May 4, 2004 - 19:36 AMT
AZERBAIJAN TRYING TO IMPEDE COOPERATION BETWEEN DAEWOO UNITEL AND NAGORNO KARABAKH
The Tashkent Office of Daewoo Unitel South Korean firm and Karabakh Telecom Company of Nagorno Karabakh have concluded an agreement on cooperation, Azertaj news agency reported, noting that the fact has caused indignation of the Azeri authorities. According to the source, Azeri Ambassador to Uzbekistan Aydin Azimov stated at a meeting with Director General of Daewoo Unitel Khan Eng Sang that such a step is unacceptable for Azerbaijan. A. Azimov also met with South Korean Ambassador to Uzbekistan Kim San Khwan and Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Ilham Nematov, conveying them a letter expressing the posture of the Azeri authorities. The letter notes that official Baku qualifies the cooperation between Daewoo Unitel and Karabakh Telecom as "infringement of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan" and demands that the Uzbek authorities take measures to discontinue joint work of the companies.