Azerbaijani FM holds bilateral meetings within OSCE ministerial council

Azerbaijani FM Elmar Mammadyarov has held a number of bilateral meetings in Vilnius as part of a summit of OSCE Foreign Ministers Council. The FM met EU Special Representative for South Caucasus Philippe Lefort to discuss the peace talks to solve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

They stressed the importance of continuing the peace process based on Madrid principles with involvement of the OSCE Minsk Group. Mammadyarov also met his Israeli, Finnish and Cyprian counterparts.

In a meeting with Israeli FM Avigdor Lieberman, Mammadyarov discussed Azerbaijan-Israel relations, in particular energy and agricultural cooperation. They also exchanged views on latest developments in the South Caucasus and Middle East. Lieberman congratulated Mammadyarov on Azerbaijan`s election to the UN Security Council.

With Finnish FM Erkki Tuomioja, Mammadyarov explored the prospects for developing the relations between the two countries. The Azerbaijani FM highlighted the history of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Tuomioja congratulated Mammadyarov on Azerbaijan`s election to the UN Security Council.

Mammadyarov also met Cypriot FM Erato Kozakou Marcoullis to discuss the Azerbaijan-EU relations. Cyprus will take over the rotating chairmanship of the European Union in the second half of 2012. The Cypriot FM congratulated Mammadyarov on Azerbaijan`s election to the UN Security Council.

The Azeri FM also met US Assistant Secretary of State Philip Gordon to discuss the ways of expanding the Azerbaijan-US strategic partnership.


/AzerTAc/