BAKU: Azeri president, EU envoy praise ties

Azeri president, EU envoy praise ties

Azartac news agency, Baku
9 Feb 05

[No dateline as received] Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received a
delegation led by the special envoy of the European Union in the South
Caucasus, Heikki Talvitie, at the Presidential Palace on 9 February.

The head of state expressed his satisfaction with the rapid development
of cooperation between Azerbaijan and the European Union and our
country’s participation in the EU’s New Neighbourhood policy.

Touching on the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagornyy Karabakh conflict,
Ilham Aliyev noted that Azerbaijan’s position on the settlement
of this conflict is in line with international legal norms and
principles – the territorial integrity of countries and inviolability
of borders. He said that the conflicts in the former Soviet Union,
which are accompanied by aggressive separatism, inflict great damage
on the cause of establishing peace and security in regions. From this
point of view, the objective position expressed in the documents of
the Council of Europe and other international organizations condemning
Armenian separatism and Armenia’s aggression against our country is
of great importance.

The head of state expressed his confidence that cooperation between
Azerbaijan and the European Union would continue to develop.

Mr Talvitie highly assessed the expansion of relations between the
European Union and Azerbaijan and expressed his confidence that these
relations will continue to strengthen.

The meeting also discussed various spheres of cooperation between
Azerbaijan and the European Union, regional problems and other issues
of mutual interest.