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09/09/2004
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1) Khatami Pays Respects to Armenian Genocide Victims
2) Russia Anxious to Resolve Karabagh Conflict Says Russian Ambassador
3) ARF’s Mkrtchian Addresses Khatami Visit
4) ARF Representatives Meet with Iranian President
5) Russian Foreign Minister Says Tbilisi Impedes Cooperation
6) Correction
1) Khatami Pays Respects to Armenian Genocide Victims
YEREVAN (Armenpress)–The President of Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad
Khatami, paid his respects to the victims of the Armenian genocide of 1915, as
he placed flowers at Yerevan’s Dzidzernagapert memorial in their honor.
Armenia’s chief of presidential staff Artashes Tumanian, Yerevan mayor
Yervand
Zakharian, Armenian deputy foreign minister Ruben Shugarian, and other
high-ranking officials accompanied Khatami.
The director of the Genocide Museum at Dzidzernagapert, Lavrenti Barseghian,
briefed the Iranian president on the history of the museum, while employees
presented him research work on the 1915 Armenian genocide, along with other
momentos.
2) Russia Anxious to Resolve Karabagh Conflict Says Russian Ambassador
BAKU (AzerTag)–Russia’s outgoing ambassador to Azerbaijan Nikolay Ryabov,
during a press conference marking the end of his tenure on Thursday, said that
Russia is eager to find an immediate solution to the Mountainous Karabagh
conflict.
At a Wednesday meeting with the speaker of Azerbaijan’s Milli Majlis
(National
Assembly) Murtuz Alasgarov–who insisted the conflict over Karabagh has placed
serious obstacles for greater democratic reforms to be realized in
Azerbaijan–the Russian ambassador said that there exists numerous
long-running
conflicts in the region, and Russia strives to resolve these issues.
In the case of Mountainous Karabagh, Ryabov noted that Russia not only
co-chairs the OSCE Minsk group, which is tasked with finding a resolution to
the conflict, but is also the most authoritative country in the region to deal
with the matter.
He also revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin has initiated a
meeting
between the presidents of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia in Astana,
Kazakhstan
on September 16.
3) ARF’s Mkrtchian Addresses Khatami Visit
YEREVAN (Combined sources)–ARF leader Levon Mkrtchian said during a press
conference on Thursday that ARF representatives and Iran’s president Mohammad
Khatami touched on the Mountainous Karabagh conflict during their meeting
earlier in the day.
Mkrtchian addressed Iran’s support of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity
saying that the ARF understands that no nation can oppose, in the
international
arena, the territorial integrity of another, “but there is also the right to
self-determination,” he added. “Thanks to that right, the Mountainous Karabagh
Republic is an independent country today, and has never been a part of
independent Azerbaijan.”
He explained that Iran is consistent in its readiness to serve as an
impartial
mediator. “We have always seen this,” he added.
Speaking of economic projects, including the gas pipeline that will link the
two neighboring countries, Mkrtchian stressed the project serves both
Armenia’s
political and economic interest. “Iran, however, has its interests too,” he
added.
Khatami and his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian signed on Wednesday a
framework treaty on the “principles and bases” of bilateral relations. They
also formalized the release of a $30 million Iran loan to Yerevan to be used
for the construction of a gas pipeline that will link the two neighboring
countries.
4) ARF Representatives Meet with Iranian President
YEREVAN (Yerkir)–An Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) delegation met
with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami in Yerevan on Thursday, describing the
president’s official visit to Armenia as “a new stage” in Iranian-Armenian
relations.
ARF Bureau representative Hrant Margarian, Bureau member Albert Ajemian, ARF
Armenia Supreme Body representative Armen Rustamian, and National Assembly’s
ARF faction leader Levon Mkrtchian represented the ARF who welcomed the
Iranian
president, reported the ARF press service.
Margarian stressed to Khatami that the visit is significant not only for the
advancement of Armenian-Iranian relations, but also for regional issues.
Pointing to the projects that were conceived and agreements reached during the
visit, Margarian conveyed confidence that this visit opens a new stage in the
centuries-long friendship between the two nations.
In turn, President Khatami presented his impressions of the visit, saying
that
Armenia plays a key role in the region, as well as a unique role throughout
history.
Addressing the role of the ARF, Khatami underscored its importance as a party
and organization that unifies Armenians throughout the world and plays an
important role in reinforcing political processes.
5) Russian Foreign Minister Says Tbilisi Impedes Cooperation
TBILISI (Civil Georgia)–Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an
interview in the Russian newspaper Vremya Novostei, that the Georgian side is
hampering more close cooperation between Tbilisi and Moscow.
“Cooperation between Russian and Georgian special services takes place [in
fighting terrorism]. We would like for this cooperation to be more effective,”
Sergei Lavrov said in a September 9 interview.
He expressed regret that ties between the two counties are not as close as
was
agreed to during talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his
Georgian counterpart Mikhail Saakashvili, which took place in Moscow in
February this year.
“Unfortunately, in practice, the agreements reached in February are being
torpedoed by the Georgian side. We hope the Georgian side will understand that
unilateral, forceful steps towards the so called Ossetian and Abkhazia
problems
have no perspective. I hope Tbilisi will understand that seeking an external
enemy in the form of Russia is counterproductive, to say the least,” the
Russian Foreign Minister added.
He reiterated that the Russian side “has offered Tbilisi proposals” aiming at
“normalization of all… bilateral relations.”
Earlier, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement calling on the
Georgian side to accept proposals offered by the Russian side. In a statement
issued on August 27, however, the Georgian Foreign Ministry responded, saying
that Georgia had not received any constructive proposals and “in order to
publicly dispel any doubts,” called on Russia to forward the package of
constructive proposals to Georgian Authorities.
Lavrov also stressed that Tbilisi should confirm its commitment to solve the
situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia through peaceful means. “Creation of
this kind of normal environment in relations will increase efficiency of work
of the special services [of the two countries] in fighting terrorism,” Sergei
Lavrov said.
6) Correction
Iran’s President Mohammad Khatami was elected president in August 1997, not
May
1977 as reported by Asbarez on Wednesday. He was re-elected in 2001.
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