Azerbaijan, Baku, May 31 / Trend E. Tariverdiyeva /
U.S Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will engage in intense geopolitical discussions in the Caucasus and Turkey during her visit, the leading expert of the Heritage Foundation for Russian and Eurasian Studies and International Energy Policy, member of Trend Expert Council, Ariel Cohen said.
"Clinton will be meeting all three Caucasus presidents, which opens an opportunity to give a push for the Nagorno-Karabakh talks, stalled after almost two decades of Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territory," he told Trend today. "U.S Secretary of State should also reiterate US support for Georgia territorial integrity and call to end the occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia."
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit Azerbaijan on June 6, Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry spokesman Elman Abdullayev said.
During her visit, the Secretary of State is scheduled to meet with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the country's Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, Abdullayev said.
He said during Clinton's visit it is planned to discuss the situation in the region, strategic partnerships, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as energy cooperation.
"Unfortunately, it is unlikely that Armenia and Azerbaijan would listen to Clinton's calls for an equitable resolution, which should include liberation of the occupied Azerbaijan lands," he said. "After all, years of mediation by the Russian ex-president Dmitry Medvedev, who developed excellent relations with both Baku and Yerevan, have not resulted in a breakthrough."
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 per cent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France and the U.S. - are currently holding peace negotiations.
Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council's four resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding regions.
"Another priority for the Secretary of State's visit to Baku, Azerbaijan, should be expression of support for the Caspian state and its president due to incessant Iranian terror activities and plotting," he added.
"Just recently, the media disclosed a US government report which revealed a massive Iranian-directed campaign to murder American and Israeli diplomats, their family members and others in the capital Baku," he stressed.
"In Baku, Clinton, nevertheless should develop and discuss a program of anti-terrorism assistance to Azerbaijan, which includes train-and-equip package for the Azerbaijani security services and special forces," he added.
"Clinton should also acknowledge that the recent host of the popular Eurovision song contest, Azerbaijan demonstrates levels of inter-ethnic and inter-religious tolerance unknown in the broader Muslim world, let alone the neighboring Iran," he said. "At the same time, Secretary of State should reiterate American support for good governance, democratization, human rights and transparency in Azerbaijan, as it enjoys unprecedented oil and gas revenues."