Azerbaijan, Finland discuss development of relations

Baku, December 4, AzerTAc Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov has met Finnish counterpart Erkki Tuomioja on the sidelines of the 21st OSCE Ministerial Council in Basel, Switzerland. The FMs discussed the development of bilateral relations between the two countries, as well as cooperation within international organizations. They hailed Azerbaijan’s contribution to the European energy security, and stressed the importance of Trans Adriatic and Trans Anatolian gas pipelines. Elmar Mammadyarov briefed Erkki Tuomioja on the negotiations on the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said Armenian Armed Forces must be first withdrawn from the occupied Azerbaijani territories for ensuring peaceful settlement of the conflict. Noting that Armenia obstructs the negotiation process, FM Mammadyarov drew his Finnish counterpart`s attention to the large-scale provocative military exercises conducted in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan by Armenia.