COE SEC. GEN. WELCOMES VISITS OF ARMENIAN AND AZERI INTELLECTUALS TO STEPANAKERT, YEREVAN AND BAKU

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.07.2007 14:46 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "I welcome the joint visit of representatives
from Armenian and Azerbaijani intelligentsia to the conflict zone,"
Secretary of General of the Council of Europe Terry Davis stated.

He said, he welcomes contacts and exchanges on the level of
civil society as one of the shortest ways to restore confidence
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, "Who else but the representatives of
intelligentsia must make the first steps and lead the public opinion in
this high-minded case?" Terry Davis particularly thanked the initiators
of the visit and expressed hope that contacts between the two nations
will more and more successfully develop in future, APA reports.

On June 28 the Azerbaijani delegation crossed a mine-free
portion of the contact line between the armed forces of Nagorno
Karabakh and Azerbaijan on the Martakert-Terter (Mir Bashir)
highway. Representatives from Karabakh met the Azeri delegation
in the positions of NKR Defense Army and accompanied them to
Stepanakert. Also another delegation of intellectuals from Armenia
arrived in the NKR capital at the head of Armenia’s Ambassador
to Russia Armen Smbatyan. Both ambassadors initiated the visit
to NKR. Then representatives of Armenian and Azeri intelligentsia
departed for Yerevan, where they met President Robert Kocharian. The
same evening cultural workers and scientists from both countries
departed for Baku. In the Azeri capital President Ilham Aliev hosted
the delegation.