Fri 20 November 2009 | 07:39 GMT Text size:

Elnur Aslanov

Azerbaijan urges the European Union to play a more active role in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, Elnur Aslanov, chief of political analysis and information department at Azerbaijan’s presidential administration, has said.

"We want the EU to play a more active role in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict", Aslanov told an international conference on security in the South Caucasus that opened in Baku Friday.

He said the resolution of the Karabakh problem meets Europe’s interests as transformation of Azeri occupied lands into an uncontrolled "grey zone is not only a regional but also a common European threat".

"The withdrawal of troops from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan is the only way out for Armenia from isolation. Azerbaijan will raise pressure unless Armenia withdraws its troops from the occupied lands", he said.

The unsettled conflicts and application of double standards in their settlement is a main threat to security in the South Caucasus. Despite this, he said Azerbaijan continues rapid democratic and economic development, the country contributes to the energy security of Europe which was proven by the recent Bulgarian-Azerbaijani cooperation on gas issue.

"Azerbaijan is among the rear countries that hold independent policy in complex geopolitical conditions", Aslanov said.

In this connection, he stressed Azerbaijan’s intensive cooperation with Russia in  particular on gas and cooperation with the United States.

Then he said Azerbaijan builds its external policy based on the development of regional cooperation and partner relations with all the interested countries.

Speaking of Azerbaijan’s progress, Askanov said the country is developing steadily and if in 2003 poverty rate made 49%, in 2008 it fell down to 13%.

Then he touched upon the issue of democratic processes in the region and said "democracy cannot be exported, it should be studied and its application should be based on historical and national and cultural needs of the countries".

Interfax-Azerbaijan, 1 news.az