AZERBAIJANI DELEGATION INTRODUCES AMENDMENTS INTO NATO PA REPORT ON SITUATION IN SOUTH CAUCASUS

Regnum, Russia
Nov 22 2006

"The report on the situation in South Caucasus was changed three
times during the 52nd session of NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA)
carried out in Quebec (Canada)," Azerbaijani Parliament’s Deputy
Speaker, head of the Azeri delegation at NATO PA Ziyafet Askerov is
quoted by Azeri Press Agency as saying. He stressed that "issue of
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity was the most important one for us
in the report on South Caucasus prepared by UK deputy Frank Cook."

"The issue was mentioned superficially in the first draft report. We
made our proposals in that connection. We made our proposals concerning
the report’s second variant, too. As for the third variant, it
satisfied us comparing with previous ones," he stressed.

According to Askerov, problems connected with the Azerbaijani economy,
presence of more than 1mln of refugees and IDPs, deportation of 200,000
Azerbaijanis from Armenia, construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
oil pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum and Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars
railway were present in the report.

According to Askerov, "Armenians protested against giving certain
number of refugees and IDPs, as well as dimensions of the occupied
Azerbaijani territories." "We provided in advance all official
representatives of NATO PA with decisions concerning recognition
of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity adopted by international
organizations. We demonstrated to NATO PA documents proving arrival of
Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh 150 years ago, as well as a photograph of
a monument erected by them on the occasion. I believe it exerted big
impact. If the separate issue of Azerbaijan is discussed in future,
we will achieve adoption of a special NATO PA resolution," the Azeri
first deputy speaker stressed.

According to him, instability of the situation in Abkhazia, South
Ossetia, Transdnestr, and Nagorno Karabakh was reflected in 13th
clause of report of NATO PA Committee on Security Civil Control on
cooperation with countries of the Black Sea basin.