AZERBAIJAN CAME FORWARD FOR TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF GEORGIA AND CONFIRMED INVESTMENT PROJECT THERE
Azerbaijan Business Center
August 12, 2008
Azerbaijan
Baku, Fineko/abc.az. Azerbaijan does not intend to re-consider its
plans in respect to Georgia because of current hostilities on its
territory.
At today’s briefing in Baku Khazar Ibrahim, press secretary of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, claimed that Azerbaijan
appeals the parties to cease escalation of conflict in Georgia.
"The Azerbaijani party believes that the conflict should be settled
on the basis of territorial integrity of Georgia. We consider that
in this case speech should not go abut the parties of the conflict,
but about stoppage of conflict escalation," Ibrahim said.
The conflict developed after Georgian Leadership’s attempt of force
re-integration of Tskhinvali region of South Osetia in the country.
"We will provide our territorial integrity not by precedents, but
actions and potential," said Ibrahim when replying a question about
possible precedent character of the attempt of settlement of South
Osetian conflict for release of Azerbaijan’s Garabagh region occupied
by Armenia. Russia’s role that has become de-facto one of the conflict
parties does not influence Azerbaijan’s position.
"In connection with the latest events Azerbaijan does not intend to
obtain expulsion of Russia from the ranks of co-chairs of OSCE Minsk
Group on Garabagh conflict settlement. We go on talks within the
Minsk Group and the Russian Federation is its member. In addition,
Russia stated that it recognizes territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,"
Ibrahim added.
Already after his election the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev put
his signature under the Baku Declaration together with his Azerbaijani
counterpart Ilham Aliyev thereby backing territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan.
"Azerbaijan will continue investments in Georgia, but availability
of peace is needed for that," Ibrahim said.
Azerbaijan financed a $200 million state credit to Georgia for
construction of segment of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line and
investments of State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) in this country
approach to $400 million.
"The Azerbaijani party does not give humanitarian aid to Georgia as
it did not receive such request," Ibrahim said.