Azerbaijan urges the Russian Federation to strive for Garabagh hotbed settlement

The Upper Garabagh conflict was in the focus of Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov´s meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow last Wednesday. Lavrov said following the meeting that “Russia is interested in a peace settlement of the Upper Garabagh conflict, but the problem will be resolved only if the parties come to terms”,  Assa-Irada Information Agency reported.(28 August 2004)

Russia-Azerbaijan: strategic allies 

The Russian minister said his country approaches the talks both as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group and as a friend and supporter of Azerbaijan. He also gave a high assessment to the numerous meetings held by the two conflicting sides. Lavrov also pointed out the developing relations between the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan. Mammadyarov, in turn, said Baku considers the Russian Federation a strategic ally and pointed out that both countries are interested in the economic and political stability in Azerbaijan.

Also discussed were issues related to fighting terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and the Caspian legal status. Minister Mammadyarov told a press conference upon completion of his visit to Moscow on Thursday that Azerbaijan believes the Russian Federation should step up its efforts in settling the Upper Garabagh conflict. “We believe the Russian Federation should step up efforts at settling the conflict based on international legal norms. We expect the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs to express their view on the conflict settlement,” the minister said. Mammadyarov emphasized the principle of territorial integrity. “Other issues, such as the self-administration principle, could still be discussed”, he said. The minister added that the Azerbaijani side does not believe in the “frozen conflicts” idea. He reiterated that Azerbaijan adheres to a peace settlement of the conflict.

Statements on NATO bases ´naive´

Mammadyarov termed the statements on a possibility of stationing NATO bases in Azerbaijan as “naive”. “It is naive to believe that such bases would appear overnight”, he said. The minister also pointed out that coordination of the issue was a complex process and that stationing of NATO bases requires a decision by parliaments. “I believe that the issue of bases in the current situation is naive”, Mammadyarov said. Touching upon the issue of Azerbaijan´s admission to NATO, he said it should be addressed by the organization´s member-states.

Solution of Caspian status ´around the corner´

With regard to the Caspian legal status issue, Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan hopes for a speedy resolution of the problem. “Solution of this problem is around the corner”, he said. Touching upon the outstanding discrepancies among Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan on a number of oil fields, the minister said this was not a serious problem. “The talks are underway. We have to be patient and allow experts and diplomats to continue their work”, he said. Mammadyarov added that the meeting of deputy foreign ministers on the Caspian status issue scheduled for September in Moscow will be held as planned.

Azerbaijan involved in Russia-Persian Gulf link project Azerbaijan is involved in a number of projects on building a transport corridor from the Russian Federation to the Persian Gulf via Azerbaijan and Iran, Minister Mammadyarov said. Both the Russian Federation and Iran support funding the construction of the North-South railway corridor, according to the minister. He said Azerbaijan has completed construction of the railway branch in Astara, on the Azeri-Iranian border. Iran is building a railway line to link with Astara, Iran. “When a railway bridge between these districts is built, the corridor will be put into operation. The agreement on building the bridge has been reached,” the minister said. Mammadyarov said the Russian Federation supports Azerbaijan gaining access to the Persian Gulf. This will enable to deliver cargo from Northern Europe through the Russian Federation and Azerbaijan via the shortest route. Russia´s link with Iran through Azerbaijan was used till the 1990s, when the volume of railway transit between the two countries reached about 3 million tons. Experts´ estimates confirmed that inter-regional transportation through this route may yield considerable profits to all parties involved. Moreover, the North-South corridor is more economical and reliable from the viewpoint of ensuring the security, compared to maritime and other types of land transport.