Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

BAKU BANKS ON INDEPENDENT ENERGY POLICY
Rovshan Ismayilov

EurasiaNet, NY
Dec 13 2006

As winter approaches, Azerbaijan appears to be strengthening its
support for Georgia in the South Caucasus’ ongoing chess game of energy
alliances, despite a reported earlier overture by the Kremlin for
cooperation. A December 1 order by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
that the Azerbaijani government consider suspending the country’s use
of a Russian-run pipeline to transport Azerbaijani oil to overseas
markets – a sign Baku wants to be an independent energy player.

The order came in response to an announcement by Gazprom that it would
increase gas prices for Azerbaijan in 2007 from $110 to $230 per
1,000 cubic meters. The Russian supplier would also cut the volume
of supplies exported to the South Caucasus state from 4.5 billion
cubic meters (bcm) to 1.5 bcm. Azerbaijani officials have indicated
that Baku is disinclined to buy any gas at all from Russia in 2007
at Moscow’s proposed price.

Gazprom representative Sergei Kupriyanov stated that the 1.5 billion
cubic meters "will fully meet Azerbaijan’s needs because the country
will increase its own gas production next year." Kupriyanov said that
Azerbaijan is getting ready to become a gas exporter. "We are not
against competition with Azerbaijan, but we are not going to support
this competition. It does not make sense," he said.

Aliyev directly linked his decision with Gazprom’s plans. Gazprom’s
price hike and its reduction in gas exports to Azerbaijan will require
the Caspian Sea state to make use of additional energy supplies to
keep its electric power stations running this winter, he said.

While the economic loss to Russia from Baku severing this relationship
would not be large – about $25 million per year in transit fees
are collected from the 1.5 million tons of Azerbaijani oil that
pass through Russian territory — the diplomatic fallout could be
more severe.

The fact that the order came on the eve of Russian Prime Minister
Mikhail Fradkov’s December 4 visit to Baku was interpreted as a
sign that Azerbaijan is priming for a long-term deterioration in
its relations with Moscow, local experts believe. In early November,
President Aliyev reportedly rejected a proposal by Russian President
Vladimir Putin to take part in a "coordinated policy" for energy
exports to the West, emphasizing that Baku wanted an independent
policy line, according to the influential Russian newspaper Kommersant.

The proposal has been widely interpreted as a request for Azerbaijan to
side with Russia in its dispute with Georgia, Ukraine and Belarus over
Gazprom’s efforts to increase gas prices. In this game of strategy,
commented one analyst, Azerbaijan’s state interests would be better
served if Baku aligned itself with Georgia.

"Ilham Aliyev has shown that he is unhappy with Russia’s pressure
and he does not have plans to coordinate Azerbaijan’s energy policy
with Moscow," commented Rasim Musabekov, an independent Baku-based
political analyst. "And this is a justified decision: [any] energy
blockade and crisis in Georgia will have a negative impact on the
national interests of Azerbaijan."

By damaging its relations with Georgia, Azerbaijan would lose its
only non-Russian-controlled energy transport corridor to the West,
Musabekov said. "All of Azerbaijan’s strategic energy projects such as
BTC [Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline], Baku-Supsa [oil pipeline] and
the South Caucasus [gas] pipeline run through Georgia. Another large
regional project, the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railroad, is in
the works," he said. "Therefore, stability in Georgia and relations
with this ally are of even greater importance for Azerbaijan than
relations with Russia."

After meeting with President Aliyev on November 28 at the Commonwealth
of Independent States summit in Minsk, Georgian President Mikheil
Saakashvili announced that Azerbaijan will render "brotherly
assistance to Georgia in the winter." Georgia has refused to pay
increased prices for Russian gas – $230 per 1,000 cubic meters, up
from $110 per cubic meter – saying that the price hike is politically
motivated. Georgia’s arrest of Russian military officers on charges of
espionage this September led to a complete shut-down of transportation
and communication links between Georgia and Russia, the withdrawal of
Russian embassy staff from Tbilisi, and the deportation of hundreds
of Georgian citizens from Russia. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive].

How Russia will respond to Aliyev’s order is uncertain, although
analyst Musabekov dismissed the possibility that sanctions similar
to those imposed against Georgia could come into force. Baku’s
negotiations with Armenia over the breakaway Azerbaijani region of
Nagorno-Karabakh are a more likely area for pressure, he added. [For
background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Whether Azerbaijan will be able to cope with reduced gas supplies from
Russia and still supply Georgia with increased Azerbaijani gas for
2007 remains unclear. Russia provides gas for thermoelectric power
stations that meet up to 90 percent of the country’s power needs. By
buying gas from Russia at relatively cheap prices, Azerbaijan has
been able to export its natural resources at market prices and make
a good profit. A deficit in the country’s energy balance will mean
that that it will have to reconsider this strategy.

"Azerbaijan itself will need additional volumes of gas in 2007.

Besides, Baku has to buy Russian gas for $230 per 1,000 cubic meters,"
commented Ilham Shaban, editor of the Turan-Energy daily bulletin. "It
means that the export of its own gas to Georgia for a lesser price
will mean a straight loss for Azerbaijan." Although the precise
proposed price has not yet been specified, Georgia hopes to buy gas
from Azerbaijan at less than the $230 charged by Gazprom.

To sort out the muddle of gas supplies and demand, the energy
ministers of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey met in Tbilisi on December
8. Georgian Energy Minister Nika Gelauri told reporters after the
talks that "[a] great step forward" had occurred. "[T]he ministers
have agreed that part of Turkey’s share in the Shah Deniz gas will be
divided between Georgia and Azerbaijan," Black Sea Press news agency
reported Gelauri as saying. The timing of deliveries and the volume
of gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Georgia in 2007 are expected to
be negotiated in a meeting in Baku the week of December 17.

How much gas Georgia will actually seek from Azerbaijan is a critical
factor. Tbilisi is also negotiating with Iran for gas supplies to
Georgia in 2007 to make up for any loss of Russian gas, if price
talks between Georgian energy distributors and Gazprom fail.

Technical problems connected with transporting large volumes of
Iranian gas via Azerbaijan are one obstacle for this gas source,
however. Strong misgivings expressed by the US ambassador to Georgia
recently about a Georgia-Iran energy pact could pose a more difficult
problem. If an agreement cannot be reached with Tehran, Tbilisi could
turn to Baku and Turkey to make up the difference via Shah Deniz,
an option favored by Washington.

For now, though, the start date for exports from the Shah Deniz gas
field remains a riddle. British Petroleum, the project’s operator,
began gas production at Shah Deniz in early November, and has stated
that it is ready to start exports at any time. The Azerbaijani
government has not commented on a start date. The South Caucasus
Pipeline, which will carry the gas to Turkey via Georgia, remains
incomplete on Turkish territory, though it is already able to transfer
supplies to Georgia. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].

Regardless of the outcome, energy analyst Shaban believes that
Azerbaijan itself will not suffer an energy crisis this winter. The
State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) has promised to increase its
own gas production in 2007 up to 2 billion cubic meters, he noted.

The company has stated that Azerbaijan could also buy an additional
1.5 to 2 billion cubic meters of gas from the Shah Deniz gas project
that Turkey has said it is unable to accept in 2007.

"That means that Azerbaijan might receive up to 4 billion cubic
meters of gas additionally in 2007, and this volume would cover the
3-billion-cubic-meters reduction in the gas supply from Gazprom,"
Shaban commented.

Nonetheless, reduced gas supplies from Russia and an increase in
Russian gas prices could pose a burden for Azerbaijan’s residential
and commercial consumers. As of January 1, 2007, residential gas
prices could double, the pro-opposition news agency Turan reported
an unnamed government source as saying.

"It is already clear that Russia will double the gas price for
Azerbaijan next year. Before we [the government] supplied part of the
gas imported from Russia to the population for $55 for 1,000 cubic
meters. But now we have to reconsider the price and increase it,"
said the source, the agency reported on November 29.

Editor’s Note: Rovshan Ismayilov is a freelance reporter based in Baku.
From: Baghdasarian

US GOVERNMENT’S MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION APPROVES INITIAL DISBURSEMENT OF USD 1.4 MILLION TO MCA-ARMENIA PROGRAM

Yerevan, December 12. ArmInfo. Millennium Challenge Account-Armenia
(MCA-Armenia) has successfully completed the requirements necessary
to receive the Initial Disbursement of approximately USD 1.4 million.

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), on behalf of the United
States Government, has transferred USD 882,000 to Armenia.

The second transfer of USD 507,000 is scheduled for later this month.

The funds for Armenia’s Millennium Challenge Compact (the Compact),
expected to total USD 236 million over a five year period, are not
disbursed as a lump sum to Armenia. They are approved quarterly by
the MCC and disbursed monthly into MCA-Armenia’s bank account at
Cascade Bank in accordance with Armenia’s demonstrated progress in
the Millennium Challenge Account program.

At the event announcing the Initial Disbursement, U.S. Charge
d’Affaires Anthony F. Godfrey said, "I congratulate the people
of Armenia on developing a program that will help to reduce rural
poverty and increase annual incomes. The Compact represents a terrific
opportunity for the people of Armenia. However, in order for Armenia
to continue to receive this funding, the Armenian government must
maintain a high level of performance in ruling justly, investing in
people and promoting economic freedom. Only by continuing to institute
democratic reforms, including ensuring a free and fair process in
the run-up to the 2007 and 2008 elections, can Armenia make sure that
its people can continue to benefit from this $236 million program."

The Compact, signed on March 27, 2006 with Entry into Force
on September 29, 2006, aims to reduce rural poverty through a
sustainable increase in the economic performance of the agricultural
sector. Armenia plans to achieve this goal through a five-year program
of strategic investments in rural roads, irrigation infrastructure
and technical and financial assistance to improve the supply of water
and to support farmers and agribusinesses. The program will directly
impact approximately 750,000 people, or an estimated 75 percent of
the rural population, and is expected to reduce the rural poverty
rate and boost annual incomes.

The Compact includes a USD 67 million project to rehabilitate up to
943 kilometers of rural roads, more than a third of Armenia’s proposed
"Lifeline Road Network." When complete, the road network will ensure
that every rural community has road access to markets, services, and
the main road network. Under the Compact, the Government of Armenia
will be required to commit additional resources for maintenance of the
road network. The Compact also includes a USD 146 million project to
increase the productivity of approximately 250,000 farm households (34%
of which are headed by women) through improved water supply, higher
yields, higher-value crops, and a more competitive agricultural sector.

Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. government corporation
designed to work with some of the poorest countries in the world, is
based on the principle that aid is most effective when it reinforces
good governance, economic freedom, and investments in people that
promote economic growth and elimination of extreme poverty.

Millennium Challenge Account-Armenia (MCA-Armenia), a State Non
Commercial Organization established by the Government of Armenia,
is responsible for overseeing the transparent implementation of the
Compact signed between the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the
Government of Armenia.
From: Baghdasarian

Armenian authorities detain head of public organization on coup charges

The Associated Press
Sunday, December 10, 2006

YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenian authorities on Sunday detained the head
of a public organization accused of plotting a coup attempt, officials
and activists said.

Zhirair Sefilian, the citizen of Lebanon who heads For Protection of
Liberated Territories organization, is facing deportation on charges
of plotting to overthrow the government, said Armen Agaian, a leading
member of Sefilian’s group. Agaian rejected the charges.

An official at the Armenian National Security Service, who spoke on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the
media, confirmed Sefilian’s arrest but refused to elaborate on the
charges against him.

Sefilian is a veteran of the 1988-94 war in the disputed enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh, which ended when Armenia-backed separatists drove
out Azerbaijan’s government forces.

Source: International Herald Tribune

/europe/EU_GEN_Armenia_Opposition_Arrest.php
From: Baghdasarian

WILL GAZPROM RAISE GAS PRICE FOR ARMENIA A YEAR EARLIER?

Regnum, Russia
Dec 7 2006

Gazprom’s major strategy concerning Russia’s neighboring countries is
equating tariffs for gas sold to these countries with the European
level of prices, Gazprom’s Spokesman Sergey Kupriyanov said on air
of Ekho Moskvy Radio. According to him, the cheapest price for CIS
countries will be for Armenia. "The gas price for Armenia, $110 per
1,000 cubic meters, will be preserved under our agreement by 2008,"
Kupriyanov said.

For Ukraine the gas will, as before, cost $130 for 1,000 cubic meters,
the spokesman said. As he put it, this January’s crisis in Ukraine
should not repeat next year. "There have been no agreements on gas
prices with Belarus, Georgia and Moldova yet, but it is clear already
the price will increase. Supposedly, Minsk will buy the Russian fuel
at a price of $200 per 1,000 cubic meters. Gazprom is ready to sell gas
to Georgia at a price over $200 per 1,000 cubic meters," he informed.

Sergey Kurpiyanov admitted that Gazprom is pursuing a tough policy,
however, the countries importing the gas fulfill their obligations.

The spokesman also noted that the company will decrease significantly
the amount of gas sold to Azerbaijan. Besides, the gas price for
Baku will be also raised to the level the rest countries will pay –
about $200, Kupriyanov said. At that he noted that the united economic
space with the countries should be preserved at the expense of the
gas tariffs.

It is worth mentioning, this year Gazprom and the Armenian government
signed an agreement for 25 years on strategic principles of cooperation
in gas and energy projects in the Armenian territory. The agreement
fixes the gas price for Armenia at the level of $110 by January
1, 2009.
From: Baghdasarian

TODAY IN HISTORY – DEC. 7

Associated Press Worldstream
December 7, 2006 Thursday

Today is Thursday, Dec. 7, the 341st day of 2006. There are 24 days
left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History:

In 1988, a major earthquake in the Soviet Union devastated northern
Armenia; official estimates put the death toll at 25,000.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Japanese forces attacked American and British
territories and possessions in the Pacific, including the home base
of the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

On this date:

In 1787, Delaware became the first state to ratify the
U.S. Constitution.

In 1796, electors chose John Adams to be the second president of the
United States.

In 1836, Martin Van Buren was elected the eighth president of the
United States.

In 1946, fire broke out at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta; the blaze
killed 119 people, including hotel founder W. Frank Winecoff.

In 1963, during the Army-Navy game, videotaped instant replay was
used for the first time in a live sports telecast as CBS re-showed
a one-yard touchdown run by Army quarterback Rollie Stichweh. (Navy
beat Army, 21-15.)

In 1972, America’s last moon mission to date was launched as Apollo
17 blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

In 1972, Imelda Marcos, wife of Philippine President Ferdinand E.

Marcos, was stabbed and seriously wounded by an assailant who was
then shot dead by her bodyguards.

In 1983, in Madrid, Spain, an Aviaco DC-9 collided on a runway with
an Iberia Air Lines Boeing 727 that was accelerating for takeoff,
killing all 42 people aboard the DC-9 and 51 aboard the Iberia jet.

In 1987, 43 people were killed after a gunman aboard a Pacific
Southwest Airlines jetliner in California apparently opened fire on
a fellow passenger and the two pilots, causing the plane to crash.

In 1988, a major earthquake in the Soviet Union devastated northern
Armenia; official estimates put the death toll at 25,000.

Ten years ago: The space shuttle Columbia landed at the Kennedy Space
Center, ending a nearly 18-day mission marred by a jammed hatch that
prevented two planned spacewalks.

Five years ago: Taliban forces abandoned their last bastion in
Afghanistan, fleeing the southern city of Kandahar. Americans held
services on the 60th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack. The
space shuttle Endeavour docked with the international space station,
delivering a new three-member crew to relieve a crew in place since
August. The U.S. unemployment rate jumped to 5.7 percent in November,
the highest in six years.

One year ago: Federal air marshals shot and killed an airline passenger
at Miami International Airport after he falsely claimed to have a bomb.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Eli Wallach is 91. Bluegrass singer Bobby
Osborne is 75. Actress Ellen Burstyn is 74. Senate Appropriations
Committee Chairman Thad Cochran, R-Miss., is 69. Broadcast journalist
Carole Simpson is 66. Baseball Hall-of-Famer Johnny Bench is 59.

Country singer Gary Morris is 58. Singer-songwriter Tom Waits is 57.

Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee chairwoman
Susan M. Collins, R-Maine, is 54. Actress Priscilla Barnes is
51. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Larry Bird is 50. Former "Tonight Show"
announcer Edd Hall is 48. Rock musician Tim Butler (The Psychedelic
Furs) is 48. Actor C. Thomas Howell is 40. Pop singer Nicole Appleton
(All Saints) is 31. Actress Shiri Appleby is 28.

Singer Aaron Carter is 19.

Thought for Today: "Any frontal attack on ignorance is bound to fail
because the masses are always ready to defend their most precious
possession their ignorance." Hendrik Willem van Loon, Dutch-American
journalist and lecturer (1882-1944).
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN MINISTER DESCRIBES GUAM STATEMENT ON KARABAKH MISGUIDED

Public Television, Armenia
Dec 6 2006

[Presenter] Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan, who is attending
the summit of the Council of the OSCE foreign ministers in Brussels,
described a statement by the GUAM [regional alliance of Georgia,
Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova] about a referendum scheduled to take
place in Nagornyy Karabakh [on 10 December] misguided, the minister
told "Aylur" news bulletin.

The other member countries of the GUAM have simply yielded to
Azerbaijan’s desire and hurriedly announced that the referendum to
be held in Karabakh will obstruct the negotiations process, Oskanyan
said. The minister believes that on the contrary, the democratic
measures under way in Nagornyy Karabakh are speeding up a solution
to the problem.

[Oskanyan] Azerbaijan mainly creates obstacles to the negotiations
process but not Nagornyy Karabakh or Armenia. I believe that such
statements hinder the continuation of the process. Azerbaijan’s
bellicose statements and refusal to Karabakh’s involvement in
negotiating process as well as Azerbaijan’s attempts to prevent the
[OSCE] Minsk Group from continuing the negotiating process cause doubts
in Nagornyy Karabakh about Azerbaijan’s promise. The main obstacles
to the process are those, but not the constitutional referendum to
be held in Nagornyy Karabakh.
From: Baghdasarian

HO HO HO! SANTA CLAUS

The Independent (London)
December 4, 2006 Monday
Fourth Edition

Poor old Santa Claus.

He just can’t seem to do anything right these days. In Berlin, he
stands accused of National Socialist sympathies, after shoppers
detected a stiff-armed salute in some miniature wooden statues
on sale. Meanwhile he is lambasted by health campaigners for his
long-standing advertising contract with Coca-Cola.

He has also become a victim of the rampant anti-American sentiment
of our times. Santa is resented for being a brash US upstart who
has eclipsed traditional distributors of seasonal largesse such as
Father Christmas (Britain), Noel Baba (Turkey), Julenissen (Norway),
Viejo Pascuero (Chile), Deda Mraz (Bosnia), Gaghant Baba (Armenia)
and San Nicklaw (Malta).

Now we learn that Czech advertisers have had enough of him too. The
Creative Copywriters’ Club argues that in their country baby Jesus, or
"Jezisek", has always had the job of delivering the gifts. In their
view, Santa should take a flying sleigh ride back to where he came
from. An anti-red-velvet revolution is in the air.

It all seems terribly vindictive to us. What absurdities will this
Santa-bashing result in next? An Asbo to prevent him going anywhere
near a chimney? A campaign to close down elvish sweatshops? A visit
from the RSPCA to Lapland to investigate allegations of reindeer abuse?

It’s a good job Santa’s such a jovial soul. If so much vitriol had
been heaped on a lesser man, we suspect that everyone would be getting
a lump of coal in their stocking this year. And it would serve them
right, too, for being naughty, not nice.
From: Baghdasarian

U.S. DIPLOMAT URGES RUSSIA TO WITHDRAW TROOPS FROM GEORGIA, MOLDOVA

The Associated Press
International Herald Tribune, France
Dec 4 2006

BRUSSELS, Belgium: A senior U.S. diplomat on Monday called on Russia
to continue the withdrawal of its troops from Georgian and Moldovan
territories, warning that the two ex-Soviet states will remain unstable
as long as support for separatist regimes continues from outside.

Nicholas Burns, U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs,
told a meeting of foreign ministers from the 56-nation Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe that maintaining forces
in another country against its will goes against the spirit of a
21st-century Europe.

"The very principles that are the bedrock of our shared values are
increasingly being brought into question by some countries," Burns
said. "We must give Georgia and Moldova our full support."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed the ideas as
simplistic, saying that the OSCE must not make one-sided efforts to
force through what he called "politicized solutions" to long-lasting
disputes in ex-Soviet republics.

"These attempts … have very little to do with efforts on the ground
to achieve settlements. Such action leads to exacerbation of tensions
and mistrust, and sets back the clock on any possible solution,"
Lavrov told the conference.

Lavrov called for a reform of the OSCE’s election monitoring, which
he said must guarantee "equal treatment" to all countries observed –
an apparent reference to the organization’s persistent criticism of
election standards in former Soviet republics.

Europe’s "frozen" conflicts are on the agenda at the two-day meeting
of the OSCE. The ministers will also assess Kazakhstan’s candidacy
for 2009 chairmanship of the trans-Atlantic political group, backed
by Russia and some other European states but opposed by the United
States and Britain over human rights concerns.

The meeting focuses on conflicts in the breakaway Georgian regions of
Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where Russian peacekeepers are accused
by Georgia of siding with the separatists; on the pro-Russian
separatist Trans-Dniester province of Moldova; and on the disputed
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan.

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oksanian said hopes are high for a
solution of the years long conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh after last
week’s meeting of presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"No one wants a lasting solution more than we in Armenia. The last
meeting of presidents gives hope that agreement is possible even
on the most problematic issues on which we don’t see eye to eye,"
he told the conference.

Belgian Foreign Minister Karel De Gucht, whose country holds the
Vienna, Austria-based OSCE’s rotating presidency this year, also said
a possible solution was emerging.

Armenia and Azerbaijan are discussing terms of holding a referendum
on the status of the mountainous region in Azerbaijan that has been
under control of Armenian and ethnic Armenian Karabakh forces since
the 1994 end of a separatist war.

Years of negotiation have produced little visible sign of progress in
resolving the dispute, which prompted Azerbaijan to close its borders
with Armenia.

The OSCE, a leading international security organization founded in
1973, is concerned particularly with conflict prevention, election
observing, crisis management and rehabilitation of post-conflict areas.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN PREMIER EXPRESSES CONCERNS OVER VIOLENCE AGAINST ARMENIANS TO RUSSIAN COUNTERPART

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Dec 4 2006

YEREVAN, December 4. /ARKA/. At his meeting with Russian Prime Minister
Mikhail Fradkov, RA Premier Andranik Margaryan expressed his concern
over the more frequent cases of violence against Armenia in Russia.

Although the violence is not specifically against Armenians, its
ethnic nature cannot be ignored, Margaryan said.

Premier Margaryan thanked his Russian counterpart for a constructive
dialogue and expressed the confidence in the necessity of such
meetings, as they allow the sides to throiroughly discuss the existing
problems and mechanisms of solution.
From: Baghdasarian

Today, Azerbaijan
Dec 1 2006

Nizami Bahmanov: "If Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents meet, there
are improvements in the talks"

01 December 2006 [10:44] – Today.Az

"If Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents meet, there are improvements
in the talks," Nizami Bahmanov, the head of the Azerbaijani community
in Nagorno Karabakh, stated.

He said that to hold talks within Prague process is a positive
tendency. Nizami Bahmanov also took a stance on the visit of the head
of Nagorno Karabakh separatists Arkadi Gukasyan to the US.

"Only Armenians can greet Gukasyan warmly in the US. The US officials
do not recognize Gukasyan and his separatist regime. His meeting with
the US co-chair Matthew Bryza has not been confirmed. But Matthew
Bryza can meet with Gukasyan as the head of Armenian community. The
co-chair meets with me, too. There is nothing unusual in this. It is
absurd that Matthew Bryza did not visit the region because of his
meeting with Gukasyan," he said.

Nizami Bahmanov said that he will visit foreign countries as the head
of Azerbaijani community of Nagorno Karabakh, APA reports.

URL:
From: Baghdasarian