Interfax, Russia
May 14 2010
Azerbaijan refuses to recognize Kosovo
BAKU May 14
Azerbaijan will not recognize Kosovo’s independence, the Azeri
president said on Thursday.
"It was an illegal move to unilaterally declare Kosovo independent,"
Ilham Aliyev said, deploring the fact that some countries have
recognized Kosovo.
Aliyev was speaking to reporters after talks in Baku on Thursday with
Serbian President Boris Tadic.
"We have become members of international structures in order to
protect our sovereign rights via international rules and rights. We
also discussed today negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia in
seeking to resolve the [Nagorno-]Karabakh problem," Aliyev said.
"A solution to that conflict must be based on international rules and
the principles of immutability of borders and territorial integrity.
As for the principle of self-determination of nations, the Armenians
have already put that into practice and they have the state of
Armenia.
However, if one follows the logic of the Armenians, if they try to
exercise their right to self-determination wherever they live, several
Armenian states will be set up all over the world," he said.
Nagorno-Karabakh, which is under Armenian occupation today as there
are several Azeri districts bordering it, may be made an autonomous
region within Azerbaijan if Armenian forces leave it, Aliyev said.
"Azerbaijan is a tolerant country and there are equal conditions for
all ethnic groups and religious communities," he said.
Tadic expressed support for Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.
"You may count on our help in defending international law in various
organizations. It is a matter of principle. We are completely against
separatists," he said.