Interview of the Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev for the journalists in the airport Bina before departure to Budapest for the participation in the summit of heads of member states of CSCE - December 4, 1994

The visit assumes special importance. As this is the fourth meeting of heads of states after signing the Helsinki Final Act in Finland in 1975, that is to say, from the moment of establishment of Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe. The heads of states that CSCE includes, will take part in this meeting and the important questions of the European Security, the strengthening of the European Union will be discussed. The main tasks consist of strengthening and making more active this organization. We support this. The president of the USA Mr. Bill Clinton stated his position to me in his letter on these issues. In my reply letter directed to him on December 2, - I stated the position of Azerbaijan. It is our position that the organization of CSCE is to strengthen, double its activity in the creation and development of a new Europe. As a European state, and the state admitted to the European family, we back up that the organization of CSCE to become more powerful. We will express our position there.

At the same time at Budapest summit there will be discussed the questions connected with a military conflict, the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan and in particular the creation of the peacemaking forces of CSCE and dispatching them to our region. This is important for us. It may be said that for the first time this problem as a special issue is on the agenda of such Summit and it will be discussed, therefore, we expect a lot of the forthcoming Summit.