Aliyev meets Bush

Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev, on an official visit to the US at the invitation of President Bush, will meet the US President on Wednesday to discuss issues related to ensuring regional peace and stability, the Iraqi crisis, US economic interests in Azerbaijan, as well as the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Upper Qarabag.
Furthermore, high-ranking US officials, including the vice-president, ministers for defense, finance, commerce, first deputy US secretary of state department, US president's special envoy for Caspian energy diplomacy, will also meet Aliyev.
Within the visit, Heydar Aliyev will undergo a medical check-up at the Cleveland clinic hospital, according to the press service of the Azerbaijani Presidential Administration.
The visit
President Aliyev arrived in Washington on February 23. Welcoming him at Andrews airforce base were US Assistant Deputy State Secretary for European and Asian issues Linn Pasko, Deputy Protocol Head Lari Danam, Base Commander Gen. Glen Spiars, the Azerbaijani Ambassador to the USA and the Azerbaijani permanent delegate to the UN.
The duration of the visit is not reported.
State Department reaffirms strategic partnership
On the eve the meeting between the US President Bush and his Azerbaijani counterpart Heydar Aliyev the Department of State reaffirmed its strategic partnership with Baku.
"Azerbaijan is one of the most important partners in our counter-terrorism fight, strengthening global energy security, just and durable regulation of the Upper Qarabag conflict. Our countries are partners in the implementation of political and economic reforms to strengthen Azerbaijan," the statement says.
Briefing
In a news briefing at Bina Airport ahead of his departure for the US, President Aliyev said that problems of financing the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) oil and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline projects would be discussed at a conference called East-West: Energy Corridor to be held in Washington attended by representatives of the pipeline-affected countries and the US Administration.
The president noted obstacles faced in various stages of the implementation of the BTC project, adding that forces opposed to the project had moved to open conflict in the final phase. Heydar Aliyev said various parties were involved in funding the BTC project and that is why, discussions on the issue would be conducted in Washington.
In reply to a journalist asking Aliyev for his position on the Iraqi issue, he said: "The Foreign Ministry statement is effectively the president's position."
The president replied "no" to a question on whether the US administration has asked Azerbaijan to support it in the Iraqi crisis.
"I am not going to complain", Heydar Aliyev said in response  to a question, Will you discuss the weak US role in the OSCE Minsk Group with President Bush.
According to Novruz Mammadov, the head of the Presidential Administration international relations department, Heydar Aliyev will deliver a speech to the international conference and meet International Monetary Fund representatives.
The AIOC president, the heads of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan and the Georgian International Oil Corporation, Turkish deputy energy minister also have left for Washington to attend the international conference.
Aliyev's US trip continues
President Heydar Aliyev was received by the US Minister for Commerce, Donald Evans,  at his residence on Monday. Heydar Aliyev underscored the US government's special role in the implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline project, voicing hope for backing from the US to address problems realizing the project.
The US minister said his country attached great significance to this project and would support Azerbaijan by all means.
According to the minister, the US intends to expand cooperation not only in the oil and gas sector, but also in communications, marine and air transport.
At a meeting with the US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group for the settlement of the Qarabag conflict, Rudolf Perina, Heydar Aliyev criticized the group's inaction. The Azerbaijani president stressed the impossibility of maintaining the conflict at its current status and it was high time the problem was resolved. Perina, responded that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen would step up their efforts and travel to the conflict region shortly in search of a solution.
Heydar Aliyev attended an international conference entitled East-West: energy corridor  on Tuesday. Speaking to the conference organized by the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce are US special presidential envoy for Caspian energy diplomacy Steven Mann, deputy secretary of state Hermitage, AOIC president David Woodward, SOCAR president Natiq Aliyev, head of the Georgian International Oil Corporation Georgi Chanturiya,  deputy minister for energy in Turkey Yurdakul Yigit Guden.
Representatives of US financial institutions and companies, and politicians have been invited to the conference.