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14:44:56 | 24-05-2005 | Politics |

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE STARTED IN YEREVAN

The Office of the Armenian Human Rights Defender under the aegis of UNESCO
has organized an international conference in Congress Hotel today.
Representatives of the South Caucasian states, various international
organizations, national minorities as well as the RA Ombudsman’s office
discussed the issues referring to the war on terror as well as tolerance or
violence displayed toward the national minorities.

According to Armenian Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan, the initiative on
conducting the conference was put forth last year in Tbilisi. The expenses
have been covered by UNESCO. To note, the Azerbaijani delegation refrained
from arriving in Armenia. The Russian delegation headed by RF Human Rights
Defender Vladimir Lukin first sent in an appeal for the participation in the
conference but refused to come to Yerevan at the last moment. As the
conference initiators came to know, the reason for the refusal was
unexpected death of mother of one of the officials of the Russian
Ombudsman’s office.

At today’s conference Azerbaijan was represented by chairman of the
Mingechaur center of the Human Rights Defender Jiansha Omarov. Head of Saint
Petersburg Strategy Center for Humanitarian and Political Sciences Alexander
Sungurov, who is world-known as human rights activist, represented Russia.

Tomorrow upon completion of the conference the participants are expected to
meet with journalists.