Author: Hovhannisian John

Eurasianet Organization
August 8, 2005

RUSSIA AND TURKEY FORGE NEW TIES ON SECURITY, TRADE

by Igor Torbakov

Turkish Prime-Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s recent talks with
Russian President Vladimir Putin suggest that the two Eurasian
countries have found common ground on a number of key regional
security issues.

`It’s our fourth meeting during the last seven months, and I guess,
all of you understand what it means,’ Erdogan said at a news
conference following the July 17-18 negotiations at Putin’s posh
summer residence in the Russian Black Sea resort town of Sochi. `Our
views totally coincide with regard to the situation in the region as
well as to the issues concerning the preservation of stability in the
world,’ Interfax news agency quoted Erdogan as saying.

The current Russian-Turkish encounter came after the Kremlin leader’s
official visit to Ankara in December 2004 and Erdogan’s trip to
Moscow in January 2005. Last May the Turkish prime minister also
attended festivities in the Russian capital commemorating the 60th
anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Such a sharp increase in top-level contacts appears to be the result
of both countries’ wariness toward political turbulence in their
overlapping `near abroads’ – specifically, in the South Caucasus and
Central Asia, the regional analysts say.

Both Moscow and Ankara are closely following the geopolitical changes
that are taking place in post-Soviet Eurasia – in particular, those
brought about by the so called `color revolutions.’ In the South
Caucasus, the `frozen conflicts’ between Tbilisi and the breakaway
territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and the stalemate between
Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh drive these mutual
concerns.

In public, both Russian and Turkish leaders have stressed their
commitment to the peaceful settlement of the inter-ethnic conflicts
in the Caucasus. However, a number of Turkish and Russian experts
argue that Ankara and Moscow seem reluctant to embrace political
changes in the Commonwealth of Independent States’ southern tier and
would rather support the preservation of the status quo.

Even before the Putin-Erdogan meeting in Sochi, some regional
analysts suggested there might be joint Russian-Turkish attempts to
solve the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. As Armenia’s main
geopolitical ally, Russia can be expected to mediate between Turkey
and Armenia on a number of issues, they say.

Russian media reports confirmed that the Nagorno-Karabakh issue was
discussed during the Russian-Turkish talks. The Russian government
newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta reported on July 19 that Moscow had
expressed its readiness to pursue the settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh
`more actively,’ and that Ankara had agreed to cooperate on this
issue. Furthermore, according to some Russian and Azerbaijani
sources, Turkish Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul, who made an official
visit to Baku on July 18-21, hinted that Ankara is interested in
normalization of relations with Yerevan and discussed with
Azerbaijani leadership the prospects of Turkey’s participation in the
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

At the same time, Turkey appears keen to act as a mediator in the
Georgian-Abkhazian conflict. Turkey is home to a sizeable Abkhazian
community, and Ankara has established friendly ties both with Moscow
and Tbilisi, some Turkish commentators note.

`We don’t want to live in a world where enmity dominates; we need a
world where friendship reigns supreme,’ Erdogan said in Sochi,
referring to the urgent need to settle the South Caucasus’s
conflicts.

Both leaders, however, appear to share a strong apprehension
regarding potential political upheavals on post-Soviet territory.
While both Moscow and Ankara understand fully that a huge potential
exists for political change in the Caucasus and Central Asia, the
Putin administration and Erdogan government are unlikely to welcome
the revolutionary transformation of the authoritarian regimes in the
region, some Turkish analysts contend.

Azerbaijan’s November 2005 parliamentary elections are a case in
point, noted Suat Kiniklioglu, head of the Turkish office of the
German Marshall Fund of the United States. For Russia, securing
stability in this energy-rich Caspian state is important within the
framework of the Kremlin’s strategy of preserving its influence in
the Caucasus, Kiniklioglu said. But Turkey, too, wants to see
Azerbaijan stable, and keep secure the delivery of crude oil via the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan export pipeline, he said in an interview with the
Russian Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper.

Similarly, in Central Asia, Turkey and Russia seek to maintain the
geopolitical status quo. According to Kiniklioglu, both the Turks and
the Russians would prefer to deal with the likes of Uzbek President
Islam Karimov and other autocratic regional leaders than face the
uncertainty of revolutionary turmoil. A number of Turkish foreign
policy experts suggest that Ankara’s strategic perspective on Central
Asia is much closer to the Russian position than to that of the
United States. `Neither Moscow nor Ankara is happy to see US forces
in the region,’ wrote analyst Semih Idiz in the mass circulation
Milliyet daily.

The talk of shared security interests extends to economic issues,
too. Bilateral trade and energy issues figured prominently during the
Sochi meeting. The two leaders said they aim to raise the trade
volume between the two countries to $25 billion from the current $11
billion.

The Russian president signaled that Russia would like to increase
energy exports to Turkey. Putin set out plans for new gas pipelines
through Turkey to supply southern European markets and also raised
the possibility of electric power exports to Turkey and Iraq. Erdogan
appeared to welcome Moscow’s intention to boost gas supplies to
Turkey. `There is serious potential for increasing supplies through
the Blue Stream pipeline,’ the Turkish prime minister said. According
to Erdogan, the pipeline has a capacity of 16 billion cubic meters
per year, but current supplies amount to only 4.7 billion cubic
meters. The 1, 213-kilometer Blue Stream gas pipeline under the Black
Sea was completed in 2002, but has since been a source of dispute
between Russia and Turkey over gas prices.

Most Russian and Turkish commentators give a very positive overall
assessment of the Putin-Erdogan meeting’s outcome. The rapid
rapprochement between the two Eurasian powers could serve as useful
leverage for boosting each country’s geopolitical stature, they
argue.

The strengthening of cooperation between Russia and Turkey `adds
significantly to our country’s international prestige,’ noted one
Russian commentary posted on the Politcom.ru website. Many Turkish
experts seem to agree. Argued Milliyet foreign policy columnist Idiz:
`It may be an exaggeration to call our bilateral relations `strategic
partnership,’ but Turkish-Russian relations have already grown in
importance to the extent that they affect the entire region.’

NOTES: Igor Torbakov is a freelance journalist and researcher who
specializes in CIS political affairs. He holds an MA in History from
Moscow State University and a PhD from the Ukrainian Academy of
Sciences. He was Research Scholar at the Institute of Russian
History, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow; a Visiting Scholar at
the Kennan Institute, Woodrow Wilson International Center for
Scholars, Washington DC; a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University,
New York; and a Visiting Fellow at Harvard University. He is now
based in Istanbul, Turkey.

PanArmenian News Network
Aug 8 2005

KLO THREATENS RUSSIA WITH SEVERING RELATIONS

08.08.2005 04:08

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `The start of the transportation of the Russian
military equipment from Georgia to Armenia can cause serious problems
for Azerbaijan. The story of the unfinished Karabakh war proves that
Armenia always used Russian military bases for its aggressive
purposes’, the statement spread by the Karabakh Liberation
Organization yesterday says. The authors of the statement say that by
sending its armament to Armenia `Russia creates conditions for
Armenia’s continuing aggression and that this step conflicts with the
activities of Russia as the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair.’ `The KLO
considers that Russia should immediately stop the militarization of
Armenia or quit activities in the OSCE MG. International
organizations like the UN should take preventive measures against
Russia while the Azerbaijani authorities should re-consider relations
with this country. Otherwise we will take over the initiative and
press for Russia’s removal from the post of Co-Chair’, the statement
says. A source in the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported that
presently, the 112-nd military base in Gyumri is not capable of
receiving the military equipment withdrawn from Georgia. `The issue
was also discussed at the meeting of Azeri FM Elmar Mammadyarov and
head of the Chief of Russia’s Armed Forces General Staff Yyuri
Baluevsky’, Azeri 525-th newspaper reports

JUDICIAL REFORM IN NKR

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic [NKR]
01 Aug 05

The peculiarity of the post-communist countries is the weakness of
their judicial powers, intended to defend human dignity although human
rights and freedoms are set in pride of place in the constitutions of
these countries. In this respect our republic is not an exception;
it does not have a constitution, instead it has constitutional
law. Why? Do we have a law which, if put in effect precisely
and completely, would improve the state of things? Yes, in our
republic we have these laws and on the whole they correspond to the
international standards. What is the problem then? We will try to
answer these questions. The basis of action of the judicial power is
its independence. The principles of independence of the judicial power
were maintained by the 7th Congress of the UN in 1985. These are the
independence of judicial bodies, freedom of speech and assemblies,
naming and qualification of specialists, conditions of service and
powers, professional secrets and immunity, punishment, removal and
dismissal. The independence of the judicial bodies is guaranteed
by the state and set down in the Constitution. The governmental
bodies and other institutions must respect their independence. The
judicial bodies deal with the cases impartially, relying on the facts,
in accordance with the law, without any restriction, pressure or
intervention (either direct or indirect). And are these principles
respected in our country? No, they are not. The examples are many,
and those who have somehow come in touch with this system will confirm
this. Judicial bodies were granted the right to settle all kinds of
disputes. Every citizen has the right to go to court. Now let us see
the situation in our country and begin with who the judges are. In
my opinion, the order of appointing judges cannot guarantee their
independence. By international rules a judge should be elected. He
or she must possess high morality and abilities. And the law should
provide for his or her independence, security, conditions of service,
age of retirement, etc. What about our judges? A small survey showed
that none of the courts works in the conditions provided for by the
law. The court houses inherited from the former Nagorno Karabakh
Autonomous Region are in a lamentable state. Absence of convenient
court rooms, special rooms for verdicts and decisions, transport and
modern equipment – this is the reality. One of the functions of the
court of law is the educational function, whereas nothing of the kind
may be concerned since the court sits in a small room which can hardly
admit a few people, where there is hardly any room for the flag and
emblems of the state and the judicial power, and finally there are
no special clothes for the judge in order for them to differ from
the other participants of the process. Immense means are required
to improve the situation, which are difficult to raise. Whereas one
of the branches of power is concerned; not only the establishment of
democracy in our country but also the prosperity of all the members
of the society depends on its action. By the international standards
three judges must preside over the case to ensure the independence and
objectivity of the court. In our country this is not the case. This
refers to the Court of Cassation as well but the crime code and the
civil code require three judges in only the Court of Appeal. This
may be the reason why the first instance decisions are changed at
the Court of Appeal when one judge sits in both courts who may be
mistaken or even dependent. The worst thing about this is that in
many cases there is intervention into the work of the court from the
outside. What about the law defending the judges? The law, in fact,
contains provisions defending the judges. The question is whether
these are effective or not. Another sensitive issue is whether the
litigants, the council for prosecution and the council for defence
are in equal conditions, and the interests of any of these are not
harmed. Our citizens are not aware of their rights and duties, which
results in a feeling of insecurity. Therefore the citizens resort to
condemnable means (bribery, protection, etc.). However, we believe
that this serious problem can be solved. Our society, though feebly
but walks towards a democratic society and it is the judges who must
become its moving force; the independence of the courts depends on
them. We think that it is the public prosecutor’s office that must
support the judicial power in this matter. The lawyers should not have
a formal participation in trials but seek to achieve equal conditions
for the litigants. Another serious problem is the barristers acting as
intermediaries. The mass media should focus on this urgent matter. It
is not a secret that the mass media in our republic hardly ever cover
trials and instead the society feeds on rumours. In the meantime these
problems need coverage which is the job of the mass media. And do the
judges seek for independence? Many will immediately give a negative
answer. What is the problem then? Maybe the concern is that the judge
may make an independent decision, and if it is altered, he or she may
have problems. Whereas according to article 31 of the law on the status
of judges, the fact of altering the verdict or the decree of the court
does not suppose any responsibility except the cases when the court
intentionally violates the law or acts unconscientiously. Thus, there
is only one answer to the question whether the judicial reform was
successful in NKR and the answer is negative. What are we to do then?
Is there a way out? Of course, there is. Most judges in our country
are experienced, respectable persons, and each of them would like
the judicial reform to be successful and the judicial power to find
its place. We understand that for an unrecognized country it is not
easy to solve the problem which requires immense financial means. But
it is not a secret either that we are a law-abiding people, and as
corrupted as Armenia or Azerbaijan. Therefore it is easier to carry
out a judicial reform in our country; we believe in this.

G. SAFARIAN.
01-08-2005

TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION NOT REHABILITATION CENTER BUT DESTRUCTIVE SECT: EXPERT THINKS

YEREVAN, AUGUST 1. ARMINFO. Transcendental medication advertised in
Mass Media as a rehabilitation center is a destructive totalitarian
sect in reality, Head of the Center for Rehabilitation of Victims of
the Destructive Cult Alexander Amaryan tells ARMINFO’s correspondent.

He says the Center of Transcendental Meditation (TM) Maharishi
occurred in Armenia in 1989. After the earthquake in Armenia, Mikhail
Gorbachev allowed TM teachers to entry the USSR for post-traumatic
rehabilitation. In 1990, a decision was made by the Ministry of public
Health on education of TM for struggle against alcoholism. In 1990,
followers of TM in Armenia number 12 people, in 2005, they number
40,000 , head of the TM center (professor of Yerevan State University).

Amaryan says the leadership of the sect uses elements to infusion and
deception to control over the consciousness of the followers. Thus,
in the constant reference to the positive responses of scientists to
the TM do not mention hat the authors of these researches were members
of the organization of TM or received orders by the TM. Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi is the founder of the Transcendental Meditation or TM
Movement. In 1957 he founded The Spiritual Regeneration Movement, the
first of several organizations collectively known as the TM Movement,
and began the first of many tours to teach the Transcendental
Meditation technique around the world. The Beatles were among
his students. After some allegations of sexual abuse against the
Maharishi, the Beatles left him, voicing their disappointment in some
songs (“Sexy Sadie”). These allegations turned out to be unfounded,
and single Beatle members, like George and Paul (Larry King Show)
have shown support to Maharishi in later years. The Maharishi’s
Transcendental Meditation has been taught worldwide to over 5 million
people. Over 600 research studies have been made at universities
in over 30 countries. In 90s Maharishi Mahesh Yogi had $4 bln, due
to a number of commercial projects (in total 57 registered trade
marks). Long before Gorbachev’s decision to open a way of TM to
the USSR, in 1997 the Federal Court of the New Jersey State banned
extension of the TM at schools. TM was classified as a destructive
pseudo-religious sect (cult) in the decision of the above court, as
well as in the resolutions of the jury of the Federal Court of Appeal
of Philadelphia (USA), in the determination of the Archierey House of
the Russian Orthodox Church, in the verbal note of the FRG Embassy,
in decision of the Committee for Ethics of Dutch Medical Society,
by the Ministry of Health and Medical industry of RF, and by the
experts of the National Assembly of France.

RIA Novosti, Russia
July 29 2005

Armenia plans to build new nuclear power units

YEREVAN, July 29 (RIA Novosti, Gamlet Matevosyan) – The government of
Armenia believes the construction of new nuclear power units is a
strategic goal to maintain and enhance the republic’s energy security
and independence, Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan said
Friday.

Markaryan held a meeting with chief of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) Muhammad El-Baradei who is currently visiting
Yerevan.

El-Baradei said the IAEA could assist Armenia in conducting
feasibility studies for the construction of a new nuclear power
station.

The IAEA chief said that Armenia had made significant progress in
enhancing the safety of the country’s nuclear power station but much
had yet to be done. He suggested the drafting of a systematized plan
with an outline of the project’s timeframe and financial breakdown to
simplify creditors’ efforts.

Markaryan said Armenia was committed to using nuclear energy for
peaceful purposes only and pursuing a nuclear non-proliferation
policy.

The Armenian nuclear power station was launched in 1980, but its
operations were suspended in March 1989 for political reasons. It
restarted operations in November 1995 due to a severe energy crisis
in the republic.

The station’s second unit is equipped with Russia’s first-generation
VVER-440 reactor and generates an average of 30-40% of all electric
power in the republic. Experts say the nuclear power station can
operate until 2016.

In September 2003, the nuclear power station was transferred to a
subsidiary of Russia’s electricity monopoly RAO UES and Rosenergoatom
Corporation for five years of trust management.

The European Union insists that Armenia’s nuclear power station be
deactivated and is ready to allocate 100 million euros for this
purpose. However, Armenian experts say the creation of alternative
energy capacities in the mountainous republic will require almost 1
billion euros.

ArmenPress
July 28 2005

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE ISSUE RAISED AGAIN BY URUGUAY PARLIAMENT

MONTEVIDEO, JULY 28, ARMENPRESS: Turkish ambassador to Uruguay
asked for a behind the door meeting with members of an Uruguayan
parliamentary commission on foreign relations but refused to talk to
journalists afterwards. Uruguay was the first nation to officially
recognize the 1915 Armenian genocide back in 1960-s.
According to RFE/RL, members of the commission, spoke to
reporters, describing the meeting as ‘very useful,” and even
‘historic.” A member of the National Party was quoted as saying that
it was the first time when a Turkish ambassador came to parliament to
talk about the Armenian genocide. He said the meeting was focused on
a well-known letter of Turkish prime minister Recep Erdogan to his
Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharian suggesting that an
international commission of historians be established to examine the
mass slaughter of Armenians in the last years of the Ottoman Empire.
He said the Turkish ambassador asked Uruguay to support the idea,
saying also his government was ready to accept the guilt if the
commission found it proven.
An Armenian member of the parliament, Lilian Kechijian, was
quoted as saying that she could support or participate in the
would-be commission’s work, but as an Armenian she could not question
the fact of the genocide. She said the parliament of Uruguay is
likely to make a statement addressed to Turkish and Armenian
parliaments.
Armenian ambassador to Uruguay Ara Aivazian, who learned about
the meeting from a local Radio Armenia expressed his concerns and
asked for a similar meeting with the commission. He also asked that
Uruguay parliament to listen to the Armenian viewpoint before coming
out with a statement. The commission was said to accept his proposal.

The Moscow Times, Russia
July 28 2005

Nationalists Give Cash to Ivannikova

By Oksana Yablokova
Staff Writer

Alexandra Ivannikova, whose conviction in the killing of a gypsy cab
driver who she said tried to rape her was recently overturned, has
received a 50,000-ruble ($1,700) award from an ultranationalist group
that hailed her actions as an example of bravery.

In December 2003, Ivannikova, 29, stabbed Sergei Bagdasaryan, 23, an
ethnic Armenian, in the thigh with a knife after waving down his car
for a ride. The knife struck Bagdasaryan in an artery, and he was
dead by the time police arrived at the scene.

During her trial, Ivannikova received support from human rights
advocates, who said the trial was a test case on the right to
self-defense, as well as from nationalist groups, whose campaign
focused on Bagdasaryan’s ethnicity.

On July 12, Ivannikova was invited to the three-year anniversary
celebration of the Movement Against Illegal Immigration and awarded
50,000 rubles ($1,700) in a stack of 100-ruble bills wrapped with a
ribbon and a bow.

Ivannikova also received flowers and a long ovation from the
audience, said Alexander Belov, a spokesman for the group, whose
Russian acronym is DPNI.

Belov said that DPNI had supported Ivannikova during her trial and
that the group’s supporters had voluntarily donated money to her.
They had started collecting money before the end of the trial and
wanted to give her husband the money so he would have money to pay
the lawyers, he said.

“One should not think that we rewarded her for killing an Armenian.
However, we thought that she deserved an award for having committed
such a brave act, and she has gone through a lot of suffering,” Belov
said by telephone Wednesday.

Belov said he was not sure that the DPNI would have supported
Ivannikova so actively or given her the cash award if she had killed
a Russian or Slavic man. “I personally might, but I am not sure that
other people would have been willing to donate so much money,” he
said.

Through her husband, Ivannikova declined to comment on the award,
saying that she had grown tired of being interviewed by the media in
recent weeks.

Ivannikova’s lawyer Alexei Parshin said that she had arrived at the
DPNI ceremony not knowing that she would receive the award, Izvestia
newspaper reported Wednesday. Parshin said he did not know she was
going to the event.

During the trial, Parshin distanced Ivannikova from the position of
ultranationalist groups, including DPNI, that rallied in her defense
outside the court.

Yevgeny Ikhlov of the For Human Rights group, which also supported
Ivannikova during her trial, criticized her for accepting the DPNI’s
award.

“It could be explained if she accepted compensation for her suffering
from an NGO. But she actually took the reward for murder, not to
mention who gave her this money,” Ikhlov said, adding that Ivannikova
would most likely be acquitted in a new trial as the City
Prosecutor’s Office has said it would not take part.

Ivannikova’s acceptance of the award “will seriously complicate the
defense strategy of other people standing trial in similar cases,”
Ikhlov said.

Last month, the Lyublinsky District Court found Ivannikova guilty of
murder and gave her a two-year suspended sentence. District
prosecutors had sought a three-year prison sentence.

The Moscow City Prosecutor’s Office then intervened and recommended
that the verdict be reviewed, contradicting the position of the
prosecutor on the case. On July 4, the Moscow City Court overturned
Ivannikova’s murder conviction on the grounds of self-defense.
However, the court agreed with a request by Bagdasaryan’s father that
the case be retried.

Ivannikova’s initial conviction was widely criticized by human rights
advocates, including government ombudsman Vladimir Lukin. The case
was also discussed on a political talk show on NTV television.

PanArmenian News Network
July 26 2005

ARMENIAN TOBACCO FACTORY TO OPEN IN TBILISI

26.07.2005 03:25

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Georgian MP Beso Jugeli stated Monday that an
Armenian Tobacco Factory will open in Tbilisi August 5. In his words,
it will produce cigarettes of about 32 titles at that using Armenian
raw materials. Local residents will form the factory staff and in the
initial period the production will be sold at the Georgian market.
After the meeting of Armenian Premier Andranik Margaryan with
Georgian Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze, Beso Jugeli said the
volume of investment made by Armenian enterprises into the Georgian
economy made some $4 million, reported RFE/RL.

PanArmenian News Network
July 23 2005

HIGH PRICES FOR INTERNET IN ARMENIA SCARE INVESTORS AWAY

23.07.2005 06:41

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ APG Enterprise Canadian company does not establish
a branch in Armenia due to the high price for Internet, Executive
Director Andranik Grigorian told «.am» PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. As
result the staff of the new company will be sent to other branches.
He noted that the process of establishing a branch in Armenia was a
complicated one, since it was rather hard to convince Canadians to
set up business in the republic. After meeting with the Armenian IT
specialists APG Enterprise representative gave consent to launch
business in Armenia. However after carrying out a great deal of work
such as high rent and employing of high-paid specialists the company
representatives came across another problem – the price for internet
20 times exceeded that in Canada. `For securing normal functioning we
needed a channel with 1.5 Mg speed, however, over the exorbitant
prices we had to obtain a 1/3 lower one. As result, the company
representatives say they will have either to send the staff of 100
specialists to Cyprus, where the organization has recently founded a
representation, or to increase the number of employees in Vancouver.
Andranik Grigorian considers it to be the fault of the Armenian
government, which speaking of the priority of the sphere `impedes its
development’.

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
July 22 2005

President Cites Rampant Economic Growth

Baku Today / Assa Irada 22/07/2005 12:29

The first half of 2005 was successful for Azerbaijan, President Ilham
Aliyev said in a meeting dedicated to the country’s socio-economic
development on Thursday.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased 16.5% in this period and
the growth is expected to reach 18% by the year-end, the highest
figure around the world, Aliyev said. Industrial production grew 20%.
Despite the completion of investment projects in the oil and gas
sector, investments in Azerbaijan made up $2.7 billion.

The President said that despite some problems, the economic potential
and reforms in the country provide reliable conditions for development.

“The minimum wage will increase from 125,000 to 150,000 manats this
October. Moreover, extensive work will be carried out to raise the
average salary from the $120 level.”

Touching upon the talks underway on the settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s position has
strengthened. The ongoing negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan
referred to as ‘Prague talks’ envision a stage-by-stage conflict
resolution, which has already been approved of by the mediating OSCE
Minsk Group.

“We have applied tremendous efforts and diplomatic steps to draw
Armenia to the process and accomplished this.”

The President emphasized that separation of Nagorno Karabakh from
Azerbaijan is out of the question and can never be a topic of
discussion. He also said that the resolution passed by the Council
of Europe on the Karabakh conflict in January positively affected
the conflict settlement process.

Aliyev said that Azerbaijan is involved in all the important
developments ongoing in the region and world over. The country
continues strengthening its ties and cooperating with regional
states and organizations, including GUAM and the Islamic Conference
Organization (ICO). Azerbaijan is also expanding its collaboration
with the European Union and experiencing the democratic processes
ongoing in Europe, the President said.