Vladimir Putin in a meeting with Azerbaijan President Geidar Aliev

here thanked Aliev for the fact that the Azerbaijan leader found a

possibility to come to St Petersburg to participate in unveiling a

monument to the great poet Nizami.

Besides, Putin wants to use Aliev's working trip and the new

meeting with the Azerbaijan president 'in order to compare ideas on

our relations on a bilateral basis and on coordination in

international organizations'.

Putin emphasized that the unveiling of the monument to Nizami

points to proximity, respect and interest in the culture of the two

peoples of Russia and Azerbaijan.

Putin noted that besieged Leningrad held a conference on the 800th

anniversary of Nizami in 1941. "It is difficult to imagine how

difficult it was for the city to do this," Putin noted.

The Azeri president expressed satisfaction that he has a chance to

exchange again opinion with Putin. Aliev said this at the beginning of

the meeting.

In the opinion of the Azerbaijan leader, 'there is always a need'

to exchange opinions between the two countries. Aliev said he is glad

that he had such a chance on Sunday.

Aliev thanked Putin for the fact that a monument to the poet will

now stand in St Petersburg. According to Aliev, the unveiling of the

monument 'is of great importance for our relations, relations between

peoples and states'.

The Azeri president claimed that the unveiling is evidence to the

implementation of the course, consistently implemented by the

leaderships of the two countries in relations between the states.

Nizami, an Iranian poet, was born in Qom, central Iran and lived

for many years in Gyanja, the Republic of Azerbaijan.

... Payvand News - 6/9/02 ... --