Author: Badalian Vardan

SAAKACHVILI EST UNE “PATHOLOGIE” POUR LA GEORGIE (MOSCOU)
Ara

armenews.com
mardi 9 aout 2011

MOSCOU, 8 août 2011 (AFP) – Le ministre russe des Affaires etrangères,
Sergueï Lavrov, a declare lundi que le president georgien Mikheïl
Saakachvili etait une “pathologie” pour le peuple de cette ancienne
republique sovietique et que Moscou ne voulait rien avoir a faire
avec lui.

Interroge sur les relations entre la Russie et la Georgie a l’occasion
du troisième anniversaire du declenchement par Tbilissi d’une offensive
militaire pour tenter de reprendre le contrôle du territoire rebelle
georgien pro-russe d’Ossetie du Sud, M. Lavrov a vigoureusement
critique M. Saakachvili, bete noire de Moscou.

“Il est evident que le president Saakachvili est une pathologie et une
anomalie au regard de l’histoire du peuple georgien, et il a recu en
outre une très mauvaise education”, a juge le chef de la diplomatie
russe lors d’une conference de presse a l’issue d’une rencontre avec
son homologue sud-coreen, Kim Sung Hwan.

“Nous ne voulons plus avoir a faire avec un homme qui a donne l’ordre
de tuer des soldats de maintien de la paix, des citoyens pacifiques,
en particulier des citoyens de la Federation de Russie”, a ajoute M.

Lavrov. Il a souligne que la Russie etait prete a retablir des
relations avec son voisin georgien, interrompues depuis le conflit,
mais sans M. Saakachvili. “Nous n’associons pas le peuple georgien a ce
personnage ; nous sommes prets a developper des contacts commerciaux
et dans d’autres domaines très differents, mais pas avec Mikheïl
Saakachvili”, a-t-il encore dit.

De son côte, le ministère georgien des Affaires etrangères a accuse
Moscou de continuer a menacer Tbilissi après son “agression militaire
a grande echelle” contre la Georgie en août 2008, dans un communique
publie a l’occasion du troisième anniversaire du debut du conflit.

“Malheureusement, au troisième anniversaire de la guerre d’août, la
Russie poursuit sa politique agressive visant a detruire l’existence
de la Georgie, l’independance et la souverainete du pays”, a estime
le ministère.

Des evenements commemoratifs ont eu lieu en Georgie a l’occasion de
cet anniversaire, notamment une ceremonie a un cimetière militaire
de Tbilissi où M. Saakachvili et des proches de soldats tues durant
le conflit ont depose des gerbes sur leurs tombes.

Jeudi, le president russe, Dmitri Medvedev, s’etait dit favorable a
la comparution de M. Saakachvili devant un tribunal international
en raison de “violations” du droit lors de la courte guerre
russo-georgienne, declenchee dans la nuit de 7 au 8 août 2008.

Les tensions restent elevees entre la Georgie pro-occidentale et la
Russie depuis ce conflit qui s’est solde par la defaite de Tbilissi.

Moscou a reconnu dans la foulee l’independance de l’Ossetie du Sud
ainsi que de l’Abkhazie, une autre region separatiste georgienne.

OLD MANSION IN CENTAL ANATOLIA BECOMING HOTEL

Hurriyet

Aug 4 2011
Turkey

Gulbenkyan Mansion in the central province of Kayseri is located only
100 meters from the historical American High School in the district
of Talas.

The historical Gulbenkyan Mansion, which was originally owned by a
prominent Armenian family in Turkey’s central Kayseri province, will
be transformed into a boutique hotel by a businessman who has pledged
nearly $1 million for its restoration. The mansion’s original owner
was an eminent Ottoman citizen of Armenian descent who influenced
the birth of the international oil industry.

“It is such a pretty edifice that it would have been selfish to
withhold such beauty from [other] people. For that reason, we thought
it appropriate to open the building as a hotel. There is a magnificent
ceiling on the mansion’s upper story that seems reminiscent of a dome.

A cross has been depicted; there are paintings in different
compartments; the woodwork features wondrous pieces of art,”
businessman Necip Dincer told the Hurriyet Daily News via e-mail.

The mansion was originally owned by Kalust Gulbenkyan and his family,
who also own the Calouste Gulbenkyan Museum in Lisbon.

Dincer said he had visited the forlorn building several times and
immediately contacted the mansion’s previous owners in Istanbul when he
heard it was going to be put on sale. The permit for the restoration
work has been obtained, Dincer said, and the mansion will be opened
as a hotel immediately after the renovation work is complete.

The mansion is located only some 100 meters from the historical
American High School in the district of Talas in Kayseri, Dincer said.

Various stories are circulated among the locals regarding the
Gulbenkyan family, he added.

“I am in possession of certain information [regarding Gulbenkyan,
including that] he was from Talas, and that he was arrested in Sivas,
then migrated to Istanbul and later moved abroad. It is also said he
had close connections with the Ottoman dynasty. Had the family been
living in Kayseri today, an intellectual with such tastes [back]
in that time would certainly have been a citizen beneficial to [the
city,]” Dincer said.

Kalust Gulbenkyan, an Ottoman citizen of Armenian ancestry, played
an important role in the birth of the international oil industry and
led efforts to convince Sultan Abdulhamid II, also dubbed the “Red
Sultan,” to purchase oil fields near the city of Mosul in present
day northern Iraq.

Beyzade Bulent Osman, one of Abdulhamit II’s grandsons, confirmed
this knowledge during an interview he gave to the Daily News last year.

‘Kayseri has been spent out’

“This place smells profusely of history; a rare settlement that still
bears memories of old, though they are a bit tired,” Dincer said,
adding that he was born in Kayseri himself and that the district of
Talas bore a special significance for him.

The tourism potential of the city still remains untapped, according
to Dincer, who claimed that Kayseri is a city that has been spent
out over the years.

“Historical buildings were demolished and replaced with new ones.

Ignorant and unconscious behavior de-personalized this city, whose
roots go far back in time. Buildings 15 stories high were constructed
over historical houses and mansions that were demolished. Only a tiny
portion of Talas’ remains have been preserved, and that was through
personal efforts of individuals,” he said.

Dincer said he has been striving for years alongside the chamber of
commerce and the tourism association to help preserve the historical
fabric of the city, but they still could not exert enough influence,
he added.

“Because the only [thing] the city’s administrators believe in is
opportunism,” he said.

“When this mansion is up and running, we want the Armenians and Greeks
of Kayseri to come here and see this edifice,” Dincer said. “We are
going to strive for [them] to remember their own cultures and the
traces they left behind and to come over here.

“Those governing us are to blame for the causes of this lag. The
incapability to promote to the world Anatolia, the bearer of thousands
of years of culture, is the product of a mindset that [sails] in
the opposite direction of where [the rest of] the world is going,”
he said, adding that there had been some new momentum in recent years
regarding tourism in Anatolia.

The name of the mansion will remain as “Gulbenkyan” even after the
building is transformed into a boutique hotel, he said.

“We need the [kind of] sensitivity that will save the rest of Talas
and win it for tourism,” he said.

ARMENIA SHIP ARRIVING IN LIMASSOL PORT ON AUGUST 11

Gibrahayer

Office of the Armenian MP Vartkes Mahdessian – The sailboat “Armenia”
will be arriving at the Limassol new port at 7:00 pm on Thursday, 11
August 2011. Limassol will be the final stop of its epic world journey,
which started on 28 May 2009 from Valencia, Spain. The crew consists
of seven Armenians and the head of the expedition is Dr. Zori Balayan,
a renowned Armenian author, traveller and human rights activist. Its
mission is to increase world awareness about the Armenian nation,
once a significant seafaring people with more than 1000 ships in 24
big ports of the Kingdom of Cilicia (1080-1375), which had special
ties with Lusignan Cyprus.

The ship is dedicated to Saint Mesrob Mashdots, who “discovered” the
Armenian alphabet in 405 AD and the 1700th anniversary of Christianity
in Armenia (301 AD), while its arrival here coincides with the 20th
anniversary of the Republic of Armenia, which became a reality after
the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The ship is adorned with the 38
letters of the Armenian alphabet, the Armenian cross and the Armenian
symbol of eternity.

A special welcoming ceremony will be held, followed by a cocktail
reception, in the presence of Their Excellencies the President of
the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias and the President of the
Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan.

RETIRED COLONEL ARRESTED IN ‘INTERNET MEMORANDUM’ CASE

Hurriyet
Aug 9, 2011
Turkey

Retired Col. Fuat Selvi is sent to Hasdal Prison after being
arrested. AA photo

An Istanbul court on Tuesday ruled to arrest retired Col. Fuat Selvi,
who is a suspect in the “Internet Memorandum” investigation.

Selvi was the first to be brought to the court among 14 suspects,
which the Istanbul 13th High Criminal Court ordered to appear. In
Tuesday’s hearing, the retired colonel pleaded innocent, but the
court decided to arrest him on “strong suspicion of guilt.”

Selvi is a suspect in a probe into the Internet Memorandum, an alleged
document by the General Staff about setting up 42 Internet sites to
distribute propaganda against the AKP, the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’
Party, or PKK, and Greeks and Armenians.

Retired Col. Dursun Cicek, who is currently on trial in four different
alleged coup-plot cases, confirmed the existence of the memorandum
at a hearing earlier this month.

“The ‘Internet Memorandum’ is a real document,” Cicek said Aug. 1
at a hearing for the case regarding the Action Plan for the Fight
against Fundamentalism. “If this fake plan [the Action Plan] was real,
I would have said that.”

That plan allegedly includes strategies to end both AKP rule and
the activities of the Fethullah Gulen community, a religious group
believed to have links to the government.

The court that arrested Selvi on Monday ordered 14 suspects, including
Gen. Nusret TaÅ~_deler, the former head of the Aegean forces who
was appointed as head of the army’s educational command during the
recent Supreme Military Council, or YAÅ~^, and Ä°smail Hakkı Pekin,
the intelligence chief of the General Staff, to appear before court.

The court also ruled that the Internet Memorandum case be merged with
the Action Plan for the Fight against Fundamentalism case.

Retired Gen. Hasan Igsız, the former head of the First Army, is also
among the suspects.

The other military personnel ordered to be brought to court were Adm.

Mehmet Otuzbiroglu, Gen. Mehmet Eröz, Gen. Hıfzı Cubuklu,
Gen. Mustafa Bakıcı, Adm. Alaettin Sevim, Col. Sedat Ozuer and
Retired Col. Fuat Selvi.

AZERBAIJANI AND RUSSIAN PRESIDENTS DISCUSS NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT AND ECONOMIC ISSUES (PHOTO)

Trend
Aug 9, 2011
Azerbaijan

The Presidents Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Dmitry Medvedev of Russia
discuss the problems with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement,
strengthening bilateral relations, as well as international issues,
focusing on global economic problems, RIA Novosti reported.

“Of course, one of the most important topics is the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement,” President Medvedev said to a meeting with
President Aliyev. “I would like to conduct sincere talks on what
to do further and how the events will develop in light of the last
trilateral Kazan meeting and all the previous meetings.”

The Russian and Azerbaijani Presidents regularly meet during the
trilateral talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement with the Armenian
President.

The last meeting was held in Kazan on June 24.

President Medvedev proposed President Aliyev to discuss the current
state of bilateral relations, regional agenda and international issues.

The Russian President stressed that much has been recently done to
develop the bilateral relations.

“I mean signing the agreements that define the cooperation for the
next years,” President Medvedev said.

He also added that the growth of trade turnover between the two
countries testifies the positive development of relations.

Medvedev said that the good weather in Sochi facilitates the talks.

The Azerbaijani President thanked his Russian counterpart for
the invitation to visit Russia. He stressed that there is positive
dynamics in all spheres of bilateral cooperation, including economic
and humanitarian cooperation, energy security. President Aliyev thanked
his Russian counterpart for Russia’s efforts on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement.

“The conducted talks brought closer the positions of the parties,” he
said. “The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the main problem of regional
security. Azerbaijan may be more interested in the conflict settlement
than others.”

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988
when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Armenian
armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan since 1992,
including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in 1994. The
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Russia, France, and the U.S. –
are currently holding the peace negotiations.

Armenia has not yet implemented the U.N. Security Council’s four
resolutions on the liberation of the Nagorno-Karabakh and the
surrounding regions.

The diplomatic relations between the countries were established on
April 4, 1992. Since then, the regular meetings have been held at
the highest level.

The legal basis for cooperation between the two countries consists of
more than 80 inter-state, inter-governmental and inter-departmental
agreements and treaties. The basic document is the Treaty of
Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Security, signed on July 3, 1997.

An important direction of cooperation between the two countries is
the economic sphere.

As a major producer of hydrocarbons in the CIS, Azerbaijan is an
objective partner of Russia.

Transneft Company is the operator of the Russian part of the
Baku-Novorossiysk oil pipeline.

The trade turnover between the two countries amounted to $1.948 billion
as of 2010 or 9.4 percent more than the previous year. In general,
Russia is the third trading partner of Azerbaijan. Its share is 6.9
percent in total export-import operations.

Russia and Azerbaijan signed an agreement between the two countries
on the state border in September 2010. The parties also signed
an agreement between the two governments on the rational use and
protection of trans-boundary Samur River. It will be used on the
basis of 50 to 50. The length of the Samur River is 230 km.

Davit Tonoyan: “Armenian-U.S. defense cooperation grows impressively”

Mediamax
Aug 9, 2011
Armenia

Exclusive Interview of the First Deputy Minister of Defense of the
Republic of Armenia Davit Tonoyan to Mediamax Agency

– On July 18-21, the delegation headed by you took part in
Armenian-U.S. defense consultations in Washington D.C., during which
the sides agreed to expand the spheres of cooperation. Tell us about
these spheres, please.

– During the recent consultations we mainly focused on Armenian defense
reforms and development of Armenian Armed Forces, aiming to clarify
with our American colleagues the USA’s possible assistance to these
processes. We particularly discussed defense policy of the Republic
of Armenia, the implementation of plans aimed at the development of
Armenian Armed Forces based on the results of Armenia’s Strategic
Defense Review (SDR), human resource management, professional military
education, development of professional NCO corps, export control of
military goods, issues related to humanitarian demining, as well as
some programs of public and cultural interest.

Besides, we also touched upon such issues as the effective use of
the assistance rendered by the United States and US capabilities in
the development of Armenian peacekeeping capabilities, including the
organization of both bilateral and multilateral combined exercises.

– Where, when and in what framework will the exercises be held?

– It has been already 10 years that the Armenian and the U.S. military
have been conducting combined military exercises in the spheres
of peacekeeping, communications, military medicine and emergency
response. Small-scale training activities have been also held. We
should also keep in mind the combined activities and liaison of
Armenian and U.S. military during the operations in Iraq, Kosovo
and Afghanistan.

However, all this was done mainly on multilateral basis, through
multinational operations and exercises. As for the possibility of
holding bilateral Armenian-U.S. exercise, yes, this issue has been
discussed. However, taking into consideration the fact that NATO/PfP
Live and Command Post Exercises have been restored since this year,
the urgency of holding bilateral Armenian-U.S. exercise for training
purposes of our peacekeepers decreases, but the issue remains on the
agenda of further Armenian-U.S. consultations.

The Armenian Ministry of Defense has big experience in organizing
and holding multilateral exercises.

– Can we say that the Armenian-U.S. defense cooperation is moving
from the incipient stage to comprehensive cooperation?

– The Armenian-U.S. defense cooperation has indeed grown impressively
over last years. Among the achievements of Armenian-U.S. defense
cooperation in 2010-2011 we can mention the process of SDR and the
beginning of implementation of the development plan worked out as a
result of the SDR as well as the three-fold expansion of the Armenian
contingent participating in ISAF mission, taking into account the
fact that the Armenian military who have been trained with the U.S.

assistance forms the contingents participating in international
peacekeeping operations.

– The session of the North Atlantic Council in 28+1 format (NATO
members +Armenia) was held in Brussels on July 27, as a result of
which the renewed Individual Partnership Action Plan was discussed.

Receiving the Special Representative of NATO Secretary General in
Yerevan in late June, Armenian President expressed the hope that the
renewed IPAP will allow bringing the cooperation to a new quality
level. Which are the main changes of IPAP for the Armenian Defense
Ministry?

– Let me clarify that the session attended by the Armenian Ministers
of Defense and Foreign Affairs, focused not on the renewed IPAP but
on the Assessment Report of the previous IPAP, which gives grounds to
launch the process of approval of the renewed IPAP. I think it will
be approved by the end of this year when all NATO allies approve the
renewed IPAP worked out by joint efforts of experts from Armenia and
NATO International Staff.

As for the content of the new IPAP, its biggest and principal
difference is that the previous ones were mainly directed to the
conduct of the SDR process, whereas the new program mainly aims at
the realization of results of the Review.

Besides, together with previous spheres the new IPAP includes such
areas as the study of capabilities for improving battle training
programs for various types of Armenian Armed Forces, cooperation in
military-industrial sphere, as well as the study of NATO member
states’ armament and military equipment the codification and
standardization system aimed at the development of future defense
industrial cooperation with them.

– During meetings in USA and Brussels you have discussed the issue of
improving the peacekeeping capabilities of the Armenian Peacekeeping
Forces. At what stage of readiness are our peacekeepers today and
what are the problems that still need to be solved?

– Today, the 12th peacekeeping brigade of the Armenian Armed Forces
has two fully equipped infantry battalions and can provide about two
companies for operations by rotation principle. Today, on the whole
161 servicemen of the brigade are permanently deployed in the theatres
of multinational operations: 126 in Afghanistan, and 35 – in Kosovo.

The third battalion of the brigade is being formed now.

Within the framework of developing the brigade (the process will be
completed in 2015), we focus our efforts on the development of its
logistics capabilities and equipment. In this process not secondary
attention is paid also to the constant training, re-training and
eventual assessment of the brigade’s manpower.

An engineer battalion has recently joined Armenian peacekeeping forces,
which was also declared in the PfP pool of forces in the framework
of Operational Capabilities Concept, so we are planning to carry out
combat readiness evaluations for this unit as well.

– You have recently met with your Russian colleagues. Unlike the
Armenian-U.S. military ties, the Armenian-Russian defense cooperation
has a rich history and the sides seem to understand each other better.

What issues have been discussed in Moscow?

– The Armenian-Russian defense cooperation has indeed a rich history
and traditions and involves wider spectrum of defense cooperation
than with other countries.

While in Moscow I have hold meetings with CSTO Secretariat’s leadership
and my colleagues from the Russian Defense Ministry. During my meetings
in CSTO we discussed a number of issues such as: the establishment
of organization’s Military Committee, improvement of Combined Joint
Staff activities, as well as the involvement of observers from various
international organizations and countries in future military exercises
to be carried out with the framework CSTO Rapid Reaction Collective
Forces and Armenian-Russian Combined Task Force, which will ensure
necessary transparency and will be considered as a confidence building
measure in the region thus reinforcing the image of the CSTO as an
organization ensuring the regional security.

As for the meetings with our colleagues from the Russian Defense
Ministry, they were devoted to the discussion of such issues as the
coordination of Armenian and Russian defense ministries’ positions
on the future of international arms control arrangements, regional
security, optimization of the Russian 102nd military base in Armenia
and re-deployment and modernization of its units.

– There is an opinion that Russia attaches rather “symbolic” than
combative importance to its military base in Armenia. What can you
say in this regard? I suppose the issue of the base has also been
discussed.

– I think this is the case when we shouldn’t seek for some hidden or
other meanings. The presence of the Russian military base in Armenia
has always been conditioned by the political-military interests of the
two countries. According to the agreement on the extension of terms of
deployment of the Russian military base in Armenia signed last year,
the 102nd base also undertook the commitment to support Armenia’s
security. Thus, it’s not a secret that the Russian military base is
the indivisible part of Armenia’s security system, which is set in
a number of conceptual documents of the Republic of Armenia such as
the National Security Strategy, Military Doctrine.

– The Russian Defense Minister has recently visited Azerbaijan to
discuss the future of Gabala Station. Does Armenia have a position
about the operation of the station and possible change of its status?

– The exploitation of Gabala radiolocation station has a definite
importance for the Russian Federation. During the Soviet times it was
part of the missile defense system and now it allows Russian Armed
Forces to control the air picture in the region and prevent missile
attacks. Taking into account the Armenian-Russian allied ties, we
don’t consider the exploitation of Gabala base by Russia as running
counter to Armenia’s security interests. On the contrary, I believe
the more our strategic ally and other partner states get involved in
the security and, why not, in the military spheres of our neighboring
country, the more it will facilitate the security of the entire region.

THE PRINCIPLES THE SETTLEMENT IS VIEWED TO BE BASED ON, COMPLY WITH INTERNATIONAL LEGAL NORMS AND COMMON SENSE, ILHAM ALIYEV BELIEVES

Mediamax
Aug 9, 2011
Armenia

Yerevan/Mediamax/. The meeting of Russian President Dmitri Medvedev
and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is held in Sochi today.

As the Russian presidential press service reports, the parties are
discussing the status of the negotiation process on Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement apart from other issues.

The Russian President stated before the meeting, that he would like to
speak to his Azerbaijani counterpart quite frankly on what to do next,
“how the developments may unfold subject to our recent joint meeting
held in Kazan and previous meetings in that format”.

“Indeed, the settlement of regional problems is of great importance
to us, as we are close countries, we are neighbors and we are very
close friends and partners. In fact, the way the whole region, our
countries and our peoples feel is dependant on how the situation in our
region evolves. That’s why I would like to consult on these issues”,
stated Dmitri Medvedev.

In his turn, Ilham Aliyev said that he would like to express his
gratitude towards Russian President once again for his efforts on
settling Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict.

“We highly assess your personal involvement in this process in
Azerbaijan. Indeed, the rounds of talks held in trilateral format
brought the sides’ positions together.

This is the main problem of the regional security, and Azerbaijan
is certainly interested in the immediate settlement of the conflict
more than ever, so as all the displaced people could return to the
places of their residence, so that there is peace, tranquility and
cooperation in the region.

Indeed, the principles on which the settlement is viewed to be based,
comply with international legal norms and common sense. That’s why
the immediate settlement of the conflict is in the interests of all
the countries”, stated Ilham Aliyev.

MEDVEDEV, ALIYEV DISCUSS NAGORNO-KARABAKH, BILATERAL TIES

Press TV
Aug 9, 2011
Iran

Trying to re-launch the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

With this aim the Azerbaijani and Russian presidents met in Sochi.

Ilham Aliyev arrived there at the invitation of Dmitry Medvedev.

Aliyev thanked Medvedev for his efforts in mediating the conflict
and said he is keen to come to terms with Armenia.

Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan to join Armenia in
late 1980s.

A military conflict erupted leaving 30,000 people dead on both sides.

The disputed region has been under Armenian control but is
internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan.

The OSCE Minsk group made up of Russia, France and the US mediated
the conflict for years without success.

Moscow has made an effort to break the deadlock in talks between the
conflicting sides.

The leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia held nine trilateral
summits since 2008.

The last such meeting took place in Kazan in July.

Despite expectations, it failed to produce a roadmap document for
further settling the conflict.

Medvedev and Aliyev also discussed the relations between their
countries, international issues, the legal status of the Caspian Sea.

Watch video at

400 IRANIAN-ARMENIANS IN YEREVAN TO PARTAKE IN PAN-ARMENIAN GAMES

ARMENPRESS
August 9, 2011
YEREVAN

The Armenian community to Iran has always been active in the
Pan-Armenian Games. This year over 400 Iranian-Armenian sports
practitioners arrived in Yerevan to partake in the Games, according
to Odette Aghajanyan, coordinator of the Armenian sports delegation
from Iran.

“It would be better if the Pan-Armenian Games, which are amateur games,
became more professional. It would be more useful and interesting,”
she said.

MEETING WITH PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV

Kremlin.ru

Aug 9, 2011
Russia

Medvedev and Ilham Aliyev exchanged views on key aspects of
Russian-Azerbaijani relations, as well as regional issues, in
particular the Nagorno Karabakh peace talks.

The agenda of the talks includes the results of the Russian President’s
official visit to Azerbaijan in September 2010, in particular the
implementation of economic, trade, energy, investment and banking
agreements, as well as the legal status of the Caspian Sea, the
implementation of decisions adopted at the third Caspian Summit,
which took place in Baku in November 2010, and humanitarian ties.

Ilham Aliyev arrived in Sochi on a working visit at Dmitry Medvedev’s
invitation.

* * *

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA DMITRY MEDVEDEV: Mr Aliyev, it is a pleasure to
welcome you in Sochi.

This is a good place to discuss the current state of bilateral
relations, the regional agenda, and to have a look at international
issues, which have been keeping us on our toes: the global financial
system is experiencing new economic problems, which is not an easy
topic.

To begin with, I would like us to focus on the progress made in the
bilateral dialogue between our states. In my opinion, it is developing
really very well. A great deal has been achieved in recent months:
fundamental agreements outlining the main areas of cooperation in the
coming years have been signed, bilateral trade has grown and there is
a number of major projects. However, there are some issues on which
we need to exchange views or clarify our positions.

One of the most important subjects is the Nagorno Karabakh settlement.

Here I would like to conduct an absolutely frank conversation with
you about our future steps and ways in which events can unfold in
the light of our last trilateral meeting, which took place in Kazan,
and our previous meetings in this format.

It is truly important for us to find solutions to regional problems
because we are close neighbours, friends and partners. The way the
situation in the region will evolve will determine the wellbeing of
the entire region, our countries and our peoples. That is why I would
like us to exchange views on these issues.

I am glad to welcome you.

PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV: Thank you, Mr Medvedev.

Thank you for the invitation. I am very happy to meet with you again
in Sochi, this time in the summer. Our meetings usually take place in
the winter, so I am pleased to have this opportunity to visit Sochi
in the summer and, most importantly, to meet with you and discuss
the issues you have mentioned.

Our agenda is very extensive. Nearly all matters of the bilateral
format have been resolved, and the agreements you mentioned earlier
are a culmination of the past years’ efforts and reflect the form,
spirit and character of our relations, which are a friendly,
neighbourly partnership.

If we look at the bilateral agenda, we can see positive changes and
constructive trends across the board. Political consultations are held
regularly, including at the highest level. Political interaction is
also contributing to the development of regional cooperation.

In the economic sphere there is a marked increase in trade and an
improvement in its structure, as well as prospects for future growth.

I also note positive trends in humanitarian cooperation, energy
security and in many other areas. Today we can state with satisfaction
that our relations are developing very positively and dynamically.

We are neighbours, two Caspian states, two Caucasus states, and the
way various processes in the region will develop largely depends on
our interaction.

I would like to thank you once again for your efforts to resolve
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the conflict between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. We highly appreciate your personal involvement in this
process. The rounds of trilateral talks that have been held have
helped to bring the positions of the parties closer.

This is the main problem of regional security and Azerbaijan is
interested to a greater extent than anyone else in an early settlement
of the conflict, so that all displaced persons can return to their
homes and peace, tranquility and cooperation are restored in the
region.

The principles on which the settlement may be based reflect
international legal norms and common sense. Therefore, an early
settlement of the conflict is in the interests of all states.

Once again, I would like to thank you personally for your efforts
and for the positive potential that we have built up over the recent
years and which has brought our countries closer, as well as for the
invitation to visit the beautiful city of Sochi in such good weather.