Memoirs of Akbar Hashemi – January 19, 1993

I came to my office at half past seven. I did the work until nine o'clock in the morning. Dr. [Hasan] Habibi, [first vice president], came for current affairs. I said that as the spokesperson of the government, he should give more information to the media.

The Speaker of the Croatian Parliament came. The plan to divide Bosnia and Herzegovina was discussed in Geneva. It is claimed that the Serbs are against and disrupting the work. He used to be the president of Yugoslavia; Apparently, he is a good person. He claims to be in harmony with Bosnian Muslims. I advised him to stop the conflicts between Croats and Muslims.

At eleven o'clock in the morning, I went to the [Mehrabad] airport and welcomed Mr. [Edward] Shevard Nadze, the president of Georgia. The official welcome ceremony was held. After the interview, he left for Saadabad and I came to my office. In the evening, the first round of negotiations was held; First private and then official and public.

A few days ago, a group came from Georgia and the negotiations were expertized and the agreements were prepared. He is humble in negotiations. He calls Georgia small and troubled and Iran big and rich, and he clearly wants Iran's gas to be exported through Azerbaijan's existing pipelines.

For dinner, we had a banquet in Saadabad. I had many questions about their situation, Russia and the Commonwealth of Nations, and he answered them all well. He does not consider the possibility of a coup and the return of the military in Russia and their attempt to renew the Russian empire unlikely. He considers the organization of the Commonwealth of Nations doomed to failure and is not willing to become a member of it. He considers Saddam permanent; Of course, for now, and he says that he and Rodskoi are the initiators of the new situation in the Soviet Union. He considers Gorbachev as well-intentioned but lacking in authority in Russia. I went home to sleep. It is snowing lightly.