POLITICS
Latest joint statement by heads of Minsk Group co-chair countries very reassuring and causes satisfaction, President Ilham Aliyev
Baku, July 15 (AZERTAC). “The latest joint statement by heads of the Minsk Group co-chair countries is very reassuring and causes satisfaction,” President Ilham Aliyev said at a meeting of the Cabinet to discuss outcomes of the socio-economic development in the first half of 2011.
“The statement refers to the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act. The Helsinki Final Act is indicated as the basis for resolving the conflict. The principles of territorial integrity of countries are not in conflict with those of self-determination of nations. Issues of conflict resolution within the framework of territorial integrity are also defined explicitly.”
Touching upon the overall activity of the Minsk Group co-chair countries on this matter, the President said: “We are seeing this activity, and so is the public. Prior to the meeting in Kazan, I had a telephone conversation with US President Mr. Obama. On the eve of the Kazan meeting French President Mr. Sarkozy sent me a letter over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Kazan meeting, as you know, was held on the initiative of Russian President Medvedev. After the meeting, US Secretary of State Mrs. Clinton sent me a letter, and then I had a telephone conversation with Mrs. Clinton. After the meeting in Kazan, our Foreign Minister met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, and finally President Medvedev sent his foreign minister to Baku who handed me a message from President Medvedev. So the mere enumeration of all these developments shows that the level of activity is quite high, and we are very pleased and encouraged by that because we hope that this activity will produce tangible results. We are seeing that co-chair countries are trying very hard to have the basic principles agreed as soon as possible, so that conditions could be created for the preparation of a peace treaty. We also want this, we want this perhaps more than anyone else because these are our lands, and Armenian invaders have been occupying them for nearly 20 years. So, Azerbaijan is interested in having the issue resolved more than any other party.”