AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Nov 18 2004
Armenian delegation attends energy conference in Baku
An international conference dedicated to energy cooperation among the
Caspian basin countries was held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel of Baku
on Saturday on the initiative of the European Union.
Issues related to prospects for energy collaboration among regional
states were discussed at the event attended by delegations from
Azerbaijan, Georgia, Belarus, Iran, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia,
Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, as well as an Armenian
delegation led by a head of the Energy Ministry department Levan
Vardanian.
Deputy Prime Minister Abid Sharifov said at the conference that the
Armenian representatives’ participation in the event does not imply
Azerbaijan’s cooperation with Yerevan.
Vardanian told journalists that he did not face any difficulty in
coming to Baku. He also thanked the Azerbaijani side for ‘organizing
the visit properly’.
Although the Azerbaijani government has kept the Armenians’ planned
participation in the conference confidential, their arrival in Baku
has drawn fire from the public and political organizations in the
country.
The Garabagh Liberation Organization held a picket outside the Hyatt
Regency Hotel on the same day in protest against the Armenian
delegates’ visit. The opposition Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front party
of Azerbaijan, in turn, issued a statement condemning the position of
the government, which has offered facilities for the Armenians’
participation in the conference and concealed it from the public.
In the statement, the party urges the government to voice a decisive
stance on the issues related to Azerbaijan’s national interests and
take urgent steps to oust the Armenian delegates from Baku.
The Armenian representatives also participated in a conference on
cooperation in the area of transport in Baku on Sunday.