) on the Georgian-Ossetin conflict and the self-determination
principle was forwarded to Georgia and indirectly to Moldova, Azer
Mursaliyev, the deputy editor-in-chief of the newspaper `Kommersant’,
informed the special correspondent of Trend in Moscow.

`It is clear that these two countries have not good relations with
Moscow, and the history of the bilateral relations over the past two
years – it is a gold war between Russia and Georgia, as well as
Moldova, partially Ukraine. As always, Azerbaijan separates in this
situation and remains alone,’ told Mursaliyev.

In politician’s opinion, it is not by accident that recently the
Russian defense minister Ivanov kindly and neutrally spoke about the
Nogorno-Karabakh conflict at the meeting of the defense ministers of
the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) member-countries in
Baku. `At the same time, the statement of the Foreign Ministry – it
is the statement of the Foreign Ministry, although it separately
touched up on taken regions. The Russian foreign minister put the
territorial integrity of the neighboring countries under the doubt.
Undoubtedly, it will affect the position of Armenia in the solution
of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,’ told Mursaliyev.

Besides, Mursaliyev noted that if Azerbaijan and its position are
strong enough, of course, the thesis of the territorial integrity of
the country will dominate. `If Azerbaijan gets into a conflict
situation and its position weakens, of course, the self-determination
principle and many other principles will be remembered. It is fair
not only from the position of Russia, but also other European
countries. To tell the truth, practically all small and serious
forces of the planet from China, Europe to the USA take interest in
this region,’ said Mursaliyev.