President George W. Bush told visiting President Ilham Aliev of Azerbaijan that his oil-rich country has “a very important role to play” in guaranteeing global energy security. The two leaders also discussed Iran, an area of potential difference, as well as democracy in Azerbaijan. “I appreciate the vision of the government, the vision of the president, in helping this world achieve what we all want, which is energy security,” Bush said yesterday. “Azerbaijan has got a very important role to play, and we discussed internal politics and we discussed the politics of the neighborhood as well.” Bush said he assured President Aliev that the United States wants to resolve the crisis over Iran's controversial nuclear program through diplomacy. Aliev has made it clear that he would not allow Azerbaijan to be used for any operations against its neighbor. Ahead of the meeting, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov called Iran “our big neighbor” and emphasized that the two countries “share history, culture, and religion.” He said Iran guarantees Azerbaijan transit rights for land shipments and provides natural-gas supplies to its Nakhichevan enclave, cut off by Armenia and Nagorno-Karabach. “All this plays a great role when we speak about the situation around Iran,” Mammadyarov said. Bush met with Aliev after the White House said parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan have not met international standards. The U.S. president said he told his counterpart that “democracy is the wave of the future.” “We share the same values,” Aliev said, adding that Azerbaijan is a “secular, democratic country.”
