Text of report by Azerbaijani news agency Sharg

9th October, Sharg correspondent F. Mammadova: The new US ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Azerbaijan, Ross Wilson, has arrived in Baku and been received by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Vilayat Guliyev. The Foreign Ministry press service reports that Wilson presented the Azerbaijani foreign minister with copies of his credentials. During the meeting, Guliyev said he was satisfied with the current state of Azerbaijani-US relations. He said that the USA was playing a vital role in developing regional cooperation, which promoted the strengthening of security and stability in the South Caucasus.

In turn, the new ambassador said that in his activities he would give priority to the further development and deepening of US-Azerbaijani bilateral ties in all spheres, the promotion of a speedy settlement to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, the nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction in the region and the development of democracy in Azerbaijan. He said that US President Bill Clinton believed that future relations between the two countries would greatly depend on the development of democracy in Azerbaijan. At the same time he said that the USA gave due recognition to President Heydar Aliyev's activities to ensure democratic rights and freedoms in the country. "The USA is satisfied with the Azerbaijani president's efforts to conduct free and fair parliamentary elections in the country," Wilson emphasized.

[Passage to end omitted: Ross Wilson's background; details about his predecessor, Stanley Escudero]

Source: Sharg news agency, Baku, in Russian 1125 gmt 09 Oct 00

BBC Mon TCU 091000 at/sa

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Posted October 11, 2000 © Eurasianet
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