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09/08/2004
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1) Iran’s Khatami Pledges Closer Ties with Armenia
2) NATO, US to Develop Military Aid Program in Azerbaijan
3) Abkhazia Will Never Rejoin Georgia Announces Speaker
4) Aliyev, Chirac Meet in Paris
5) Finland Defeats Armenia in World Cup Qualifier
1) Iran’s Khatami Pledges Closer Ties with Armenia
YEREVAN (RFE-RL)–Iran’s President Mohammad Khatami described on Wednesday his
country’s relationship with Armenia as a benchmark of peaceful co-existence
and
cooperation between neighbors on the first day of an official visit to Yerevan
where he was given a red-carpet reception.
Khatami was greeted at Yerevan airport by virtually all members of Armenia’s
ruling cabinet before going into talks with President Robert Kocharian. The
two
leaders signed a framework treaty on bilateral cooperation which they said
will
further strengthen political and economic links between the two nations. They
also presided over the signing of several other agreements covering the energy
sector, customs administration, and culture.
“The relationship between the Armenian and Iranian peoples can serve as the
best example for all those who want to live side by side and respect each
other’s sovereignty,” Khatami declared at an ensuing joint news conference
with
Kocharian.
“We have felt obliged to establish and deepen relations with Armenia since
its
independence,” he said. “Every year that followed 1991 saw a further
development of our relations. The agreements signed today give us hope that
they will continue to deepen in the future.”
“I declare that this relationship is to the benefit of the sides but not to
the detriment of anybody else,” Khatami added.
“We are ready to make every effort to help resolve crises existing in the
region, including Mountainous Karabagh, and to contribute to the establishment
of a lasting peace and stability in the region,” Khatami said in a speech at
the Armenian parliament later in the day.
Kocharian, meanwhile, said that Armenia and Iran should pay particular
attention to developing their economic cooperation. He singled out the energy
sector where the two nations plan to implement multimillion-dollar joint
projects.
The biggest is the construction of a pipeline that will ship Iranian natural
gas to Armenia and possibly other countries. An agreement on the
implementation
of the $120 million project was signed by the two governments in Yerevan last
May.
Armenia’s ambassador to Tehran, Gegham Gharibjanian, said this week that work
on the Iranian section of the pipeline is already underway and will soon begin
on the Armenian side. Energy Minister Armen Movsisian had said earlier that
the
Armenian government will receive a $30 million loan from Iran to finance the
construction of the Armenian section.
Despite the energy projects, the volume of Armenian-Iranian trade has
steadily
declined in recent years and made up only 3.5 percent of Armenia’s external
commercial exchange last year.
2) NATO, US to Develop Military Aid Program in Azerbaijan
BAKU (Ekspress)–Commenting on the outcome of US Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld’s visit to the South Caucasus last month, NATO general Frank Boland
told Baku-based Ekspress that the US and NATO intend to launch an
unprecedented
military aid program in the region in the near future.
“We are thinking about extending our aid to Azerbaijan within the
framework of
the newly-drawn up program. Discussions were held during Rumsfeld’s meetings
with Azerbaijani officials,” commented Boland, the chief of Force Planning
Section at NATO’s Defense Planning and Operations Division
The US Congress, according to Boland, has considered specific loans for the
development of military forces in the South Caucasus countries in the current
year. “This figure is higher in Azerbaijan than in other countries,” he said,
and revealed that Azerbaijan seeks to implement the program in the Caspian
basin and its borders.
According to some critics, the US and NATO project exceeds the limits of the
Caucasus. Boland said the initiative will help beef up the onshore, offshore,
and air security of Azerbaijan, and Kazakhstan in the Caspian region.
He also said that NATO is familiar with the realities of the Mountainous
Karabagh conflict, and is seeking new approaches there. “We will increase our
positive attempts to achieve a solution to the conflict.”
Addressing NATO, Azerbaijan cooperation, Boland stated that the fight against
terrorism in maintaining security in the region is necessary, and that
numerous
projects centering on security, are nearing completion. “These projects mainly
serve the development of security in the region. The interests of NATO and
Azerbaijan in the region coincide.”
3) Abkhazia Will Never Rejoin Georgia Announces Speaker
SUKHUMI (Interfax)–Abkhazia will never voluntarily rejoin Georgia, Abkhaz
parliament speaker Nugzar Ashuba said during a meeting with OSCE envoys in
Sukhumi on Tuesday.
“We cannot commit another fatal mistake. We are prepared for any sacrifices
just to defend our freedom, so that the world not lose one more people,”
Ashuba
said.
He did agree, however, that the negotiation process between Georgia and
Abkhazia should continue.
The OSCE delegation visiting Abkhazia is led by Ivan Naidenov of Bulgaria and
includes representatives from 23 countries, including Russia, the United
States, Germany, Poland, France, Britain, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Portugal,
the
Czech Republic, Estonia, Denmark and others.
“We are here to study the situation in the region on the spot. The OSCE could
be more actively involved in the processes going on here,” Naidenov said at
the
meeting in the Abkhaz parliament with the Abkhaz parliamentary speaker and
deputies.
The sides discussed approaches to settling the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict,
Abkhazia’s political status, the return of refugees, and the implementation of
agreements concluded between the Russian and Abkhaz leaderships in Sochi.
4) Aliyev, Chirac Meet in Paris
PARIS (AzerTag)Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev met with French counterpart
Jacques Chirac in Paris on Tuesday, underlining the rapid political and
economic developments between the two countries.
They also focused on Azerbaijan’s aspirations to integrate into the European
Union, as well as Azerbaijan’s regional conflicts, including Mountainous
Karabagh. Chirac stressed his commitment to continued peace negotiations, and
said that France would implement its mediation mission as an OSCE Minsk Group
co-chair.
5) Finland Defeats Armenia in World Cup Qualifier
YEREVAN (Reuters)Finland beat Armenia 2-0 in a World Cup Group One
qualifier on
Wednesday, lifting Finland to second place in the group on six points, three
behind leaders Romania who hold a perfect record.
In an often choppy game with fouls stopping the flow of play, Finland went
ahead after 24 minutes when striker Mikael Forssell, surrounded by defenders,
found the back of the net from the edge of the box.
Finland made it 2-0 in the 67th minute when Alexei Eremenko was put through
just over the halfway line for a clear run on goal before slotting the ball
past Armenian keeper Armen Ambartzumyan.
The 21-year-old, widely regarded as one of the best new talents of Finnish
football, scored twice in Finland’s comfortable 3-0 win over Andorra on
Saturday.
There was little for the Armenians to take from the match, whose goal
tally is
now 0-5 after two defeats in their opening two qualifiers.
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