Within the framework
of the OSCE Minsk Group, your Ministry is at the
heart of the negotiations around the settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Can you update
our readers on the current situation and the position
of the members of the Minsk Group and on the resolution
of the consequences on the refugee problem?
OSCE Minsk Group has already been operating for
12 years. The direct mandate of this group is
to be the intermediator for the solution of the
conflict. On May 12, 2004 it will be already be
10th anniversary of the cease-fire. It has been
10 years we have not been conducting active military
operations. But current situation in the region
is neither the war nor the peace which is a very
dangerous situation for the whole region. Because
you can very frequently hear callings for the
war in both countries. Therefore, it is very important
to solve the problem. Azerbaijani is a main zerecheken
side. The conflict began as a result of the Armenia
claims and aggression to the Nagorno Karabakh.
The territory of the Nagorno Karabakh is 4400
square km. The population of it was about 160
ths people at the beginning of the conflict. 70%
of the population were Armenian and the rest 30%
Azeris. Besides Nagorno Karabakh Armenian military
troops occupied the neighboring territories 3
times as big as Nagorno karabakh. 100 thousands
of people were forcedly moved from those regions.
Those regions have been under tghe Armenian occupation
for more than 10 years. All cities, villages,
cultural-architectural monuments have been destroyed
there. Of course the uncontrolles zones are the
source of danger for the whole region. Because
the uncpntrolled zones are used to cultivate the
drus bitkileri and drug trafficking, the atomic
wastes are buried in those zones. If we take into
account that the occupied Azeri regions are on
the border with Iran and the intervene of the
terrorist groupings in our territory is not excluded
as well. The Armenian agression is also a great
hindrance for the economic and humanitarian development
of the region. The people forcedly moved from
Nagorno Karabakh and other regions have been living
for 10 years in very bad conditions in different
regions of Azerbaijan. These people have lost
everythong their property working places. Azerbaijan
is a small country with only 8 mln population
and 1mln of them living in a very bad condition
which affects the whole econmic situation in the
country. The war must be solved on the peaceful
way because even if the military operations are
launched it doesn't give us a guarantee that the
conflict will be resolved. That's we have been
conducting negotiations through Minsk Group diuring
all these years. There was conductred direct dilaogue
of the heads of the states of the 2 countries
since 1999. Since 2003 there were conducted talks
between the representatives of the 2 presidents.
We are planning to hold meeting of the Foreign
Ministers of the 2 countries. On March 19, 2004
I met with the Minsk Group co-chairs in Slovakia.
The thing is that the Minsk Group co-chairs couldn't
prepare any proposal that makes possible the solution
of the problem. The position of the Minsk Group
is like there was a war and there are consequences
and they have to solve the problem taking it account.
Of course we realize that the results of the Armenian
agression to Azerbaijan will affect the peaceful
solution process. Bugt is we take into account
that both Azerbaijan and Armenia are the EC members
and we are living in a civil world. And gives
us opportunitiews tomsolve the problrms due to
the international norms and laws. The international
law excludes the forcedly change of the borders.
4 resolutions adopted by the UN ijn n1992-1993
it is demanded to withdraw the Armenian troops
from the Azeri territories. There some resolutions
of the OSCE as well. All this creates enough legal
base to solve the conflict in a civil way. But
unfortunately the main objective of Armenia is
to separate karabakh from Azerbaijan and join
it to itself. But Azerbaijan will never agrdee
to that.
At present Azerbaijan develops faster. Azerbaijan's
economic opportunities are much more. We have
been producing more than half of the GDP of the
3 South Caucasian countries.
One of your country's main objectives is its
integration into NATO and the EU. What are the
main steps still to be undertaken in order to
reach that goal?
One of our main objectives is Azerbaijan integration
to the NATO. We consider possible to use the Azerbaijan
position in the South Caucasus not only for our
country and for the other 2 South Caucasian countries.
We also consider possible to use these opportunities
by Armenia as well. At present weare implemenying
big projects with Georgia.
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In 2005 Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main export pipeline
will be put into operation and we'll get the opportunity
to export the yanacaq resources of the Caspian
to the world market. In 2005 will be launched
the construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline.
If Armenia wouldn't have laid claims for the Azerbaijani
territories and wouldn't occupy our lands it would
have also benefit from these projects. On the
other hand there is no foreign military base in
Azerbaijan. At present Georgia fights to withdraw
the military basis from its territory. And you
already know there are the Russian military bases
in Armenia and the Armenian borders are protected
together with them. In that sense Armenia pursues
a different policy than the other South Caucasian
republics in the region. Of course it damages
the integrity of South Caucasus.
The stability in the region is necessary not only
for Azerbaijan but for the whole as well. If there
wouldn't be these conflicts in the region the
situation would be much better.
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia have agreed
on the seabed delimitation of the Caspian sea,
except Iran who is challenging Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon
exploration in disputed waters. What can be said
today about the current situation of the status
of the Caspian sea?
Some days ago there was held the meeting of the
working group for delimitation of the Caspian
Sea with all the five coastal countries' representatives
together in Baku. The main purpose was to work
out the convention on the legal status of the
Caspian Sea. We have already reached agreements
with Russia and Kazakhstan. There are problems
with Iran and Turkmenistan. We have begun to conduct
more intensive negotiations with Turkmenistan
recently and there are some positive changes.
Iran's position is the same, it still wants 20%
of the Caspian insisting on its being shared in
5 equal lumps. But it is an unrealistic approach
to the issue. Because the share of each country
in the sea is also defined by its land territory.
Russia is one of the powerful countries in the
region and its share in the Caspian is about 18%
which is less than Kazakhstan's. Kazakhstan's
share is 29%. Kazakhstan is not going to share
its portion with any country. Iran's share is
about 12% it has to agree on it otherwise it may
cause a conflict in the region. We refer to the
international practice on delimitation of the
Caspian and consider that . On April 5-6, 2004
there will be held the meeting of the 5 Caspian
littoral countries in Moscow. First of all we'll
conclude all the things done. Issues like the
forming of Caspian biosphere, its demilitarization,
joint use of the Caspian water basin and others.
We'll also yekun vurmaq the Convention on the
legal status of the Caspian. We believe the second
summit meeting of the heads of the Caspian littoral
states in the Caspian. Azerbaijan is the first
country exporting the reserves of the Caspian
sea to the world market. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan
also began to use our experience. Therefore we
are absolutely for the peaceful and stable situation
in the Caspian. There are opportunities because
the wealth of the caspian can be enough and sufficiently
shared between all the littoral countries.
The Eurasian Transport Corridor is a major
focus of the International development policy
of your country. To what extent is the Ministry
of FA involved with its neighbours in the implementation
of that corridor?
Azerbaijan is a unique country due to its geographical
position and the corridor between east and West
and the Great Silk Road goes through it. We also
have the office of the TRACECA programm in Baku.
At present we are working on Azerbaijan's joining
North-South corridor. We have an agreement with
Russia and Iran on that. As a result of the realization
of the project there will be laid a transport
corridor between North Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
Azerbaijan will become a main transit country
in the region. Azerbaijan also realizes the transportation
the oil from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan through
the Caspian , then railway to the Black sea. The
total volume of the transported oil from Kazakhstan
will make up more than 10 mln tns in the next
2 years. As a transit country we have big opportunities.
We can also establis wide transport relations
with iran and Turkey. But 140 km of the railsways
going to Iran and Turkey are in the occupied territories.
And it creates obstacles for the 3 South Caucasian
republics exit to the Medetarrenean Sea. Wouldn't
have been the war the 2 countries could have easy
access to the oceans.
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V.I.P. INTERVIEWS
