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Winter 1995 (3.4)
Page 84International Relations
President Aliyev at UN Commemoration
An unprecedented historical event took place from October 22-25, 1995, when heads of states from 175 countries came to New York City to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the United Nations. Azerbaijan's President, Heydar Aliyev, was among them.
Left: Azerbaijan's Special Commemorative Stamp for the 50th Anniversary of United Nations issued in October 1995. Stamp features Azerbaijan's President, Heydar Aliyev and the U.N. Secretary General, Boutros-Gali.
Apart from giving a speech at the UN on October 22nd, President Aliyev used the occasion to build relations for Azerbaijan. His appointments read like a virtual "Who's Who" in modern world leadership. Simply the amount of organization that had to take place to schedule so many high level meetings was a feat in itself.
When this string of prominent leaders started visiting Aliyev in his suite at the UN Plaza Hotel, one of the hotel security personnel was overheard to say, "What's going on here? Who is this guy (meaning Aliyev)?" To which someone quietly responded, "Smells like oil to me!"
Armenia, President Ter-Petrossian
Bosnia, President Izetbegovich
Egypt, Foreign Minister Musa
Estonia, President Lennarto Mery
Finland, President Akhtisari
Germany, Foreign Minister Kinkel
Greece, President Stephanopoulos
Hungary, President Genz
Iran, Foreign Minister Velayati
Israel, Prime Minister Rabin
Kuwait, Emir Al-Sabah
Lithuania, President Brazauskas
Norway, Prime Minister Brundtland
Portugal, President Suaresh
Saudi Arabia, Chief of Delegation Al-Saud
Spain, President Felipe Gonzales
Turkey, President Demirel
Ukraine, President Kuchma
UK, Prime Minister John Major
UN, Secretary General Boutros-Gali
US,* President Clinton
US,** Ambassador Madeline Albright
US, Secretary of Energy Hazel O'Leary
* Clinton invited only a handful of Presidents to meet with him privately. These included Aliyev; Russia's Yeltsin, and Georgia's Shevardnadze (who didn't come to New York as he feared a coup). Clinton's selection shows the amount of importance the US is currently placing in the region.
** Madeline Albright, U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN, led an inter-agency delegation from the U.S. State Department and National Security Council to see Aliyev.
Armenia Not Our Enemy Forever
President Aliyev's response (November 12) to a question related to the Constitution and Karabakh's status.
I'll be frank. How can you think that Nagorno-Karabakh won't have special status. But the question today is not what kind of status it will have (that's for the future.) Let no one, not even the people demonstrating in the streets to destroy Nagorno-Karabakh and kill all Armenians, get the wrong idea. It is because of these wrong ideas that Azerbaijan is in such a situation.
Azerbaijan is the motherland of all who live in this country regardless of nationality, religion, language and race. That means that Azerbaijan is motherland, as well, to Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.
If Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh give up their separatist ideas, and if the Republic of Armenia stops military aggression, if our conditions are accepted, then Nagorno-Karabakh will have an appropriate status inside Azerbaijan, and normal relations will be rebuilt between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
France fought against Germany for several years and France fought with Great Britain. Now these countries are friends with each other and belong to the same alliance. This historical model is in front of our eyes. If anybody thinks that we will be enemies with Armenia forever or that we will fight with Armenia forever, they're mistaken. History reminds us that there was a great war between Russia or the Soviet Union and Germany. But fifty years later, we witnessed the heads of Germany, Russia, France and the United States kissing each other in Moscow. . . We cannot forget this history; we must be guided by it.
From Azerbaijan International (3.4) Winter 1995.
© Azerbaijan International 1995. All rights reserved.Back to Index AI 3.4 (Winter 1995)
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