BAKU DENIES ARMENIAN REPORTS OF CHANGE IN NAKHICHEVAN’S STATUS.

Azerbaijani foreign minister Hassan Hassanov dismissed as"absurd" Armenian reports that Baku has agreed to cedecontrol of Nakhichevan to Turkey, Interfax reported July 24. Heacknowledged that President Heydar Aliyev had asked Turkish premierTansu Ciller to step up assistance to that noncontiguous portionof Azerbaijan. Because of Karabakh conflict, Nakhichevan now canbe supplied only from Turkey or Iran, and Ankara has agreed todo so, as well as to serve as a link between Nakhichevan and therest of Azerbaijan, Hassanov said.