Slovene foreign minister urges Azerbaijan to ensure fair elections
STA news agency, Ljubljana
2 Apr 05
BAKU
The Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and democracy building topped talks
held by Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, the OSCE chairman, with top
Azerbaijani officials in Baku on Saturday [2 April].
Rupel met Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister Artur
Rasizada, Speaker of parliament Murtuz Alasgarov and Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov in what was the final leg of his three-day Caucasus
tour, which had also taken him to Armenia and Georgia, as well as
Kyrgyzstan.
Moreover, he met the representative of the Azerbaijani population of
Nagornyy Karabakh, Nizami Bahmanov, as well as representatives of
political parties and local non-governmental organizations.
According to Rupel, Mammadyarov presented a number “of very
interesting and fresh ideas” for a solution to the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict. [Passage omitted – background]
Visiting Armenia on Wednesday, Rupel said that “a window of
opportunity” could open by summer in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict
over the disputed region.
Rupel today reiterated his call for both sides to join in efforts to
step up talks for a final resolution of this issue. The important
thing, in Rupel’s opinion, is to avoid fresh incidents and to stick to
the cease-fire. Efforts for this could be bolstered through more
frequent bilateral meetings, he added.
Speaking after the meeting with Aliyev, Rupel said he was hopeful 2005
would be a breakthrough year in the search for a resolution to the
conflict. He reiterated his view that the guidance of the presidents
of Armenia and Azerbaijan was crucial for the successful development
of the peace process.
Meanwhile, progress in democracy was the other main topic of Rupel’s
talks in Baku. The Azerbaijani foreign minister said the pair agreed
about the importance of building democracy in the country.
Defending the OSCE’s role in the region, Rupel said the security
organization was not meddling in internal affairs or taking sides. The
OSCE is merely striving to support a political process, he claimed.
With parliamentary elections looming in Azerbaijan, Rupel said the
goal of the government should be to ensure that there was no doubt
about the validity and fairness of the vote.
Moreover, Rupel underscored the OSCE’s readiness to continue assisting
Azerbaijan in implementing reforms, particularly in the fight against
corruption and money laundering, and the promotion of human rights.