ASSA-IRADA,
14, February 2008

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said on Thursday there were reports suggesting that Kurdish rebel group PKK was approaching the country.

"We are having to watch the PKK activity more closely due to the problems recently faced by Turkey. According to the information received from various sources, this organization is approaching our country," the deputy minister told Radio Liberty.

The statement came after his talks on cooperation in anti-terror combat with US State Department's acting coordinator for counterterrorism Frank Urbancic in Baku that included the PKK issue.

A group of Azerbaijani lawmakers has said PKK posed a threat to national security, suggesting that the group be officially recognized as a terrorist organization, a move that has not been taken thus far.

Azimov said PKK's links to other international and regional terrorist groups should be investigated as well, as its members could forge ties with other organizations hostile to Turkey and Azerbaijan.

During the talks, Baku suggested to Washington comprehensively researching the roots of terror and taking action to eradicate it. The two countries are also discussing ways of countering terror funding and money laundering.

"All these issues are being discussed with the U.S. both on a bilateral level and within international organizations," Azimov said, adding that another round of US-Azeri talks on security issues would be held in the summer.

Azimov emphasized that Baku backed tackling terror on the national, regional and international levels.

Urbancic told the press after a meeting with Azimov that Washington backed all anti-terror programs being implemented by Azerbaijan. He said the U.S. was ready to provide all the needed assistance in this area.

The State Department official has been in Baku since Wednesday to outline areas of future cooperation with Azerbaijan in fighting terror. Azerbaijan has been a member of the international anti-terror coalition since 2001.