President Aliyev leaves New York for Cleveland

After attending the World Economic Forum in the US on Sunday, Azeri President Heydar Aliyev left New York for Cleveland, where the Azeri leader had his heart bypass operation three years ago. The President has undergone medical examination there several times after the surgery.

President Aliyev visited New York Wednesday to take part in the Forum. When in the US, he first met with Turkish foreign minister Ismayil Cem, as the two spoke of a negotiated settlement of the Garabagh conflict, the prospects of Azeri-Turkish cooperation and the implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan MEP.

On the same day, the Azeri President witnessed the rubbles of the World Trade center, laying flowers there and visited an exhibition dedicated to the victims of the September 11 attacks. President Aliyev met with chairman of the financing committee of the US House of Representatives Jim Colbe and Nato General Secretary George Robertson, who highly appreciated the Azeri President’s attending the site. “It means that Azerbaijan is our strategic partner and a friendly nation to us”, the Nato head indicated.

President Aliyev and Secretary Robertson had a lengthy meeting focusing on cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Nato.

The Vuldorf-Astoria Hotel of New York hosted a meeting of the World Economic Forum, “Stability in Central Asia”, Friday. Opening the meeting, the Azeri President elaborated on international terrorism, aggressive separatism, regional and other issues. His speech drew a lot of interest and applause. Mongolian Premier Nambarin Enkhbayar, Afghan foreign minister Abdulla Abdulla, Turkish foreign minister Ismayil Cem, ambassador Steven Sestanovich, former Chevron vice-president Richard Matsky and others talked to President Aliyev on a variety of issues.

President Aliyev received co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group Nikolay Gribkov, Philippe de Sourmaen and Rudolf Perina in his residence Friday. The parties held an exchange of views on a negotiated solution to the Garabagh conflict.

A return date for President Aliyev, who is currently under examination in the Cleveland Hospital, still