MEMBER OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT CONDEMNS ARMENIA’S AGGRESSIVE POLICY
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
May 1 2008
Azerbaijan, Baku, 1 April / Trend News corr S. Ilhamgizi/ On 30 April,
the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Adrian
Severin, the Romanian member of the European Parliament, Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry reported.
The European MP noted the importance of Azerbaijan’s special position
in the European Neighbouring Policy to establish strategic cooperation
between the organization and the country and said that Azerbaijan
has the potential. He added that not only is the oil and gas policy
of Azerbaijan important for the European Union, but its geopolitical
situation as well, dynamic development of economy and the contribution
which Azerbaijan can make in cooperating between EU and Middle Asia.
Mammadyarov informed Severin that the first report on the fulfilment
of Azerbaijan’s Action Plan on EU Neighbouring Policy had already
been developed and that integration with Europe resulted in progress
in a range of fields in the country. He suggested researching the
opportunities to establish the GUAM Friendship Group at the European
Parliament.
Regarding the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Mammadyarov and Severin
condemned the occupation of Azerbaijan’s territory and said ethnic
cleansing carried out by Armenia on the principle of ‘determination
of its future’ are intolerable.
The Romanian representative said not national minorities but nations
may ‘determine its future’ and the Armenians have already determined
themselves within Armenia.
They noted the necessity to improve the knowledge about Azerbaijan
at the European Parliament, to organize visits of MPs to Azerbaijan
and also discussed lobby activities.