U.S. congressmen hail rapid development in Azerbaijan
By Sara Rajabova
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov received a delegation of U.S. congressmen on November 25, the Ministry reported.
During the meeting with U.S. congressmen- Democrat Jim McDermott from Washington, Democrat James Moran from Virginia, Republican Billy Long from Missouri, and Democrat Donald Payne from New Jersey, Mammadyarov said bilateral ties between Azerbaijan and U.S. are developing successfully.
Mammadyarov said such reciprocal visits contributed to the further expansion of bilateral bonds between the countries.
The congressmen hailed ongoing rapid development processes in Azerbaijan.
They described Azerbaijan as a country with a stable political atmosphere and rapidly developing economy.
Mammadyarov informed the congressmen about Azerbaijan-initiated projects resulting from cooperation with the U.S., noting the role of these projects in development of the region.
Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Mammadyarov noted the U.S.'s role in the settlement of the dispute as the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair country.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict emerged in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since a lengthy war in the early 1990s that displaced over one million Azerbaijanis, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions.
The two sides also discussed prospects for the bilateral relationship between the two countries.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received the delegation of U.S. congressmen on November 24.
Aliyev said the visit by the U.S. congressmen was a good opportunity for them to familiarize themselves with Azerbaijan.
The importance of reciprocal visits in terms of development of Azerbaijan-U.S. relations was stressed during the meeting.
The President and the congressmen discussed prospects for the bilateral cooperation.
U.S. recognized Azerbaijan's independence in December 1991. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were established in February 1992. Seventy-six documents are included in the legal framework for bilateral cooperation.