RUSSIA AND ARMENIA TO FIGHT TERRORISM SIDE BY SIDE
01 Oct 04
YEREVAN, October 1 (RIA Novosti) – Russia and Armenia are on the one
side in their confrontation with terrorism. This was stated on Friday
by Sergei Mironov, speaker of the Federation Council (upper house of
the Russian parliament) upon his arrival in the capital of Armenia.
He noted that during his visit a joint statement on fighting terrorism
is to be signed.
Russia had to toughen control regime at the checkpoints of the
Russian-Georgian border, Mr. Mironov said.
“After the tragic events in Beslan we had to take certain measures
being aware of the fact that it is from the territory of Georgia,
where many terrorists feel themselves free-and-easy, they penetrate
into our territory,” this is how Sergei Mironov commented upon the
closure by the Russian side of the Verkhny Lars border passage point
at the Military Georgian Highway which links North Ossetia and Georgia
via the Daryal Gorge.
He also stressed that these measures are in no way aimed to hinder
transit of cargoes from Armenia.
The speaker of the Federation Council expressed hope that in the long
run Georgia and the Georgian people will understand that “only
peaceful friendly co-existence of all states in the Caucasus makes for
the prosperity of our peoples and the common position on combating
terrorism.
At the same time advisor of the Georgian president for political
affairs Timur Alazania said in an interview with RIA Novosti, while
commenting on the recent interview with Chechen separatist leader
Aslan Maskhadov in the air of the Georgian private channel Mze, which
made so much noise, “that there are no militants on the territory of
Georgia nor there will be any.”
“There are no militants not because we want to please somebody. We are
proceeding from the strategic interests of Georgia,” Mr. Alazania
stressed.” The presence of any kinds of militants, armed people,
terrorists, nationalistically-minded people or religious extremists
would have been to the detriment of Georgia first of all.
At that Mr. Alazania said that it is true that refugees from Chechnya
reside on the territory of Georgia. “We have refugees and we admit
this openly. We are speaking about women, children and old people,”
Mr. Alazania stressed.
In his words, as of today part of the Chechen refugees have left for
Turkey, another part dispersed in the region, and still another part
returned to Russia,” Timur Alazania said.
Within the framework of his visit to Yerevan, Sergei Mironov will hold
meetings with President Robert Kocharyan of Armenia, Prime Minister
Andranilk Markaryan and chairman of the National Assembly Artur
Bagdasaryan.
The speaker of the Federation Council will visit the military base of
the 123rd motor-rifle regiment of the Armed Forces of the Russian
Federation, take part in the ceremony of placing wreathes at the
Memorial to 1915 Armenian genocide victims in Osman Turkey and will
speak before students and teachers of the Yerevan State university.
Mr. Mironov will also take part in the ceremony of opening the Center
for Assistance to Inter-regional cooperation between Armenia and the
Russian Federation.