AzerTag
25 Oct. 2004
FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSS MEASURES OF CONFIDENCE IN ALMATY
[October 25, 2004, 12:54:12]
Deputy foreign minister of Azerbaijan Vagif Sadigov headed the
delegation of Azerbaijan in these discussions, AzerTAj correspondent
reported.
Discussed were issues on combat against terrorism, separatism,
extremism, situation in Afghanistan, restoration of peace and stability
on the South Caucasus. Participants of the event called on the world
community to show respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of
Iraq.
The session has adopted catalogue of Measures of Confidence, the
political declaration and official rules.
Having touched the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict, Vagif
Sadigov has stated that presence of double standards in the mentioned
question impedes settlement of the problem. As he said, the Armenians
are settled in the occupied Azerbaijan lands, which contradict
international norms. In this connection, Mr. Sadigov met the deputy
minister of internal affairs of Uzbekistan Vladimir Norov, the first
deputy foreign minister of Afghanistan Zalmo Aziz, Minister of Foreign
Affairs of Thailand Surakiat Sathirathai, the deputy foreign minister
of Kazakhstan Asker Shakirov, in detail informed them on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict.
Let’s remind, that members of meeting concerning Measures of trust in
Asia are 16 countries.

Anand’s victory goes in vain as India lose to Russia
Malayala Manorama, India
25 Oct. 2004
Mallorca, Spain: Viswanathan Anand gave India an early lead but his
effort went in vain as India suffered a 1.5-2.5 defeat against top
seeds and defending champions Russia in the ninth round of the 36th
Chess Olympiad here at the Gran Casino.
Leading from the front, Anand crashed through the defences of
Grandmaster Alexander Morozevich while Krishnan Sasikiran also did
well on the second board in getting an easy draw as black against
Russian champion Peter Svidler. But the remaining two boards saw the
Indian downfall as Surya Shekhar Ganguly was outdone from a complicated
position by Vadim Zvjaginsev while Harikrishna missed out on a simple
winnning manoeuvre against Alexey Dreev before he was eventually tamed.
In hindsight, it could have been 3-1 in India’s favour but in the end
the six-time winners proved superior. Leaders Ukraine, who settled for
a 2-2 draw with fourth seeds Armenians on the top table, maintained
a 2.5 advantage over Russia (24.5).
With just five more rounds remaining, USA was the biggest gainer of
the day as they moved to sole third spot on 24 points after drubbing
Spain ‘A’ 3.5-0.5.
Armenia and third seed Israel were in joint fourth spot on 23 points
while the Indians shared the sixth spot on 22.5 along with Switzerland,
Bulgaria, France, Slovenia, Azerbaijan and Cuba. Poland and Moldova
were next in line on 22 points each.

Gazprom increases price of gas
By M. Alkhazashvili
The Messenger, Georgia
25 Oct. 2004
Gazprom’s export arm has increased the price of natural gas to the
South Caucasus by USD 18, a 30 percent increase that will begin January
1, 2005.
The increase coincided with an article in the Washington Post, which
described Russian energy policies as “the new OPEC.” In Russia’s hands,
the paper wrote, “natural gas has become a geopolitical weapon.”
Currently, Tbilisi’s gas distributor Tbilgasi buys 1,000 cubic meters
of gas for USD 60 from Gasexport, a Gazprom affiliate supplying the
South Caucasus. Georgian newspaper 24 Saati reports that in addition to
a total price of USD 78, Gazprom is demanding partial prepayments from
Georgia, a notoriously delinquent payer for energy resources.
Russian companies justify the increase by saying it is more profitable
for them to sell the gas in Europe where 1,000 cubic meters of gas goes
for USD 120. To produce this gas for the South Caucasus at half price,
they say, is commercially unviable.
Tbilgasi has responded in shock saying that there is no way to prevent
this hike from passing on the consumers. According to them, “such an
increase in the price of gas is a catastrophe,” and they hope that it
will be possible to change something through negotiation.
Both the west and Georgia have increasingly felt Russia’s utilization
of its energy assets in the political arena. Nearly 28 percent of the
world’s gas supply is in Russia; at the same time Russia controls the
gas supply out of Central Asia. In April 2003, Gazprom reached an
agreement with Turkmenistan according to which it will purchase Turkmen
gas for 25 years. The agreement gives Russia full control over Turkmen
gas export beginning 2009.
In June 2004, Russian President Putin and Uzbek President Islam Karimov
signed a 35-year agreement according to which Gazprom will be able to
control, explore and mine gas deposits in Uzbekistan. In return for
this, Gazprom purchased 44 percent of the shares of the state gas
company Uzbekistantransgas.
Also in June 2004, Gazprom announced that it had reached a contract
with Kazakhstan that is connected with the exploitation of the rich
Kara Hagan gas deposit for a timeframe of 5-7 years. Gazprom has
expressed interest in buying part of the Kazak gas pipelines, as well
as pipelines in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
The commentary in the Washington Post wrote, “In Russia’s hands,
natural gas has become a geopolitical weapon. Citing a ‘lack of
payments,’ the Kremlin, via Gazprom, has shut off gas supplies to
Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia and Armenia when the domestic or foreign
policies of those countries have run counter to its interests.”
And as President Mikheil Saakashvili noted during the visit of his
Armenian counterpart, Georgia is now in the middle of the battle for
energy independence and must negotiate for a steady position in the
energy sector. Georgia’s relationship with Gazprom will be pivotal in
this arena.

No Armenian electricity for Tbilisi
The Messenger, Georgia
25 Oct. 2004
Telasi cannot start importing power from Armenia due to technical
problems on the Armenian transmission power line, Prime News reports.
Tbilisi distributor Telasi reports that the company is ready to
start power import from Armenia in order to curtail a power deficit
in the capital.
According to the company, 100-megawatts of power will be imported from
Armenia and it will entirely fulfill the capital’s requirements. The
power limitations started from October 9.

Georgia’s transit role key in talks with Armenia
The Messenger, Georgia
25 Oct. 2004
Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili continued what could become a
Caucasus tradition on Friday, when he traveled to the Georgian-Armenian
border to meet Armenian President Robert Kocharian and escort him
back to Tbilisi. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev met Saakashvili
in the same way when the Georgian president visited Azerbaijan.
As the newspaper Alia reports, 28 Armenian businessmen traveled to
Georgia with Kocharian, partly to discuss their concerns regarding the
loaded trailers stuck at the Larsi check point on the Georgian-Russian
border.
After the Beslan tragedy, Russia closed the border at Larsi, saying
that this was intended as an anti-terrorism measure. Georgian analysts
believe the border closure was actually intended to put pressure on
Georgia, not least because the Roki tunnel which links North and
South Ossetia was not closed. But in reality the closing of Larsi
has actually damaged Armenia more than Georgia.
Although Roki remains open, the Georgian authorities refuse to let
traffic to pass that way, and two Armenian buses, which passed through
the Roki tunnel, have remained detained by Georgian border guards
for more than a month.
Kocharian’s visit coincided with the statement that Russia would open
Larsi checkpoint. Kocharian expressed his satisfaction with this but
Saakashvili underlined that this must be a lesson for everybody. Akhali
Taoba cites him as saying that all businessmen and exporters who depend
on Russia must be ready for the same thing to happen again. “We must
search for alternative markets, while maintaining the Russian market,”
he stated.
Despite Kocharian’s hope that Larsi check point will not be blocked
any longer, Armenians are obviously trying to find alternative routes
for cargo to be transported through Georgia to Russia. Minister of
Economy Kakha Bendukidze’s idea of privatizing the ports has attracted
several Armenians, who have expressed their willingness to buy or to
lease one terminal in Poti.
According to Georgian MP Van Baiburti, Armenian cargo which passes
through Georgia, whether through Poti port or Larsi, will bring Georgia
GEL 300-400 million income per annum, which is too important for the
country to miss out on.
The Armenian president expressed his satisfaction regarding cargo
exports via Georgia. “There is greater order on Georgian routes,
and cases of smuggling have decreased as well. It is clear that
the Georgian executive authority completely controls the current
situation,” 24 Saati quotes Kocharian as saying.
Nevertheless, even if Larsi does indeed reopen, there remain several
communication issues to be resolved. As Alia reports, the Manager
of the Railway Department said that during the visit the issue of
reducing tariffs on cargo was discussed.
Moreover, Kocharian’s stated that a particularly important issue
discussed during his visit was that of the restoration of the
Armenia-Russia railway via Abkhazia. “This issue is Georgia’s internal
business, but resolving it is a priority. Because there is now railway
movement between Sokhumi and Moscow, from the Armenian point of view
it is pointless blocking it. The restoration of the Abkhazia complete
railway movement will be economically very profitable for Armenia
and Georgia as well. Though given the current political situation,
Georgia’s position regarding this issue is clear to me,” the newspaper
Sakartvelos Respublika cites Kocharian as saying.
The Georgian government will not restore the railway connection between
Abkhazia and Georgia unless it receives guarantees of safety for those
Georgian refugees who return to Abkhazia. It was agreed during the
2002 Sochi meeting between Shevardnadze and Putin that the railway
between Abkhazia and Russia would be opened only in parallel with the
return of Georgian refugees to the Gali region of Abkhazia. Russia’s
decision to restore the railway unilaterally was partly motivated by
a desire to establish rail communications with Armenia.
As Georgia hopes to use this as a bargaining chip in its efforts to
restore jurisdiction over Abkhazia, it is unlikely that a rail link
between Abkhazia and Georgia will be restored as long as no progress
is made in resolving the frozen conflict.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The Messenger, Georgia
25 Oct. 2004
Armenian president calls for Abkhaz railway
Presidents discuss economic and political cooperation; survive weapons
scare at local disco
By Anna Arzanova
Armenia President Robert Kocharian
The possibility of renewed rail links between Russia and Armenia,
passing through Abkhazia and Georgia, was the main issue on the agenda
when Armenian President Robert Kocharian met with Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili on Friday.
Kocharian arrived in Georgia on September 22 for a three day visit, and
was met by Saakashvili, who traveled to the Georgian-Armenian border
to escort him back to Tbilisi in a move which mirrored Saakashvili’s
reception by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev during his visit
to Baku.
The Armenian president was accompanied by 29 businessmen, who came to
discuss the privatization of Poti Port, the energy sector, and the
trucks held up at the Russian-Georgian border at Larsi checkpoint,
which was closed by Russia on September 3.
Signs of strong relations included their private meeting on Friday,
during which Presidents Kocharian and Saakashvili met for an hour
and 15 minutes instead of the planned 45.
In their briefing afterwards, the presidents said they had discussed
many issues, including energy matter, economic relations, police,
smuggling, transport and Javakheti, the Georgian region which is
populated predominantly by Armenians.
Kocharian said that the most important issue of discussion was the
renewal of the railway through Abkhazia that would link Armenia with
Russia. The Armenian president went on to say, however, that this
issue could be resolved only by Georgia.
Nevertheless, he stated that renewed rail links would benefit
everybody. “More frequent railway movement is better for all of us. The
absence of railway communications is not favorable for either Armenians
or Georgians. I think that a pragmatic approach to this issue would be
very useful, although I understand that it is a very difficult issue,
and Georgia has to decide what to do,” the Armenian president said.
At the joint briefing to journalists, however, Saakashvili chose not
to comment on the issue
Instead, Saakashvili spoke of regional cooperation, and particularly,
on the back of his recent visit to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia,
of the proposed 3-3 agreement, envisaging co-operation between the
three South Caucasus countries and the three Baltic countries.
“The Baltic countries could push for this idea to take shape as part
of the [EU] new neighbors policy. We are ready to cooperate with them,”
said Kocharian.
On Saturday, Saakashvili and Kocharian, together with high-ranking
officials, attended events held on Shardeni Street in connection with
Tbilisoba. Saakashvili invited his counterpart to Rike and showed
him 60 buses sent to Tbilisi by the Dutch government as a gift.
During the day, Kocharian met with Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who
praised the Armenian president. “I want to say that Kocharian always
pays great attention to eliminate even small defects in relations
with Georgia,” Zhvania told reporters, adding that they talked about
importing electricity from Armenia, which is an important issue
for Georgia.
Kocharian also met with Speaker of Parliament Nino Burjanadze, and
said afterwards that close cooperation between the parliaments is
one of the main components of bilateral relations. He agreed with
Burjanadze upon the necessity of more active relations.
“We agreed to make more active the relations between our parliaments
and I will also tell the Speaker of the Armenian parliament of an
invitation to visit Georgia with a delegation. We have already had
the experience of cooperation and now we have only to refresh them,”
he told journalists in the Parliament after the meeting.
Burjanadze welcomed the idea of bilateral cooperation of the two
parliaments, saying that “this is in the interests of the both
countries and the region on the whole.”
Kocharian also met with Georgian Patriarch Ilia II, as well as visited
Heroes Square where he laid a wreath on the memorial to soldiers who
died fighting to preserve Georgia’s territorial integrity.
Later, Saakashvili and Kocharian expressed their condolence to the
former president of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze in connection with
the death of his wife. They paid their respects by going to the
presidential Krtsanisi residence late at night.
Afterwards, Kocharian and Saakashvili visited the Adjara Music Hall,
where a show was being held in honor of the Armenian president. The
event was marred, however, by the need for law-enforcement agents,
led by Minister of Security Vano Merabishvili, to attend following
the discovery of weapons in the building.
It remains unknown whether the weapons were part of a plot to
assassinate the presidents, or indeed why they were in the music venue.
The investigation continues.
The two presidents spent that night at the presidential residence in
Likani, near Borjomi.
On the third and last day of the official visit, Kocharian met with
the Armenian Diaspora in Georgia in the Marriott Hotel, where he
heard complaints regarding unemployment. Though, Kocharian himself
was pleased with the meeting and stated that there is an improvement
in the economic development in the Armenian Diaspora and promised to
do his best this process to become more evident.
According to the MP and representative of the Armenian Diaspora in
Georgia Van Baiburti, Kocharian is very satisfied with this visit
and is sure that the Georgian-Armenian relation are moving to another
stage, and first of all in economic relations.
Also on Sunday, Minister of Internal Affairs of Armenia Haik Arutiunyan
with the Minister of Internal Affairs Irakli Okruashvili signed an
agreement regarding the creation of the joint board. According to the
agreement, each side will have 9 members in this board and will closely
cooperate in eradication of trafficking, drugs and stolen cars. The
first session of the board is planned to be held on December 20.
“This board will have to meet once every two-three months in order
to develop this idea,” stated Okruashvili at the briefing, after the
signing of the agreement. President Kocharian returned to Armenia
Sunday afternoon.
From: Baghdasarian

Presidents hail reopening of Larsi checkpoint
By Anna Arzanova
The Messenger, Georgia
25 Oct. 2004
Shortly after meeting at the Georgian-Armenian border crossing of
Sadakhlo on Friday, the presidents of Armenia and Georgia, turned their
attention to the Larsi crossing to Russia, where Russian officials had
just resumed traffic after a halt of over 7 weeks.
“This is fortuitous and a pleasant coincidence. I think that the fact
that this road will be opened, already points to the fact that the
tension in North Ossetia is being alleviated,” Armenian President
Robert Kocharian said at the briefing Friday afternoon.
Earlier in the day, the Georgian Border Service announced that it had
received appropriate letters from Russian colleagues indicating the
border would be returned to full operation.
Since September 1, as a result of the Beslan hostage siege, Russian
official have blocked traffic at the Larsi crossing.
On four brief occasions, traffic was allowed to cross. Meanwhile, the
Roki crossing going into South Ossetia was kept open, although Georgian
officials refused to allow cargo to enter on this route.
According to Kocharian, the blocking of the Larsi checkpoint was very
harmful for both Armenia and Georgia, and even Russia itself. Without
saying how much of an affect the closure had on Armenia, Kocharian said
the move brought nothing favorable for their countries.
Saakashvili, for his part said that the “recent lesson” at Larsi would
be taken to heart.
“We have to understand that in case such problems are created, all of
Georgia’s business entities and exporters must be ready to look for
other alternative consumer markets in order to avoid the impact of such
acts on Armenia and Georgia,” the Georgian president said, adding, they
all should “try to remain in the Russian market as well.”
The Larsi crossing is the only land-route to Russia controlled by
Georgian authorities. A similar crossing between Russia and Azerbaijan
was also closed after the Beslan siege. According to reports, Russian
officials allowed both crossings to reopen on Friday.

The Michigan Daily, MI
25 Oct. 2004
Experts discuss prospects for peace in former Soviet republics
Tofik Zulfugarov, Azerbaijani ambassador to the United States, speaks
before an assembly of diplomats during a conference on foreign policy
challenges in the southern Caucusus, held at the University’s Alumni
Center on Saturday. (PETER SCHOTTENFELS/Daily)
By Leah Gutman, Daily Staff Reporter
Too often, myths perpetuated about foreign conflict mediation have
actually delayed swift resolutions, Wesleyan University government
professor Arman Grigorian said.
More than 35 professors and diplomats of the United States and other
nations attended the four-day, University-hosted International Armenian
Conference over the weekend. They examined the political history of the
Southern Caucasus, as well as the current state of strife there, to
discuss new approaches for peace in the area.
The Southern Caucasus — a part of the former Soviet Union north of the
Middle East — consists of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
On the conference’s third day, during a panel on conflict resolution in
the Southern Caucasus, Grigorian warned against resolutions to dilemmas
that require many intermediary parties.
An issue of much contention, Grigorian pointed toward American
involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Armenia as an example
of third-party mediation that has been largely unsuccessful.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict began in 1988 in a clash over Soviet
territory between Armenians and Azerbaijanis. By the fall of the Soviet
Union in 1991, full-blown war had erupted in the region. Bloodshed
eventually ceased in 1994, yet analysts say its consequences are
strongly felt between the two parties today and political settlements
have yet to be reached.
Some, like Grigorian, feel that U.S. mediation efforts in conflicts in
the Caucasus have only made matters worse. He said the United States
and Russia, two countries with different interests, have competed in
the Caucasus instead of trying to help the region.
“It’s easy to see me as favoring Russian mediation — perhaps because
I’m Armenian and Armenians tend to be pro-Russia — but I don’t care
which party (is given the upper hand) as long as they’re seriously
interested in finding a solution,” Grigorian said.
LSA senior Steve Jebinak, who attended the conference on Saturday and
is researching the region, expressed his interest in Armenian foreign
and state relations. “I’m investigating how regions that have broken
away (from their original country) do function as states, though
they’re not recognized diplomatically.” Armenia declared its
independence from the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991.
Tom de Waal, Caucasus editor and project coordinator of the Institute
for War and Peace Reporting, closed the panel by suggesting that the
weight of discontent among the people of the Southern Caucasus lies not
so much in the conflict itself, but in the way the conflict is
perceived.
“What’s in the mind is often the biggest obstacle to the resolution of
these conflicts,” Waal said. “The differences are not that great; it’s
the perceptions of conflicts which extenuates those differences.”
Waal said he hopes that in the coming years, Armenians, Azerbaijanis
and Georgians will come to regard their shared past as a source of
unity.

Turkish Press
25 Oct. 2004
The U.S. Elections And Turkey
BYEGM: 10/25/2004
BY YASEMIN CONGAR
MILLIYET- My personal views coincide with Turkey’s official preference,
a high-level Turkish bureaucrat told me during a recent chat. His words
implied that both he and Ankara want US President George W. Bush to win
the elections. Ankara of course cannot adopt an ‘official’ stance on
this issue. However, the observations of a high-level official familiar
with both countries are noteworthy.
I don’t think his stance coincides with the Turkish public’s
preferences. In fact, the majority of the world seems to favor Democrat
Senator John Kerry winning, along with our people. I don’t believe it
is mistaken to argue that there is a strong anti-Bush feeling behind
this wish, rather than a pro-Kerry stance. But how can we explain why
Ankara is close to the Bush administration while the Turkish nation
wants him to get his walking papers? I believe that there are three
main reasons: First of all, Ankara fears that a Kerry administration
might support the idea of partitioning Iraq. In addition, Kerry is
likely to back the Armenian lobbies, advocating that Turkey be punished
over the so-called Armenian genocide. Finally, bureaucrats see ties
between Ankara and Washington improving over Bush’s term, despite a
number of problems of late.
Personally, I do believe that a Kerry administration would see through
significant economic and social changes domestically and give
Washington a chance to repair its image internationally. However, no
matter who is elected, the next president will face a host of problems
concerning Iraq and terrorism. Both candidates have underlined that the
US mission in Iraq must be completed, clearly expressing that American
troops leaving the country immediately is a non-starter. However, Kerry
wants to transform the Iraqi issue into an international one by
organizing an international summit to discuss it as the world’s common
problem.
As a matter of fact, there are no major differences of opinion between
Bush and Kerry on the issues of Iraq’s territorial integrity. We know
that neither Bush nor Kerry favor the establishment of a Kurdish state
in the region. However, I know that some people from both US Republican
and Democratic circles believe that Iraq’s territorial integrity cannot
be protected and so a Kurdish state will be formed sooner or later.
Kerry and Bush have agreed that any possible Iraqi scenario should be
realized under conditions which would ease Turkey’s concerns on the
issue. Both Republicans and Democrats believe that Turkey cannot be
allowed to hold unilateral military operations in northern Iraq no
matter what happens there.
In brief, I believe that Washington will adopt a similar stance in the
future no matter who wins. Both candidates are expected to favor a
Turkey establishing close relations with the Baghdad administration or
any other possible federal formation in the north.
We’ll discuss other points later.

UNDP, ARMENIAN TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT MINISTRY LAUNCH UN REPORT ON THE
ROLE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR PERISHED SOLDIERS FAMILIES
ArmenPress
25 Oct. 2004
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS: Today, at the Congress Hotel in
Yerevan Karen Chshmaritian, Minister of Trade and Economic Development
of Armenia, Kalman Mizsei, Assistant Secretary-General and UN
Development Program (UNDP) Assistant Administrator and Director of the
Regional Bureau for Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS), and Arsen Ghazarian, President of the Union of Manufacturers and
Businessmen of Armenia, launched the Unleashing Entrepreneurship report
prepared by a blue-ribbon commission at the request of Mr. Kofi Annan,
the UN Secretary-General. This important global report focuses on the
role of the private sector in development and calls on governments,
international organizations and businesses to work together to
help the private sector reduce poverty. The authors of the report,
prominent scholars and former senior state and business leaders,
analyze the links between entrepreneurship and attainment of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) agreed by world country leaders
in 2000. The main findings of the report are as follows: Domestic
private initiative and entrepreneurship have enormous potential but
are often trapped in disabling business environments.
To unleash the potential of the private sector, Governments need
to create enabling environments for competitive private sector
development by ensuring a strong rule of law and equal opportunities
for businesses.
Businesses can be major actors in the worldwide struggle to reduce
poverty and promote the environment by working through public-private
partnerships. The report is relevant for Armenia where the transition
from a planned state-owned economy to a market economy is progressing
rapidly. Today, 85 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is
produced by the private sector, and small and medium-sized enterprises
account for 35 percent of GDP. Despite significant economic successes,
however, the country still needs to ensure a more enabling environment
for the full unleashing of Armenia’s business potential. At the
ceremony, Mr. Mizsei noted: “UNDP is proud to present this report to
the major business leaders of Armenia. We strongly believe that through
pubic-private partnerships such the ones already initiated in your
country by our office in Yerevan and several major private companies,
we can achieve the Millennium Goals in Armenia and, importantly,
promote a better business environment in the country.” “Armenia’s
economic successes for the last years are noteworthy, but there is
still much to do in the country both in terms of reducing poverty as
well as upgrading business ethics and practices in line with the best
international standards,” Mr. Ghazarian pointed out. Mr. Kalman Mizsei
is on an official visit to Armenia from 23 to 26 October 2004. In
his current position, Mr. Mizsei oversees operations and programs of
UNDP field offices covering 30 countries in the region. Prior to his
current position, Mr. Mizsei has worked as a senior official in the
banking and financial sectors and as a senior advisor to governments
of the region on their economic transition and reform. He was born
in Budapest, Hungary. Mr. Mizsei holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the
Budapest University of Economics. He is fluent in Hungarian (native),
English, Polish and German, and speaks Russian.