Musharraf: Islamabad for Azerbaijan as integral state

Interfax
July 12 2004

Islamabad for Azerbaijan as integral state – Musharraf

Baku. (Interfax-Azerbaijan) – The Pakistani authorities have always
stood for preserving Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, visiting
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said in the Azerbaijani
parliament on Friday.

“Pakistan’s official authorities have always wanted Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity to remain intact. This is our unwavering
position. The Pakistani government and every Pakistani citizen will
always support
Azerbaijan on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue,” Musharraf said.

“We think that the Azerbaijani government needs to restore the
country’s territorial integrity. We would like to give our assurance
that the Pakistani people will spare no efforts in this issue,” he
said.

Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven neighboring
districts as a result of a conflict with Armenia in the 1990s.

The UN Security Council has issued a number of resolutions denouncing
Armenia’s occupation of the Azerbaijani district and urging Armenia
to withdraw its troops.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Minsk
Group, comprising the United States, Russia, and France, has been
involved in helping to settle the dispute between Azerbaijan and
Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.