NOT ALL PRESIDENTS IN ATTENDANCE AT CIS SUMMIT

Tert.am
13:18 08.10.09

The presidents of Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and probably of
Uzbekistan are not going to attend the summit of ten Commonwealth of
Independent States (CIS) starting today and organized by the Moldovan
acting president. Tajik President Emomalii Rahmon’s absence at the
summit was explained by his upcoming visit to Turkmenistan, said
the president’s press office. Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly
Berdimuhamedow will not attend the summit for the same reason. "There
is no political implication," Rahmon’s press office stated.

In the Kazakhstani capital of Astana yesterday, Kazakhstan President
Nursultan Nazarbayev’s absence wasn’t explained. Nazarbayev’s
boycott against the summit surprised even the Kazakhstani president’s
administration, as well as the country’s foreign ministry.

The Russian Embassy in Astana informed the Russian daily Vedomosty
that no important event is planned in Nazarbayev’s homeland. One of
the Kremlin’s officials acknowledged they were aware that Nazarbayev
would not participate in the summit, but the source didn’t state
the reason. Another official added that Kazakhstan’s absence is not
connected to the relations between Russia and Kazakhstan.

The presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Ukraine and the acting president of the hosting country, Moldova’s
Mihai Ghimpu, confirmed their participation in the summit. Russian
President Dmitry Medvedev will meet with Ghimpu and presumably future
Moldovan president Marian Lumpu seperately.

A bilateral meeting between Dmirty Medvedev and Viktor Uschenko will
not take place, though the Ukrainian president spoke about the meeting
as recently as September 30. A letter with the request for meeting
was sent through the Russian Embassy to the country’s foreign ministry
back on September 15 and the Russian foreign ministry notified Kremlin
about it, said a source from the Ukrainian foreign ministry.

However, the at Moscow did not receive a request from Kiev for a
bilateral meeting. "It is clear that Uschenko was refused a meeting
for political reasons. Official Moscow once more gives a clear
understanding that they don’t wish to deal with him, though Kiev
insists that it is better to state claims face-to-face than on TV,"
stated the Ukrainain diplomat.