Azeri leadership discontent with John Evans’s statements

PanArmenian News
Feb 28 2005

AZERI LEADERSHIP DISCONTENT WITH JOHN EVANS’S STATEMENTS

28.02.2005 14:42

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The statements made by US Ambassador to Armenia
John Evans, who said that Karabakh cannot be given to Azerbaijan,
aroused discontent of the Azeri society, Caucasian knot reports. In
this view, the Azeri Foreign Ministry issued a formal release, which
says, in part, “It is strange to hear such words from a
representative of the US State Department, which has many times
confirmed its support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and
never recognized Nagorno Karabakh as an independent state”. On this
account the Azeri Ministry of Foreign Affairs requested the US
officials to render explanation of the statements made by the US
Ambassador to Armenia. Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the US Hafiz
Pashayev also discussed the issue with US Deputy Assistant Secretary
of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Laura Kennedy. According
to Pashayev “the US officials with regret heard Mr. Evans’s
statements” and he was assured that “the US supports the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan and does not recognize Nagorno Karabakh”.