The United States, New York, Sept. 23 / Trend , K. Pashayeva /
Azerbaijan seeks to have good relations with neighbours, but Armenia should also take steps in this direction, Azerbaijan's Foreign Minister, Elmar Mammadyarov said during his speech at the Harriman Institute of Columbia University on Sept. 22, Trend special correspondent in New York reported.
The meeting was attended by expert on former USSR and Eastern Europe countries, former State Department official Stephen Sestanovich, Azerbaijani Ambassador to the United States, Yashar Aliyev, head of the Azerbaijani Permanent Mission to the UN, Agshin Mehdiyev, professors and students of the University.
In his speech, Mammadyarov particularly raised the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Minister said the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the main priority of Azerbaijan's foreign policy.
Azerbaijan has such a geopolitical location that the solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not only important for its own development, but also for the development of the whole region, said Mammadyarov.
He stressed that Azerbaijan's position in this matter is clear: 20 percent of the Azerbaijani lands are under occupation and more than a million people have become refugees, only after the return of these people to their homes there can be any negotiations related to the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh.
In this regard, the negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia are being held, the influence of countries, such as the U.S., Russia and France is very important in resolving this conflict, said Mammadyarov.
Azerbaijan is located in the region, which unites East and West and using its geopolitical situation, it always made efforts to achieve stability in the region, he said.
Speaking of the projects, such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway and the Nabucco gas pipeline, Elmar Mammadyarov said they have an important role in the development of statehood and sovereignty of Azerbaijan and at the same time, they have large positive impact on the economic development of Azerbaijan, the countries of the region and beyond it.
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