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1994-05-02
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<text>
<title>
Azerbaijani Statement on The Newly Independent States
</title>
<article>
<hdr>
Foreign Policy Bulletin, May/June 1992
Relations With The Newly Independent States. Remarks with
Azerbaijan President Ayaz Mutalibov, Baku, February 12, 1992
</hdr>
<body>
<p>(Excerpt)
</p>
<p> Q. Mr. Secretary, based on recent history, are you
comfortable that Azerbaijan, Armenia and other republics will
follow through on the pledges they have given to you to follow
the five principles?
</p>
<p> Secretary Baker. Well, the assurances that we have been
given we have no reason to believe will not be followed through
on. At the same time we have made it clear with all of the new
independent states that the depth, and the richness and the
extent of relations between the United States and the
particular state will depend upon the implementation of the
principles, and follow-through with respect to the principles.
And this is true for all of the states.
</p>
<p>Human Rights
</p>
<p> Q. Mr. Baker, would you like to explain to us what did you
mean when you mentioned the violation of human rights in
Azerbaijan, and what caused non-desire of the United States to
establish diplomatic ties with our republic?
</p>
<p> A. One of the foremost of the principles, of course, is
respect for human rights, and particularly, respect for the
rights of minorities. That is very important to the United
States. The President has made it very clear that it is
important to the leadership in Azerbaijan, and that, in fact,
this principle is embodied in the constitution or the law giving
rise to independence.
</p>
<p> Q. Mr. President, do you detect a rise in Iranian influence
in your neighborhood, in this country, and is that something
that concerns you?
</p>
<p> President Mutalibov. I would like to say that we are
building our independent state, and we are trying to keep with
our neighboring states, good neighborly relations, and because
we have making up a single region. And I don't see the reason
for this question.
</p>
<p> Q. We are talking about the violation of human rights in
Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani rights, sites in Nagorno-Karabakh, but
at the same time, we just got information that fewer and fewer
Azeri's are remaining in that part of the region. And what
would you like to say about that?
</p>
<p> Secretary Baker. I would like to say that this problem of
Nagorno-Karabakh is a very difficult problem that needs to be
resolved peacefully through negotiations. And I would like to
say here, as I have said in another stop on this trip, that it
seems to me that the job of creating a new, independent nation,
and bringing it into the community of nations, and establishing
a free-market economy is a big enough job in and of itself, that
it does not need to be burdened with, or complicated by, a
continuing dispute regarding Nagorno-Karabakh.
</p>
<p> And we were very glad to see Azerbaijan and to see Armenia
both admitted to the CSCE. And we are delighted to see CSCE
taking an interest in peaceful resolution of the dispute in
Nagorno-Karabakh.
</p>
<p>Iranian Influence in the Region
</p>
<p> Q. Can you comment on whether you believe there is an
increase in Iranian influence in this region of the former
Soviet Union, and does it concern you?
</p>
<p> A. Let me say that the United States is concerned in a
number of ways about some of the activities of the Government
of Iran. We are concerned about their refusal to repudiate the
state sponsorship of terrorism. I don't know whether there is
a significant increase of the influence of the Government of
Iran in this area or region. But we have these concerns about
Iran that I've just expressed to you.
</p>
<p> And let me just add to that that the principles that the
President has just referred to, and which we talked about for
quite some time here today, are the same principles that we
have discussed with other of the new independent states which
were former republics of the Soviet Union. And these principles
are not principles that we believe, at least, are shared for the
most part by the Government of Iran. So we see and we take heart
from the fact that there is a congruence of views between the
United States on the one hand, and the new independent states
that subscribe to these principles as we do, on the other hand.
</p>
<p>(Department of State Document 32, February 12, 1992.)
</p>
</body>
</article>
</text>