KAZAKH ENVOY SAYS UN RESOLUTION ON KARABAKH SHOULD NOT DETERMINE AZERI TIES
Kazakhstan Today news agency
March 18 2008
Baku, 18 March: Kazakhstan considers cooperation with Azerbaijan in
the oil, energy and transport spheres as a priority, the [new] Kazakh
ambassador to Azerbaijan, Serik Primbetov, said at a press briefing
held in Baku today, a [Kazakhstan Today news] agency correspondent
has reported.
"I think cooperation with Azerbaijan in the oil, transport and energy
spheres is a priority. Moreover, it is necessary to try to increase
trade which is about 350m dollars. And imports of Kazakh products
into Azerbaijan makes the most part of the trade – about 200-222m
dollars, and exports of Azeri products into Kazakhstan makes about
128m dollars," Primbetov said.
[Passage omitted: the envoy mulls plans to launch flights between
Baku and Astana]
The ambassador also said that Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev
would visit Azerbaijan this year to participate in the summit of
Turkic nations.
Commenting on Kazakhstan’s neutral position during a recent poll at
the UN General Assembly on a resolution on Nagornyy Karabakh submitted
by Azerbaijan, the diplomat noted that this should not harm relations
with Azerbaijan.
"I do not think that this resolution should determine relations
between our countries. We had and have friendly relations, and they
are above any resolutions. Kazakhstan has always definitely supported
Azerbaijan’s integrity, and a peaceful resolution of the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict – this is our position. At the same time, we are
for [keeping] friendly relations with both Azerbaijan and Armenia,"
Primbetov said.