AZERBAIJAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITING GERMANY
[July 06, 2006, 21:29:23]

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
July 6 2006

Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov who is now in Germany
on the invitation of his counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier. met with
President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert, Minister of State in the
Foreign Ministry Gernot Erler and Heusgen, Dr. Christoph Foreign and
Security Policy Advisor to the Federal Chancellor to discuss prospect
to further develop the bilateral ties between Azerbaijan and Germany as
well as social and economic development of Azerbaijan, its integration
into the Euro-Atlantic structures, democratic processes in the country,
Azerbaijan’s joining the European Union’s neighborhood policy, the
country’s participating in regional projects, and peaceful solution
to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Mr. Mammadyarov handed over a letter to his German counterpart inviting
the Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit Azerbaijan.

The same day, the Azeri Minister joined the meeting organized by
the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and Azerbaijan’s Embassy to bring
together over 400 representatives of Germany’s political, economic
and cultural circles.

Addressing the event, Markus Meckel, Deputy Chairman of the Bundestag’s
Foreign Affairs Committee, said Azerbaijan is a country with rich
cultural heritage, and noted the country’s role in development of
economy in the region.

Elmar Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan is keen to further develop the
bilateral ties with Germany.

He informed the gathered on the social and political situation in
Azerbaijan, economic projects, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
oil and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipelines projects, and the planed
Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Gars railway project.

The Azeri Minister also spoke of Azerbaijan’s integration into the Euro
Atlantic structures, and the prospects to further develop the bilateral
ties with the European Union and joining its neighborhood policy.

A very large part of the Azerbaijani Minister’s speech was devoted
to the peaceful solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Speaking of the horrible results of Armenia’s aggressive policy
against his country, Elmar Mammadyarov underlined that this dispute
hampers the establishment of peace and security in the region

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister also noted that Armenia conducted the
policy of ethnic cleansing and illegal settlement in the occupied
Azerbaijani territories and demolished and set on fire the cultural
monuments of Azerbaijan.

Elmar Mammdayarov, who is accompanied in Germany by Azerbaijan
Ambassador Parviz Shahbazov and other employees of the diplomatic
mission, also gave interview to local newspapers "Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung" and "Berliner Zeitung".