FM slams Europe over 'double standards'
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has called on Europe
to relinquish its bias with regard to "frozen" conflicts in the
territory of regional group GUAM.
"The conflicts existing in the territories of Azerbaijan and other GUAM states - Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova - are being treated with double standards," he told an international conference, "Baltic states and the European New Neighborhood Policy", in Riga, Latvia on Friday.
He emphasized that all outstanding disputes should be resolved strictly within international law.
The GUAM format of cooperation was created by the four former Soviet republics during a summit of European Union leaders in Strasbourg in 1997. In 2006, the participants of the group's first summit in Kiev, Ukraine decided to announce it an international organization entitled "GUAM - Organization for Democracy and Economic Development".
The issue of frozen conflicts, including one between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, as well as the disputes over Georgia's breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Dnestr, Moldova, have been included in the UN General Assembly agenda as a draft resolution on stalling conflicts developed in late 2006.
In reference to Azerbaijan's approach to the New Neighborhood Policy, Mammadyarov said effective cooperation among partners was possible in such fields as transport, energy and communications.
The minister noted that Azerbaijan is engaged in energy dialog with the EU. "Such collaboration will open up new opportunities for the delivery of energy resources from the Caspian region to Europe."
The conference was held under the auspices of the Latvian Foreign Ministry and the Baltic Assembly, jointly with the European Commission's representation in Latvia. It was attended by over 200 political figures from more than 30 countries, parliament speakers of the three Baltic states - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia - as well as Lithuanian and Estonian foreign ministers.
"The conflicts existing in the territories of Azerbaijan and other GUAM states - Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova - are being treated with double standards," he told an international conference, "Baltic states and the European New Neighborhood Policy", in Riga, Latvia on Friday.
He emphasized that all outstanding disputes should be resolved strictly within international law.
The GUAM format of cooperation was created by the four former Soviet republics during a summit of European Union leaders in Strasbourg in 1997. In 2006, the participants of the group's first summit in Kiev, Ukraine decided to announce it an international organization entitled "GUAM - Organization for Democracy and Economic Development".
The issue of frozen conflicts, including one between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh, as well as the disputes over Georgia's breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and Dnestr, Moldova, have been included in the UN General Assembly agenda as a draft resolution on stalling conflicts developed in late 2006.
In reference to Azerbaijan's approach to the New Neighborhood Policy, Mammadyarov said effective cooperation among partners was possible in such fields as transport, energy and communications.
The minister noted that Azerbaijan is engaged in energy dialog with the EU. "Such collaboration will open up new opportunities for the delivery of energy resources from the Caspian region to Europe."
The conference was held under the auspices of the Latvian Foreign Ministry and the Baltic Assembly, jointly with the European Commission's representation in Latvia. It was attended by over 200 political figures from more than 30 countries, parliament speakers of the three Baltic states - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia - as well as Lithuanian and Estonian foreign ministers.