ARMINFO News Agency
September 12, 2006 Tuesday

AZERBAIJAN DID NOT ALLOW TO INVITE OFFICIAL REPRESENTATIVES OF
ARMENIA TO FESTIVAL IN KARS

Yerevan September 12

The Municipality of Kars (Turkey) has not invited official
representatives of Armenia to the Sept 13-15 folk festival in Kars
after the protest of the Azeri public and mass media, Azeri Consul to
Kars Gasan Zeynalov says in an exclusive interview to APA.

Zeynalov says that he met with the Kars authorities and they promised
him to hold no discussions concerning the opening of the border
between Turkey and Armenia. "I told them that the opening of the
border is out of question for as long as Armenia has territorial
claims against Turkey and is carrying out occupant policy against
Azerbaijan," says Zeynalov.

He says that during the previous 2nd festival the sides discussed the
problem of border opening but the Azeri representatives expressed
protest and left the meeting.

To remind, recently the Kars Mayor appeared with a statement about
the necessity of opening the border with Armenia.