AzerTag, Azerbaijan
March 7 2005
USA ATTACHES GREAT IMPORTANCE TO RELATIONS WITH AZERBAIJAN
[March 07, 2005, 22:25:21]
The idea was stated at the meeting of the defense minister of
Azerbaijan, colonel-general Safar Abiyev with ambassador of the
United States to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish and a group of tutors of
the US Air Forces College.
The Minister, greeting the guests, stressed importance of such
meetings. Speaking of the independence history of Azerbaijan, he
said: ~SAzerbaijan from the first days of its sovereignty has chosen
integration to the European safety structures. Today, Azerbaijan
considers the United States its partner and cooperates with NATO in
the PfP program. In 2004, President of the Azerbaijan Republic Ilham
Aliyev has presented Individual Partnership Plan of Activities to
the NATO Secretary General. Currently, we are working on this Plan
and will fulfill all its items. Our goal is to maximum come close
to the NATO. Azerbaijan attaches special importance to the relations
with the United States~T.
Then, Mr. Abiyev updated the guests on the existing socio-political
situation in the South Caucasus region, the history of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict and sequences: ~SDespite we have reached
ceasefire in 1994, there is no advance in settlement of the conflict.
The Azerbaijan side hopes for much from the OSCE Minsk Group in the
settlement of problem. Recently, the Council of Europe Parliamentary
Assembly has adopted a resolution whereby it called the forces in
Nagorno Karabakh ~Sseparatist forces~T. However, Armenia ignores
the UN four Resolutions on unconditional release of the occupied
Azerbaijan lands.
We once again state that the people of Azerbaijan will never reconcile
with the fact of occupation of its lands~S.
Reno Harnish expressed gratitude to Mr. Safar Abiyev for warm reception
and provided information, emphasizing that the United States attaches
special importance to cooperation links with Azerbaijan and considers
Azerbaijan its strategic partner.