Mutual visits of Azerbaijani and Armenian intelligentsia not contradict national interests: head of international relations department of Azerbaijani Presidential Administration

Azerbaijan, Baku, July 4 / Trend News A. Huseynbala /

Mutual visits of Azerbaijani and Armenian intelligentsia do not contradict national interest, head of international relations department of Azerbaijani Presidential Administration said.

"People's diplomacy prepares communities for joint co-existence," head of international relations department of Azerbaijani Presidential Administration Novruz Mammadov told the website of ruling New Azerbaijan Party on July 4.

Azerbaijani and Armenian ambassadors to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu and Armen Smbatyan, head of the Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography Mikhail Shvydkoi being on visit in Nagorno-Karabakh met with the president of unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Bako Saakayan in Hankendi on July 3, Armenia media outlets said. 

Azerbaijani delegation included six representatives, as well as two members of the Azerbaijani Parliament Asim Mollazadeh, Rovshan Rzayev and composer Siyavush Kerimi in Hankendi.

Then Azerbaijani delegation arrived in Armenia to meet with Armenia President Serzh Sarkisian.  

Members of the group left Yerevan and arrived in Baku the same day. The Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received them.

It is the second visit to Nagorno-Karabakh of Azerbaijani and Armenian ambassadors to Russia.

Representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijani intelligentsia visited Hankendi, Yerevan and Baku on June 28, 2007 upon initiative of ambassadors of both countries to the Russian Federation. 

Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples lived side by side and will live together, Mammadov said.

"Joint co-existence of peoples after solving of the conflict is important. Community must be ready for is. From this point of view, mutual visits of intelligentsia of both peoples have great importance," Mammadov said.  

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan lost all of Nagorno-Karabakh except for Shusha and Khojali in December 1991. In 1992-93, Armenian armed forces occupied Shusha, Khojali and 7 districts surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire in 1994. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group - Russia, France, and the U.S. - are currently holding the peace negotiations.