Azerbaijani Foreign Minister deeply concerned over info on European Commission website

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry expresses deep concern upon the fact that European Commission President José Manuel Barroso's speech to foreign and local media during his visit to Baku was not fully posted on the official website of the European Commission. Moreover, the quotes relating to the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan were removed and replaced with other statements, the Foreign Ministry said.

The delegation of the European Commission, headed by its president José Manuel Barroso, arrived in Baku on Jan. 13. It was the first visit of the head of the European Commission to Azerbaijan during his stay on this post. Barroso was accompanied by EU Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger.

During the press conference held jointly with President Ilham Aliyev, Barroso expressed support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, by touching upon the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, among other issues.

"In particular, Barroso said that the EU, of course, supports the principle of the territorial integrity of the partner-countries, including Azerbaijan. We also support the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group. We are ready to finance the confidence-building measures," the foreign ministry said.

The foreign ministry stated that such an incident causes regret and surprise. It may put the relations' mutual trust and cooperation with the EU under a serious question. The foreign ministry once again recalled that Azerbaijan was admitted to the U.N., OSCE and other international organizations within the boundaries as a part of the Soviet Union. The territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country were recognized by all world countries (except Armenia).

The corrections made to Barroso's speech on the official website of the European Commission may negatively affect the image of the EU. These actions contradict the "Agreement on Cooperation and Partnership" signed between the EU and Azerbaijan in 1999.


/Trend/