KILLINGS OF ARMENIANS IN RUSSIA UNRELATED TO ETHNIC STRIFE – MIN
by Tigran Liloyan

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
June 28, 2006 Wednesday 11:37 AM EST

Killings of ethnic Armenians committed in Russia of late were not
related to motives of ethnic strife and were rather hinged on selfish
mercenary motivations, Russian Interior Minister Rashid Nurgaliyev
said Wednesday as he addressed a conference of Russian Interior and
Armenian police officials.

He recalled that four Armenians were killed in the first quarter of
the year and Russian investigators solved two of the murders.

"Operatives and investigators didn’t expose any evidence of ethnic
or confessionary strife or any other problems related to religion,"
Nurgaliyev said.

In both cases, mercenary motivations underpinned the criminal acts,
he said.

Nurgaliyev also denounced many mass media publications on the issue
as fakes.

"There’re many people who try to use friendly relations in their
petty political purposes and under-the-carpet struggling," he said.