Tweet
STATE DEPARTMENT TELLS WHAT RICE TALKED WITH ALIYEV AND KOCHARYAN
Azerbaijan News Service
Aug 30 2005
The United States attaches great importance to the upcoming meeting
of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan and hopes they will make
the compromises necessary in order to reach a settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. That was the message when Secretary of
State Condoleeza Rice phoned Armenian President Robert Kocharian and
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev August 25, according to the U.S.
State Department, The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the
U.S. Department of State announced on Monday.In terms of official
policy, the United States does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as
an independent country and supports the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan, maintaining that the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh is a
matter of negotiation between the parties, the statement outlines.The
United States also remains committed to finding a peaceful settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the Minsk Group process, which
is co-chaired by Russia, France and the United States. In its statement
on Rice's discussions with the two leaders, the State Department
said, "Both leaders were upbeat about the prospects for making
progress." "The Secretary stressed to President Aliyev the importance
of free and fair parliamentary elections this November in Azerbaijan,
and noted his important role in this," the statement added. The
United States has repeatedly urged Azerbaijan to meet international
standards when it holds its November parliamentary elections and to
implement the recommendations made by an Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observer mission after the 2003
elections.As recently as July 2, U.S. representative Christopher
Smith, co-chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and a Republican
from New Jersey, issued a statement saying he was "very disappointed"
that Azerbaijan's parliament had passed an election law that does not
incorporate many key changes recommended by international observers,
especially in the composition of election commissions. The United
States has also called on Azerbaijan "to implement fully the May
11 Presidential Decree calling for the conduct of free and fair
elections."In her phone call to Armenian President Kocharian,
Rice said she "hoped Armenia would make progress toward enacting a
package of constitutional reforms now before the parliament," the
State Department said. The government of Armenia submitted revised
constitutional reform amendments to the Council of Europe's Venice
Commission in July, and the United States at that time welcomed the
Venice Commission's agreement to those amendments. The proposed reforms
would improve separation of powers between branches of government and
increase the independence and freedom of the media. The U.S. State
Department has a fact sheet available summarizing the U.S. position
on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Azerbaijan News Service
Aug 30 2005
The United States attaches great importance to the upcoming meeting
of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan and hopes they will make
the compromises necessary in order to reach a settlement of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. That was the message when Secretary of
State Condoleeza Rice phoned Armenian President Robert Kocharian and
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev August 25, according to the U.S.
State Department, The Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs of the
U.S. Department of State announced on Monday.In terms of official
policy, the United States does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as
an independent country and supports the territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan, maintaining that the future status of Nagorno-Karabakh is a
matter of negotiation between the parties, the statement outlines.The
United States also remains committed to finding a peaceful settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through the Minsk Group process, which
is co-chaired by Russia, France and the United States. In its statement
on Rice's discussions with the two leaders, the State Department
said, "Both leaders were upbeat about the prospects for making
progress." "The Secretary stressed to President Aliyev the importance
of free and fair parliamentary elections this November in Azerbaijan,
and noted his important role in this," the statement added. The
United States has repeatedly urged Azerbaijan to meet international
standards when it holds its November parliamentary elections and to
implement the recommendations made by an Organization for Security
and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observer mission after the 2003
elections.As recently as July 2, U.S. representative Christopher
Smith, co-chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission and a Republican
from New Jersey, issued a statement saying he was "very disappointed"
that Azerbaijan's parliament had passed an election law that does not
incorporate many key changes recommended by international observers,
especially in the composition of election commissions. The United
States has also called on Azerbaijan "to implement fully the May
11 Presidential Decree calling for the conduct of free and fair
elections."In her phone call to Armenian President Kocharian,
Rice said she "hoped Armenia would make progress toward enacting a
package of constitutional reforms now before the parliament," the
State Department said. The government of Armenia submitted revised
constitutional reform amendments to the Council of Europe's Venice
Commission in July, and the United States at that time welcomed the
Venice Commission's agreement to those amendments. The proposed reforms
would improve separation of powers between branches of government and
increase the independence and freedom of the media. The U.S. State
Department has a fact sheet available summarizing the U.S. position
on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.