Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 14
By Elchin Mehdiyev - Trend:
Azerbaijan has expectations from the US, particularly in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict's settlement, as the US is a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the chairman of Azerbaijani parliamentary committee on international and interparliamentary relations, Samad Seyidov, said Feb. 14.
He made the remarks during a hearing on the relations between Azerbaijan and the US, held in Azerbaijan's parliament, the Milli Majlis.
Seyidov said the US's activity within the OSCE Minsk Group is a serious factor affecting not only the process of conflict's settlement, but also the relations between Azerbaijan and the US.
"Separating these processes from each other would be wrong," said Seyidov.
He added that at one time, under an initiative by Azerbaijan's National Leader Heydar Aliyev, much work was carried out to include the US to the OSCE Minsk Group, to make its activity more balanced and impartial.
"Azerbaijan expects US to have serious activity to remove selective approach and double standards in relation to the country," said Seyidov.
Seyidov said the Azerbaijan-US relations entered a new period in 1994.
"The support for the Contract of the Century from the ex-US president, Bill Clinton, showed the degree of importance of Azerbaijan for the US," he said. "A new political and economic map of the region was outlined with the signing of the Contract of the Century."
Seyidov added that Azerbaijan and the US make today joint efforts to fight against terrorism.
Azerbaijan's parliament, the Milli Majlis, is holding on Feb. 14 a hearing on the relations between Azerbaijan and the US.
The hearing's topic is the "Relations between Azerbaijan and the US in the context of issues of human rights, energy and security."
Aside from the MPs, the hearing is attended by the leaders of opposition parties of Azerbaijan, as well as the representatives of NGOs and the public.
Earlier, the US Congress also held a hearing on the relations between the two countries.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan.
As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
Edited by SI