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SECRETARY OF STATE KERRY COMMENTS ABOUT AZERBAIJANI FOREIGN MINISTER ELMAR MAMMADYAROV BEFORE THEIR MEETING
US Fed News
June 3, 2013 Monday 12:22 PM EST
WASHINGTON, June 3 -- The U.S. Department of State issued the following
transcript of remarks by the U.S. Secretary of State:
SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody. I am very, very happy
to welcome Foreign Minister Mammadyarov from Azerbaijan and very,
very pleased to spend some time with him today. I've had occasion
to talk to President Aliyev several times in the last months and
we've talked about a number of different issues. But Azerbaijan -
we were just talking together - is a wonderful statement about the
ability of different religions, different sects to come together and
live together and to find a way forward. And the Foreign Minister
just spoke to the American Jewish Committee here in Washington and
received a standing ovation when he talked about the commitment to
fighting anti-Semitism and a commitment to diversity and pluralism.
So we're particularly grateful to welcome the Foreign Minister here.
Azerbaijan has been an important partner in Afghanistan, in ISAF,
and equally important with respect to the northern distribution route
but also the southern gas line and other issues that are of great
importance to us.
We've also talked - I've had occasion to talk with the President
about Nagorno-Karabakh. And this is a frozen conflict, as we call
it, one that threatens the stability of the region and one that we
need to deal with. As co-chair of the Minsk Group, we have a serious
interest - the United States - in helping Azerbaijan and Armenia to
be able to find a path forward. The last thing we want is a return
to war and to conflict. I believe there is a path forward, and we
will continue to work quietly and patiently in an effort to try to
encourage the parties to be able to take either confidence-building
measures that may get to further down the road or to find a way towards
a settlement with respect to this issue. Both have been close before,
and at the last minute things have happened that have denied everybody
that opportunity. So we have a big interest in that.
We also have an interest in seeing Azerbaijan continue to walk down
this road, march down the road towards greater democracy to help build
the pluralism of the country and ultimately to be able to find a way
for peace and stability in the region and with its neighbors. So we
are going to work on that and we are going to have a good discussion
in a few moments about a number of these issues. But Mr. Foreign
Minister, I'm glad to have you here. Thank you for your efforts and
we appreciate the effort to try to walk down this road together.
FOREIGN MINISTER Mammadyarov: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. Just
a few words. It's very difficult to add something to what was so
skillfully articulated by the Secretary for our discussion for our
agenda. But one thing is extremely important: We consider Azerbaijan
as a partner, your strategic partner, taking the consideration what
Mr. Secretary said about the agenda of our cooperation with the United
States and all of the issue which was indicated is definitely of the
strategic nature.
Of course, Azerbaijan, it's far from United States, but we still
believe that to all these challenges which we're facing together with
United States will successfully move forward, including on the - one
of the biggest problem of the conflict resolution with the neighbor
Armenia, with whom we are definitely and desperately interested to
live in peace with dignity, always that there will be all the negative
outcome of the conflict will be in the past, and we will look to the
bright future of successful cooperation and living next to each other
as a good neighborhood.
SECRETARY KERRY: Good. Thank you, my friend.
FOREIGN MINISTER Mammadyarov: Thank you very much.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, sir.
QUESTION: Mr. Minister, do you have any plans to increase United
States role in resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
FOREIGN MINISTER Mammadyarov: We're going to discuss this issue in
particular on this detail.
SECRETARY KERRY: We are working on that. We're co-chairs of the
Minsk Group. We have thoughts about how we can proceed down that road
carefully and thoughtfully. Thank you very much.
FOREIGN MINISTER Mammadyarov: Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you.
From: Baghdasarian
US Fed News
June 3, 2013 Monday 12:22 PM EST
WASHINGTON, June 3 -- The U.S. Department of State issued the following
transcript of remarks by the U.S. Secretary of State:
SECRETARY KERRY: Good afternoon, everybody. I am very, very happy
to welcome Foreign Minister Mammadyarov from Azerbaijan and very,
very pleased to spend some time with him today. I've had occasion
to talk to President Aliyev several times in the last months and
we've talked about a number of different issues. But Azerbaijan -
we were just talking together - is a wonderful statement about the
ability of different religions, different sects to come together and
live together and to find a way forward. And the Foreign Minister
just spoke to the American Jewish Committee here in Washington and
received a standing ovation when he talked about the commitment to
fighting anti-Semitism and a commitment to diversity and pluralism.
So we're particularly grateful to welcome the Foreign Minister here.
Azerbaijan has been an important partner in Afghanistan, in ISAF,
and equally important with respect to the northern distribution route
but also the southern gas line and other issues that are of great
importance to us.
We've also talked - I've had occasion to talk with the President
about Nagorno-Karabakh. And this is a frozen conflict, as we call
it, one that threatens the stability of the region and one that we
need to deal with. As co-chair of the Minsk Group, we have a serious
interest - the United States - in helping Azerbaijan and Armenia to
be able to find a path forward. The last thing we want is a return
to war and to conflict. I believe there is a path forward, and we
will continue to work quietly and patiently in an effort to try to
encourage the parties to be able to take either confidence-building
measures that may get to further down the road or to find a way towards
a settlement with respect to this issue. Both have been close before,
and at the last minute things have happened that have denied everybody
that opportunity. So we have a big interest in that.
We also have an interest in seeing Azerbaijan continue to walk down
this road, march down the road towards greater democracy to help build
the pluralism of the country and ultimately to be able to find a way
for peace and stability in the region and with its neighbors. So we
are going to work on that and we are going to have a good discussion
in a few moments about a number of these issues. But Mr. Foreign
Minister, I'm glad to have you here. Thank you for your efforts and
we appreciate the effort to try to walk down this road together.
FOREIGN MINISTER Mammadyarov: Thank you very much, Mr. Secretary. Just
a few words. It's very difficult to add something to what was so
skillfully articulated by the Secretary for our discussion for our
agenda. But one thing is extremely important: We consider Azerbaijan
as a partner, your strategic partner, taking the consideration what
Mr. Secretary said about the agenda of our cooperation with the United
States and all of the issue which was indicated is definitely of the
strategic nature.
Of course, Azerbaijan, it's far from United States, but we still
believe that to all these challenges which we're facing together with
United States will successfully move forward, including on the - one
of the biggest problem of the conflict resolution with the neighbor
Armenia, with whom we are definitely and desperately interested to
live in peace with dignity, always that there will be all the negative
outcome of the conflict will be in the past, and we will look to the
bright future of successful cooperation and living next to each other
as a good neighborhood.
SECRETARY KERRY: Good. Thank you, my friend.
FOREIGN MINISTER Mammadyarov: Thank you very much.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you, sir.
QUESTION: Mr. Minister, do you have any plans to increase United
States role in resolution of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?
FOREIGN MINISTER Mammadyarov: We're going to discuss this issue in
particular on this detail.
SECRETARY KERRY: We are working on that. We're co-chairs of the
Minsk Group. We have thoughts about how we can proceed down that road
carefully and thoughtfully. Thank you very much.
FOREIGN MINISTER Mammadyarov: Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you.
From: Baghdasarian