AZG Armenian Daily #152, 27/08/2005
CIS summit
PRESIDENTS GATHER IN TATARSTAN
Kocharian and Aliyev to Meet Today
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated during his March 25 visit to Yerevan
that the CIS is “a useful club” and “a good arena for settling business
issues,” adding that one shouldn’t have too big expectations, otherwise the
disappointment would be unavoidable. “If any state expects to achieve any
goals in the spheres of economic, political or military cooperation,
naturally, that will not happen, as could never have happened,” Mr. Putin
stated, adding that, “certainly, the CIS should be preserved.”
The next meeting of the presidents of the CIS member countries is envisaged
to take place in Tatarstan. This time they will discuss “suggestions
directed to the improvement of the CIS structures, as well as the
cooperation of the CIS states in the humanitarian sphere.” Besides, the
presidents will participate in the arrangements dedicated to 1000th
anniversary of the country’s capital Kazan.
This club of 12 former Soviet republics that undertook various political
priorities has adopted about 3000 decrees during the past 15 years. Most of
these decrees were not carried out. Moreover, in fact, Armenia and
Azerbaijan, members of the same organization, are in war condition, while
Georgia has deep contradictions with Russia. There are serious disagreement
cases between Russia and Moldova, Georgia and Byelorussia, Ukraine and
Russia, etc.
Anyway, the CIS summits are important for Armenia because the president can
have a number of bilateral meetings with his colleagues. “The CIS is a good
arena for settling business issues. We should be glad that we have such an
arena, because the level and the volume of the cooperation between the
countries are really big. There are always serious themes and issues for
discussions and certain decisions. I meet with three of my colleagues, at
least, during each of the CIS Summit. And these meetings are quite
fruitful,” RA President Robert Kocharian said at the joint press conference
during Vladimir Putin’s last visit in Yerevan.
The CIS served the forum that enabled to hold dozens of meetings for the
Armenian and the Azeri presidents. They are going to meet in Kazan, as well.
This summit is important for Armenia, Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan for
the very negotiations between Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev. The meeting
of the presidents is envisaged on August 27.
It’s worth reminding that Foreign Ministers Vartan Oskanian and Elmar
Mamediarov have already discussed the current stage of Nagorno Karabakh
negotiations with the participation of the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs in
Moscow, on August 24. If on the eve of the July visit of the co-chairs, the
sides had rather optimistic expectations from the meeting of the presidents
in Kazan, today they are skeptical. Anyway, the Azeri side sees no
breakthrough in the negotiations.
By Tatoul Hakobian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress