11 February 2010 / TODAY’S ZAMAN, İSTANBUL
BAKU - Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman have discussed the issue of the abolition of visa requirements for diplomats, news reports said.
“Today we agreed with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan to force the process of canceling the visa regime for diplomatic personnel. This is always the first stage in the process of canceling the visa regime for diplomats,” Lieberman was quoted as telling reporters on Tuesday. The two countries agreed on holding diplomatic consultations on this issue in the near future, reports said. In December, during a visit to Ankara by Mammadyarov, he and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu were expected to announce the annulment of visa requirements between the two countries, but it didn’t happen. When asked about the reason, Mammadyarov briefly said it was because the Azerbaijani side failed to finish its related bureaucratic procedure although the Turkish side had finished theirs.
