ARMENIAN DELEGATE NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN MEETING OF PA NATO IN BAKU

TREND News Agency
March 4 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 4 March / corr TrendNews K.Ramazanova, I.Alizade /
Representative of Armenia will not participate in the 68th Rose-Roth
workshop of the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO due in Baku.

"MP Rafin Hovanesian, who represents Armenia, cannot participate in
the PA NATO workshop to be held in Baku due to the resistance and
clashes and the emergency situation announced in the country after
the recent presidential elections," PA NATO told TrendNews on 4 March.

The presidential elections in Armenia were held on 19 February and
Serj Sarkisyan, a candidate from the government won the elections by
polling 52.82% of the votes. Some nine candidates were nominated for
the presidential elections. Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the former President
of Armenia was second in the elections with 21.5% of the votes.

The President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan decreed on 2 March to
impose a state of emergency for 20 days after the demonstration of
the opposition against the false outcome of the election that lasted
for many days which flared into a confrontation with the police.

According to the Health Ministry of Armenia of 3 March, the general
number of those injured during the clashes in Yerevan on 1 and 2
March totaled 131 and 8 people were shot dead.

The NATO’s 68th Rose-Roth workshop will be held in Baku from 4 – 8
March. Joze Lolo, the PA NATO President, will visit Azerbaijan this
evening (4 March) to participate in the meeting.

The security in Caspian region and Central Asia, the political and
military situation, energy security and relations between Western
and Central Asia countries will be discussed in the NATO PA seminar.

Members of international organizations from over 25 countries
cooperating with NATO will take part in the seminar.

In line with the international law and obligations, Azerbaijan,
as an organizer of the event, has invited delegates from Armenia to
join the workshop.

Since 1991 Azerbaijan and Armenia have not had any cooperation,
including mutual visits, due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Azerbaijan cooperates with NATO within the framework of the NATO
Individual Partnership Program (PfP)
From: Baghdasarian