VZCZCXRO6378
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHDIR RUEHKUK RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHKB #0106/01 0401344
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 091344Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY BAKU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0737
INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHMZ/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNIRA/IRAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BAKU 000106 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
EUR FOR MATT BRYZA; DRL FOR KAREN STEWART 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINR PREL KDEM PHUM AJ
SUBJECT: FM MAMMADYAROV LETTER TO SECRETARY CLINTON 
 
¶1. (SBU) Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov passed 
the following letter to Ambassador Derse February 4 for 
transmittal to Secretary Clinton.  The letter was faxed 
February 5 to EUR/CARC. 
 
Begin Text: 
 
Minister of Foreign Affairs 
of the Republic of Azerbaijan 
 
February 3, 2009 
 
Her Excellency Mrs. Hillary Clinton 
State Secretary of the United States of America 
 
Dear Madam Secretary, 
 
I have the honor to express my sincere congratulations and 
warmest wishes on the occasion of your appointment to the 
position of State Secretary of the United States of America. 
 
I am confident that your experience will contribute to the 
development of a mutually advantageous relationship between 
our nations, as well as cooperation between foreign policy 
departments of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United 
States both on bilateral levels and within international 
organizations. 
 
I am pleased to underline with great satisfaction the level 
of the strategic partnership existing between our two 
countries.  Today we enjoy a shared vision of global 
security, Euro-Atlantic values and energy initiatives.  We 
contribute to the international antiterrorism operations and 
our troops have served shoulder-to-shoulder within 
international stabilization efforts in Afghanistan, Kosovo 
and Iraq.  With our joint efforts and fruitful cooperation in 
the energy field we have succeeded in the development of 
Caspian energy resources and their delivery to the world 
markets through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil and 
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipelines that are critical for 
European and global energy security. 
 
The efforts of the United States as a co-chair of the OSCE 
Minsk Group are of particular importance for a peaceful and 
fair resolution of the Armenian-Azerbaijan Nagorno Karabakh 
conflict, as a result of which almost 20 percent of 
Azerbaijan's territory is under occupation by Armenia and 
around 1 million Azerbaijanis have been ethnically cleansed 
from their homes.  We believe that the United States will do 
its utmost for the lasting and durable resolution of this 
conflict, a major threat to peace and stability in the South 
Caucasus region, based on the relevant UN Security Council 
and General Assembly resolutions and OSCE decisions.  We are 
ready to continue our work with the U.S. for the settlement 
of this conflict in accordance with the norms and principles 
of international law within the sovereignty, territorial 
integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized 
borders of Azerbaijan. 
 
We are firmly convinced that the conflict resolution will 
facilitate the strengthening of democracy, rule of law, human 
rights, civil society and market economy in all South 
Caucasus countries. 
 
Taking this opportunity I have the honor to extend an 
invitation to you to pay an official visit to the Republic of 
Azerbaijan at any convenient time for you. 
 
Please accept, Excellency, the assurances of my highest 
consideration and esteem. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
  /s/ 
 
Elmar Mammadyarov 
 
End Text. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Comment: The Foreign Minister's letter refers to 
cooperation on security, including anti-terrorism and 
Afghanistan, and energy, as expected.  The Foreign Minister 
also predictably raises the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the 
Minsk Group process, emphasizing as usual settlement with 
 
BAKU 00000106  002 OF 002 
 
 
respect to Azerbaijan,s "territorial integrity."  Of 
interest is the Foreign Minister's reference to continuing 
work on democracy and human rights, which he suggests will 
move forward after conflict resolution. 
DERSE