ANS TV, Azerbaijan
Oct 30 2008

Azeri territorial integrity priority for Karabakh settlement –
minister

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has insisted that the
Karabakh conflict should be resolved without compromising the
principle of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

On 30 October Azerbaijan’s private ANS TV channel quoted Mammadyarov
as saying that "the conflict should be resolved on the universally
accepted principle of territorial integrity and no changes to this end
is possible in the position of Azerbaijan".

The TV later quoted him as saying that "official Baku respects the
principle of peoples’ right to self-determination. However, this
principle cannot be applied to the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict."

The Russian news agency Interfax quoted the minister as saying that
"Karabakh can gain the highest autonomy as part of Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity".

Mammadyarov added that first of all, the Azerbaijani population should
return to Nagornyy Karabakh and their peaceful coexistence should be
ensured, and normal political and economic conditions should be
created after which "we can speak about the possibility of defining
the status".

The report added that the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian foreign
ministers will meet in Moscow on 31 October. A meeting with the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs will take place on 1 November.

BBCM note: The Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian presidents will be
meeting on 2 November to discuss the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict.