CLASH OCCURS BETWEEN AZERBAIJANI AND ARMENIAN STUDENTS IN MOSCOW

Today, Azerbaijan
html
May 2 2008

A fight occurred yesterday in the Russian University of Friendship
of Peoples in Moscow, involving Armenian, Azerbaijani and Turkish
young people.

15:40

APA reports with reference to the press service for the University
that representatives of different countries set small tents with the
names of their countries and demonstrated various performances.

According to the press service, after an Armenian student came on stage
and sang a song, Azerbaijani students accused him saying that this is
an Azerbaijani song and started to wave flags and chant "Azerbaijan".

Armenians responded by different kinds of chanting and fist fight
started. The law enforcement bodies broke up the crowd to prevent
mass fighting.

Other students and administration representatives tried to urge
Azerbaijanis and Armenians to calm down and continue the festival. Yet
the parties continued to curse each others, in the result of which
the university administration decided to stop the festival.

———— 11:00

The incident occurred during the traditional May 1 concert when
representatives of different countries, studying at high schools,
demonstrate their art and cultural traditions.

Initially, the cross-fire occurred, but then the fight
started. Students from Armenia, on the one side, and from Azerbaijan
and Turkey from the other side, started to throw bottles, sticks and
stones to each other. Casualties were reported.

Special police forces came on the spot and made the fight participants
out of the building, where an event was held. The fight participants
were brought to underground, divided into two parts, isolated by
militiamen.

Later, the law enforcement officers were subjected to fire from Zhiguli
car. The special police forces detained the car passengers and took
traumatic guns away from them. Another car was later detained as well
and it was revealed that the driver also had a gun.

It should be reminded that a conflict between representatives of
Azerbaijani and Armenian youth occurred at the same high school last
year. An Azerbaijani student got a gun wound during the clash.