FIDE COMMITTED TO ITS STANCE: NO TOURNAMENT IS LEGAL IN NK

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
June 8 2006

FIDE (World Chess Federation) remains committed to its stance that any
international chess tournaments in Nagorno-Karabakh are illegal, Kirsan
Ilumjinov, FIDE president said in Turin at the 77th FIDE congress.

This statement came as President of Azerbaijan Chess Federation
Aynur Sofiyeva appealed to the World Chess Federation for clarifying
Armenians’ allegations that FIDE has officially recognized so-called
tournament in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The congress also considered some organizational matters. President
of the Federation Aynur Sofiyeva was elected as FIDE zonal president
while vice-president Mahir Mammadov became the treasurer of the
European Chess Federation. FIDE awarded grandmaster title to Nijat
Mamamdov, Rashad Babayev while Ibrahim Mammadov and Ilgar Bajarani
became FIDE referees.