BLACK SEA SUMMIT OPENS IN BUCHAREST

Today, Azerbaijan
June 5 2006

A summit of Black Sea states opened in Bucharest today.

The presidents of Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, and
Azerbaijan will explore setting up new energy routes to ensure supply
stability between Central Asia and Europe.

The EU wants to diversify energy supplies after a pricing dispute
between Ukraine and Russia cut supplies to Europe in January.

Also on the agenda are talks about the dispute between Armenia and
Azerbaijan over the territory of Nagorno Karabakh. The enclave is
an internationally recognized part of Azerbaijan but under de facto
control of ethnic Armenian separatists.

Officials attending today’s summit in the Romanian capital include
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, Moldovan President Vladimir
Voronin, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, Armenian Robert
Kocharian, and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.