Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
March 9 2004

ROLE OF RUSSIAN LANGUAGE IN LIFE OF CIS PEOPLES DISCUSSED
[March 09, 2004, 14:58:48]

An int’l conference on the topic `Role of the Russian language in
life of the CIS peoples’ rounded in Bishkek city, Kyrgyz Republic.
President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akayev, Prime Minister Nikolay Tanayev,
renowned writer Chingiz Aytmatov, as well as scholars and lawyers
from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, Moldova,
Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Poland attended the Conference,
AzerTAj correspondent reported.

Opening was the conference Mr. Chingiz Aytmatov, who emphasized that
the role of the Russian language in the CIS area would gradually
rise.

In a 3-day Conference, the participants discussed the issues of
language policy, the role of the Russian language in the field of
education of Commonwealth, significance of the Russian language and
journalism in strengthening of the role of the Russian language in
CIS space, the role of the Russian-speaking population in the
historical-cultural life of the CIS states.

ArmenPress
March 10 2004

MURDERER OF ARMENIAN OFFICER SENDS MESSAGE TO HIS NATION

BAKU, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS: The defense ministry of Azerbaijan has
committed to pay a Hungarian attorney Peter Zala, hired by the
official Baku to defend Ramil Safarov, an Azeri officer who hacked to
death an Armenian classmate, Gurgen Margarian in Budapest on February
19.
An Azeri lawyer, Adil Ismailov, who is steering a committee,
founded in Azerbaijan to defend Safarov, told in Baku upon his return
from Hungary that Safarov was recognized guilty after a test to
identify whether he was suffering from a mental disorder, produced a
negative result. Ismailov said the defense will be based on the
assumption that “as long as the Armenian-Azeri opposition over
Karabagh remains unresolved, similar incidents are likely to happen.”
He said he was assured by the authorities that “president Aliyev is
following closely the case of Safarov.”
Azeri prosecutors are traveling next week to Budapest to meet with
Hungary’s chief prosecutor and hand over all required documents.
According to Ismailov, the investigation into the murder will be
finished in 2 months and only then the date of the trial will be set.
He said Safarov is charged with premeditated murder, facing a prison
term from 15 years to life imprisonment, but did not rule out that
Safarov may be handed over to Azerbaijan to serve his term in his
home country. He also said the government is prepared to defend its
citizen, and added that Safarov addressed a message to his
compatriots, which will be unveiled soon. The commission in defense
of Safarov is said to have collected $25,000 to take care of all
necessary expenses.

ArmenPress
March 10 2004

POLICE IDENTIFIES CEMETERY VANDALS

KRASNODAR, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS: The weekly Yerkramas, published
by the Armenian community in the southern Russian province of
Krasnodar, said the local police have identified a group of
youngsters, who profaned Armenian gravestones at the Slavonic
cemetery of the city on March 2 overnight. The weekly said the group
was made of 8 youngsters, aged between 13 to 16. The local police
said their parents will have to compensate the damages and restore
the broken tombs.
A similar act of vandalism was reported in 2002 April that was
strongly condemned by Armenian government and leading politicians,
who voiced their serious concern over escalating ethnic tensions in
the southern Russia.
On April 18, 2002 about 50 youths went on a rampage through the
Armenian cemetery in the city of Krasnodar vandalizing gravestones
and monuments. Though the local police announced then the arrest of
three Russian youngsters, aged between 14 and 17, on suspicion of
involvement in the rampage, all of them avoided any punishment.