From the conversation of the Azerbaijan President Heydar Aliyev at the meeting with Brunson McKinley, the Director General of the International Organization for Migration - Presidential Palace, October 31, 2000


Heydar Aliyev: Welcome to Azerbaijan. I was informed that you held a lot of meetings, a lot of discussions here. You would like to meet with me. I listen to you.

Brunson McKinley: Thank you very much, Mr. President. You give me great honour receiving me and my colleagues.

This is my first visit to Azerbaijan. Actually this is the first visit of Director General of the International Organization for Migration to Azerbaijan. I express my gratitude for high hospitality shown to us during our stay here. Before arrival in Baku I have visited Ganja and Nakhchivan. In spite of that the visit was short term I had acquainted with different corners of Azerbaijan, I had acquainted with the problems of Azerbaijan. I had acquainted that Azerbaijan is a country possessing with famous history and has a great bright future. I am very glad that in this difficult period of Azerbaijan, the International Organization for Migration represented by me, renders assistance to the decision of these problems.

I have conducted detailed talks with the representatives of your government. We have discussed a lot of questions beginning from presentation of microcredits for the development of small-scale business in Azerbaijan, rendering assistance to refugees and direct participation in restoration works after ending of Mountainous Garabagh (Nagorno-Karabakh) conflict.

Mr. President I think that there are good prospects for the cooperation between the International Organization for migration and the Republic of Azerbaijan. We held productive meetings in the Ministries, working in cooperation with you. During these meetings we held the detailed discussions of our further cooperation. I think that the International Organization for Migration also will render big assistance in establishment of institutes, which is necessary for successful conclusion of transition in Azerbaijan and in the sphere of further development of relations between Azerbaijan and our organization. We hope for long-term cooperation with you in this sphere.

The International Organization for Migration - is the organization, which works jointly with governments and rendering assistance to the governments. We are glad that we are in Azerbaijan.

Mr. President I express my gratitude to you once more that you received us. And also thank you for excellent cooperation, which is established with your country and our international organization.

Heydar Aliyev: Thank you. First of all I am glad that you arrived to Azerbaijan and as you told you could take a closer look with our country. You have been also in Nakhchivan, Ganja. It deserves approval as some our guests see only Baku and then return back. Certainly Baku is a capital, Baku is a large city. However each corner of Azerbaijan has its peculiarity, its problems.

You have told that you met with our leading officials on all questions, discussed them. I understood that you are satisfied with these meetings, negotiations. You are also appreciated the cooperation of International Organization for Migration with Azerbaijan. I am very glad to know about it. As we want to cooperate closely with all international organizations. In this connection your organization, naturally is important for our country. Therefore I express my gratitude to you.

Making acquaintance with our problems you saw with your own eyes that the Azerbaijani territories are occupied. Most probably you know that millions of Azerbaijanis were driven out by force. They live in tents.

While being in Nakhchivan you have known how difficult situation arose, in the result of this the autonomous republic turned out for intelligible reasons turned out detached from the Azerbaijani lands. As the result of failing of any communication except of air between Nakhchivan and the rest territory of Azerbaijan in connection with Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, absence of opportunity for supplying to Nakhchivan the electrical energy and other necessary things for life. Unfortunately, some international organizations either do not see it or see it but cannot give the necessary estimation.

The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is infringed. 20 percentage of its territory is occupied by the armed forces of Armenia. We try to settle this question by a peaceful way. We stopped the war. However we cannot reach the solution of this question. One of the reasons of such situation is the passive relation of such international organizations to this matter. I know that your organization cannot settle this question. However in any case information which you saw and received can establish definite idea in international organizations.

Processes occurring at the present time all over the world testify that the questions on migration became one of the world problems. Therefore the work in your international organization now became larger and opportunities in order to influence to these processes are increased. I wish you success in this matter. I think that during different meetings conducted in our republic, you have discussed this question. Therefore it is not necessary to have detailed talk with you about this. I believe simply that you have got complete and objective information. And this is extremely important and creates very good basis for the cooperation of Azerbaijan with the International Organization for Migration. Thank you for all these. Thanks.