Azerbaijan, Baku, Sept.18. / Trend T.Konyayeva /
The British Government considers the aligning with Europe as one of the important decisions of the Azerbaijani government.
Speaking at the Center for the Strategic Studies under the Azerbaijani President, Caroline Brown, British ambassador to Azerbaijan, said that the United Kingdom (UK) is pleased to see Azerbaijan's growing integration into the international community and considers aligning with Europe as one of the important decisions of the Azerbaijani government.
According to Brown, one of principle directions of London's foreign policy towards Baku is the establishment of mutual trust.
"Azerbaijan is one of the UK's leading partners. In 2005, exports from Azerbaijan to the UK amounted to 4.2 million pounds sterling," the ambassador said.
Azerbaijan is the second largest importer of the UK goods. "Relations between the two countries are much wider and deeper than the ties at the governmental level. These are the cultural ties and language," Brown added.
According to Brown, the main objectives of the British foreign policy's strategy is to fight against terrorism, to ensure non-proliferation of nuclear arms and economic development at the international and regional level, to prevent and resolve territorial disputes, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "The UK is interested in rapid resolution of the conflict," the ambassador added.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and 7 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 the peace negotiations.
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