Trend, Azerbaijan
Oct 28 2010


Russia, U.S., France should not be neutral in Karabakh issue - Baku

BAKU. Oct 28


Azerbaijan will continue to develop relations with Russia, head of the
Azeri presidential administration's department of public and political
issues Ali Hasanov said at a Thursday roundtable in Baku.

The roundtable discussed the parliament's role in the promotion of
civil society.

"The only reason why bilateral relations cannot develop into a
strategic alliance is that Russia does not support Azerbaijan in the
Karabakh settlement process," he said.

"We should ask the question whether Russia can support Azerbaijan. I
think it can, but that will lead to exacerbation of its relations with
other states. That is why, Russia and other co-chairmen of the OSCE
Minsk Group [the United States and France] have to stay neutral in
this conflict. We think they should not do that, because international
laws are on the side of Azerbaijan," he said.

Azerbaijan and Russia are united in 99 areas, "and disconnected only
in one, the Karabakh conflict," he said. "If we ask the question of
Azeri-Russia relations in Azerbaijan, the most radical opinion will be
that Russia does not give sufficient attention to the Karabakh
settlement and does not do enough for combating separatism in the
region," Hasanov said.

In all, he described bilateral relations as 'very good'.

te dp




From: A. Papazian