Author: Hunanian Jack

TURKISH COURT ORDERS CANCELLATION OF ACADEMIC CONFERENCE ON ARMENIAN MASSACRE
By Benjamin Harvey
The Associated Press
09/22/05 13:45 EDT
ISTANBUL, Turkey (AP) – An Istanbul court on Thursday ordered the
cancellation of an academic conference on the massacre of Armenians
during the Ottoman Empire, casting greater doubt on whether Turkey
is prepared to accept open discussion of controversial subjects.
The conference was originally scheduled for May but was postponed
after Justice Minister Cemil Cicek severely criticized it, saying it
went against government efforts to counter an Armenian campaign to
have the killings recognized as genocide.
The case to close the conference was brought by the Turkish Lawyers
Union and other lawyers.
The conference was scheduled to deal with one of the most sensitive
issues in Turkish politics – the killings of Armenians during
the collapse of the Ottoman Empire around the time of World War I,
which an increasing number of governments have officially recognized
as genocide.
Turkey says the killings took place during civil unrest and backing
the genocide claim in Turkey can be a cause for prosecution.
There was no immediate word from court officials on why the conference
was canceled.
The Anatolia news agency reported that the court said the hosts could
appeal, but demanded a number of documents including the academic
backgrounds of the participants, proof that invitees were of varying
viewpoints and documents listing the financial backers of the speakers.
Turkey came under international scrutiny after the original conference
was postponed, with some critics saying it showed Turkey would not
allow freedom of expression on sensitive subjects.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan immediately condemned the court’s
decision Thursday. Courts are independent in Turkey, however, and
the prime minister has little power to overturn their decisions.
Last month, Turkey opened a case against one of the country’s most
acclaimed contemporary writers, novelist Orhan Pamuk. Pamuk, who is
often mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in literature,
is scheduled to go before a Turkish court in December for the crime
of insulting the Turkish national identity. His offending comment was
made to a Swiss newspaper in regard to Turkey’s killings of Armenians
and Kurds.
European Union officials have said they will be watching the Pamuk
trial very closely, and some have suggested that Turkey’s refusal
to permit free expression could be a cause for halting EU membership
negotiations, which are to begin Oct. 3.

Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
The Jamestown Foundation
Sept 21 2005
RUSSIAN ELECTRICITY GIANT CLOSE TO COMPLETING ARMENIAN POWER GRID
PURCHASE
By Emil Danielyan
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Russia’s state-run power monopoly, Unified Energy Systems (UES), is
close to formalizing its effective purchase of Armenia’s electricity
grid, giving Moscow near total control over the Armenian energy
sector. The government in Yerevan indicated on September 15 that it
would green light a deal that has generated serious concern among
Armenia’s leading Western donors. The latter have for years opposed
Russian attempts to take over the Electricity Networks of Armenia
(ENA) but now appear to have come to terms with the change of
ownership.
UES has already been the de facto owner of ENA since announcing last
June a $73 million “management contract” with Midland Resources
Holding, a British-registered company that controversially privatized
ENA three years ago. UES initially claimed to have purchased the
Armenian utility, but later clarified that it paid the lump sum only
for the right to run ENA and use its profits. The Russians argued
that the deal therefore falls short of a formal acquisition, which
has to be approved by the Armenian authorities.
But it was obvious that Midland Resources now owns ENA only on paper.
The Armenian government remained suspiciously silent on the issue
until facing strong criticism from the World Bank and the U.S.
government’s Agency for International Development (USAID). The two
institutions, which have invested heavily in the decade-long reform
of the Armenian energy sector, warned that the lack of transparency
could force them to reconsider their further assistance to the
country.
Armenia’s Public Service Regulatory Commission, a supposedly
independent body, claimed to have investigated the legality of the
deal and found no evidence of wrongdoing. It argued in late August
that Midland did not have to seek government approval because it
remains the legal owner of ENA. However, the authorities apparently
concluded that having the Russians follow all legal rules and
formally buy the network would spare them greater trouble. The
calculation seems to have proved correct.
On September 8, Midland Resources submitted letters to the government
and the Regulatory Commission asking for permission to sell ENA
shares to an obscure UES subsidiary called Interenergo BV. The
Armenian cabinet granted the request in principle at a meeting on
September 15, which was chaired by President Robert Kocharian. A
government statement said the Energy Ministry was given three days to
clarify all details of the Russian takeover, notably “some issues
relating to obligations” of the new owner. The deal’s clearance now
seems a forgone conclusion.
Western donor agencies and governments are evidently resigned to this
development. The head of the World Bank office in Yerevan, Roger
Robinson, welcomed on September 13 the fact that the process is now
proceeding “in compliance with the law of Armenia.” “I am personally
pleased to see what I think are the rules now being followed,”
Robinson told journalists. “That’s what we asked everybody to do
anyway and that is exactly what has happened,” he added.
Yet the result of all this will be the tightening of Russia’s grip on
the Armenian energy sector. UES alone controls several big power
plants that account for 80% of Armenia’s electricity output. Armenian
Energy Minister Armen Movsisian publicly spoke out against the
Russian giant’s ownership of ENA last March, arguing that it would
run counter to a key goal of the energy sector reform: separation of
units generating, transmitting, and distributing electricity. The
structural change helped Armenia to end its crippling power shortages
of the 1990s and start exporting electricity to neighboring Georgia
and Iran.
But Robinson believes that there is nothing wrong with a single
company producing and distributing energy, saying that this is a
normal practice in Western countries like France. The important
thing, said the World Bank official, is not so much who owns the
power distribution networks as the existence of an independent state
regulator. “We have great confidence in the regulator here in
Armenia,” he said.
The Public Service Regulatory Commission (PSRC) was also praised by
USAID. “A transparent and robust decision-making process, managed by
a strong regulator, is key to protecting the interests of energy
consumers,” USAID said in a statement. “USAID is happy to continue
assistance to the PSRC and others to ensure the design and
implementation of such a process.”
However, the head of PSRC, Yerevan’s former presidentially appointed
mayor, Robert Nazarian, is known for anything but independence and
respect of law. In his capacity as Yerevan mayor, Nazarian had
personally sanctioned (usually at the orders of top Kocharian aides)
massive land allocations in the city center to businesses owned by
senior government officials and their cronies. Local investigative
journalists say the process contained enough material for writing a
textbook on government corruption in Armenia.
The Western donor agencies should be aware of this, but are clearly
unwilling or unable to stop UES expanding its presence in Armenia.
The Armenian and Russian governments may have well decided that
expansion. Observers note the fact that Movsisian voiced his
objections shortly before Russian President Vladimir Putin’s last
visit to Yerevan. Russian-Armenian cooperation on energy was
reportedly high on the agenda of Putin’s talks with Kocharian.
(Haykakan Zhamanak, September 16; Armenian government statement,
September 15; USAID statement, September 15; RFE/RL Armenia Report,
September 13)

RTE Interactive, Ireland
Sept 21 2005
X-Sender: Asbed Bedrossian
X-Listprocessor-Version: 8.1 — ListProcessor(tm) by CREN
Tehran’s ambassador to Ireland is arrested
21 September 2005 14:17
Tehran’s ambassador to Ireland has been arrested in Iran on charges
of financial mismanagement, according to Iranian judicial and foreign
ministry sources.
Judiciary Minister Jamal Karimirad told reporters on Monday an
Iranian envoy had been arrested and was in jail after failing to meet
bail.
Foreign Ministry sources today named the man as Hamid Reza Nikkar,
ambassador to Ireland. There was no indication of how Nikkar pleaded.
‘One of our ambassadors has been arrested for financial
mismanagement,’ Karimirad said on Monday. ‘Ten percent of a
16million deal has been mismanaged,’ he added.
It was unclear whether the charge, which one source said involved a
construction project, related to a crime committed in Iran or abroad.
Nikkar took up his posting in Dublin in June and foreign ministry
sources said the charges were likely to relate to an alleged offence
before his arrival in Ireland.
Press reports at the time of Nikkar’s appointment said he had served
as ambassador to Armenia and mayor of the central city of Isfahan
before taking up his Dublin post.
The Irish ambassador in Tehran declined to comment on the case.

Anatolian Times, Turkey
Sept 20 2005
Zurich Prosecutor Started Investigation Against Perincek
LAUSANNE – Labor Party (IP) leader Dogu Perincek gave evidence today
(Tuesday) to Lausanne Prosecutor regarding his statements about the
so-called Armenian genocide.
Perincek spoke to A.A. correspondent after his testimony in the
prosecutor’s office.
During interrogation, Perincek said the concept of genocide covered
under Swiss laws was irrelevant with the Turkish-Armenian problem.
Perincek said, ”I have told the prosecutor that such kind of
interrogations harmed friendship between Turkey and Switzerland,
which is a country of peace. I said allegations of so-called Armenian
genocide were unjust, and that this led to the humiliation of Turkish
nation in the international community. Those allegations also
contributed to the formation of a racist public opinion against
Turks.”
Perincek said the prosecutor stepped back during the interrogation
and said, ”we don’t have the authority to judge Turkish history. We
will not decide here whether Turks committed genocide. What we
examine is whether Perincek committed racism, discrimination and/or
humiliated peoples in his statements.”
-FOUR INVESTIGATIONS-
Meanwhile, Zurich Prosecutor’s Office started an investigation
following the press conference of Perincek in Zurich yesterday
(Monday).
At the conference, Perincek called on Swiss authorities to make a
serious investigation about the Armenian issue. He said it was unjust
to affirm that a nation ”committed genocide” without thoroughly
examining the events that had happened 90 years ago.
It was reported that investigations started by prosecutors of
Winterthur, Lausanne, Bern and Zurich would be combined in a single
file.
In July, Perincek was interrogated as he said that the so-called
Armenian genocide had never been happened. Lausanne Prosecutor called
on Perincek to come to his office on September 20th, to interrogate
him for a second time.
Perincek earlier had been detained in Winterthur city of Switzerland
as he said, ”Armenian genocide is nothing but an international lie”
at a news conference, but he was released after being interrogated.
A legal procedure was also opened in Switzerland against Prof. Dr.
Yusuf Halacoglu, the Chairman of the Turkish Historical Society,
because of his statement refuting the so-called Armenian genocide
allegations.

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Sept 20 2005
RUSSIA IS EAGER TO RETAIN ITS INFLUENCE IN THE UNRECOGNIZED STATES
Russia is eager to retain its influence in the unrecognized states,
i.e. Abkhazia, the South Ossetia, Pridnestrovie and Nagorno Karabakh.
And yet, Russia wants all the unrecognized states to pursue one
political course. Today Armenian Democratic Party leader, RA National
Assembly deputy Aram Sargsyan made the statement in the course of the
press conference in Yerevan. To remind, he took part in the Moscow
conference titled `Parallel CIS. Abkhazia, Pridnestrovie, the South
Ossetia and Nagorno Karabakh as the realities of the post – Soviet
territory’.
He noted the Karabakh party’s stand differed from that of the South
Ossetia, Abkhazia and Pridnestrovie. `If representatives of
Pridnestrovie and the South Ossetia literally requested to become
members of Russia, and Abkhazia stated it wished to become an
associative member of Russia, if not affiliate with it, Nagorno
Karabakh has never made such statements, as it strives for
independence from Azerbaijan. If the matter will concern affiliation,
Nagorno Karabakh can affiliate only with Armenia, its historic
Motherland’, stated Aram Sargsyan.
The Armenian parliamentarian stressed the Karabakh issue could not be
settled without Nagorno Karabakh’s participation. He added all the
talks on the possibility of the conflict settlement in the near
future were aimed at the society’s disorientation.

YEREVAN PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE INTENDS TO EVICT PEOPLE ON THE EXAMPLE OF DALMA GARDENS
ArmInfo News, Armenia
Sept 19 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19. ARMINFO. “Yerevan Prosecutor’s Office intends
to evict 1,200 families settled in the area of 40 ha near the Yerevan
Zoo in 1960,” a lawyer of the public organization of the Armenian
Human Rights Center after A.Sakharov Mary Khachatryan told ARMINFO.
The people call the given populated area Nork Berdadzor and
Kakavadzor. However, this are has no legal status. Yerevan Municipality
has rejected all the applications of the residents for privatization or
legalization of the buildings erected there in the period of 1995-2003,
“to avoid problems in case of future purpose-oriented construction.”At
the same time, the Municipality calls this are “the territory of
gardeners of Nor Nork,” it is not a juridical organization, Mary
Khachatryan says.
The territory is not the property of the CJSC “Armles”(“Armforest”)
of the Agricultural Ministry. Neither it has been included in the
register. Nevertheless, “Armles” Director Martun Matevosyan addressed
a letter to the lawyer Mary Khachatryan wherein he informed that
the territory was recognized the property of “Armless”. However,
he failed to present any document confirming the property.
It should be noted that the divisions of the State Realty Register
were to register the buildings at least on August 22. However, it was
impossible for lack of the legal status of there buildings. “Yerevan
Prosecutor’s Office also applied to the Avan Community First Instance
Court against the illegal builfdings in Berdadzor and Kakavadzor.
However, the third party, CJSC “Armless,” is not summoned,” Khahcatryan
says.

US HOUSE TAKES REVENGE OF MARCH 1 MOTION BY THE ARMENIAN DRAFT
By Ali H. Aslan
Zaman, Turkey
Sept 16 2005
zaman.com
The US House of Representatives International Relations Committee
endorsed two resolutions recognizing the so-called Armenian genocide.
The committee passed draft 195 with 35 – 11 vote; draft 316 was voted
40 – 7.
Many US representatives taking floor during the draft negotiations
mentioned Turkey’s refusal of the March 1 motion to allow US troops
to open a northern front before the Iraqi war.
Genocide allegations brought to the agenda of the general council
is under the initiative of the House Chair of the Republican Party,
Dennis Hastert.
If Hastert makes his preference on the direction, the drafts will
definitely be adopted in the US Congress; however, Turkish and the
US administrations are like-minded that the adoption of such a draft
will harm relations.
US State Department deputy official responsible for the judicial
issues Matt Reynolds sending a letter to the Committee Chair, Henry
Hyde, announced they stand firm against such a draft.
Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff submitted the draft entitled,
“Commemoration Decision of the Armenian Genocide between 1915 and 1923”
to the House of Representatives.
Republican Rep. George Radanovich prepared the second draft calling
the US presidents to include the so-called Armenian genocide in
foreign policy.
When a similar draft came to the issue, the committee’s senior
co-chair, Tom Lantos, of the Democrat Party prevailing by his
pro-Turkey attitude five years ago said “yes” for both drafts based
on the refusal of the March 1 motion.
Lantos claimed more US soldiers were lost in Iraq today because the
March 1 motion was not approved in the Turkish Parliament.
Turkey did not consider US interests and did not help US over the
Syrian issue, and did not allow opening the northern front for
the Iraqi war. I support both Armenian drafts under the context,
Lantos added.
Committee Chair Hyde mentioned the dispute between Turkey and US
before the Iraqi war and its bill for the US.
Hyde also voted for the Armenian draft.
Another issue frequently carried to the agenda against Turkey during
the sessions was the trial of renowned Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk.
Participants of the Committee, who approved the drafts, often
referenced the Jewish genocide, the Holocaust, and drew attention to
Germany’s responsibilities over the event.
Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler, who is of the Jewish origin, made one
of the strongest attempts to support Turkey.
Wexler managed to include a statement sent by the Turkish Ambassador
in Washington, Faruk Logoglu, to the records.
Beside the Armenian groups, some ethnic Greek organizations, such as
the American Helen Institute (AHI), called to support the drafts sent
to the Congress leaders.
American-Turkish Council (ATC) Chairman Brent Scowcroft also sending
a letter to the House Chair, Hastert, warned the drafts coming to
the issue will cause a great harm on Turkish-American relations.

DISASTER BRINGS OUT BEST IN COMMUNITIES
Burbank Leader, CA
Sept 17 2005
It is difficult to find a silver lining to a tragedy such as Hurricane
Katrina, which left so much destruction in its wake.
But as Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama rebuild after the devastating
hurricane, which hit land on Aug. 29, there are signs of that silver
lining, which stretches from ground zero all the way to Glendale,
Burbank and the foothills and back again.
advertisement
It’s called compassion. And over the last couple of weeks it has been
nothing short of astounding to witness it in action. The community,
from its children to public safety officials, is working in any way
they can to help raise money and supplies to help the victims of what
has been called one of this country’s most destructive storms.
Children have raised hundreds of dollars in lemonade sales. Police
and firefighters have stood on street corners collecting money.
Others have volunteered to go directly into the destruction. Local
Armenians have felt a special motivation to raise money, given the
aid Americans sent to Armenia in the wake of the 1988 earthquake.
Golfers have raise money teeing off at local courses and local
teamsters have donated money to cover the expense of getting donated
goods to the Gulf States.
The list goes on and on, even as private planes land at Bob Hope
Airport bringing hurricane refugees to Los Angeles to get a new start.
We saw similar efforts in the days after Sept. 11, 2001.
The hurricane and its aftermath have indeed been tragic at a time
when tragedy of all sorts seems hopelessly splashed on headlines from
Iraq to Glendale. And perhaps it is selfish to tout this community’s
selflessness at such a time. After all, in many ways, such tragedy
brings out the worst in people as well.
But when mobilizing to help occurs on such a scale, we’re reminded
that people still have hope that things will get better. People still
want to see suffering lessened, even in a world, where vengeance,
war and injustice seem to reign.
We can argue over the amount of attention our leaders should have
given to bolstering the infrastructure of the Gulf Coast. And, if
we choose, we can debate the extent to which people did or did not
have a chance to get out of that zone. Many have taken that road,
and there are no doubt important lessons to be learned from how
authorities responded to the hurricane.
But there’s no debate about the humanity that has been shown from
this community.

PRESS RELEASE
Haigazian University
Mira Yardemian
Public Relation Director
Rue Mexique-Kantari
P.O.Box. 11-1748
Riad El Solh 1107-2090
Beirut Lebanon
Haigazian University’s 50th Anniversary Multidisciplinary Conference on
`the Armenians of Lebanon: Their Past and Present’
Two months after the festive celebratory events of June 2005 marking the
50th anniversary of Haigazian University, the break was reactivated with an
academic, multidisciplinary conference, where 16 scholars from more than 10
countries gathered in the auditorium of Haigazian University to engage in a
day program of discussions and deliberations.
This long planned conference, held under the auspices of the Minister of
Culture, Dr. Tarek Mitri, unfolded on Monday, the 12th of September, 2005
with a lecture delivered by Dr. Aida Boudjikanian from Montreal, Canada.
The capacity audience included the representative of the Minister of
Culture Dr. Fawzi Atweh, the US Deputy Ambassador to Lebanon Christopher
Murray, the US Public Affairs Officer Juliet Wurr, Minister Jean
Oghassabian, Members of Parliament Hagop Pakradouni and Yeghia Jerejian,
and the representative of the Mayor of Beirut.
In his word of welcome, President Haidostian noted that `despite the
undisputedly important role that the Armenian community plays both within
Lebanon and the rest of the Diaspora, its history, culture, and other
aspects of its community life have not been studied adequately to date
according to internationally accepted scientific standards’. As to
Haigazian’s role in the Lebanese Academic life, Haidostian considered, `it
is our conviction that the role Haigazian University can play in research,
critical study, and free exchange of ideas is a fresh contribution to
Lebanese academic life in general and a valuable asset for the Armenians in
Lebanon and abroad.’
The inaugural speech of Dr. Boudjikanian was entitled `The Armenians and
Lebanon: Changing Perceptions and Functions (14th-20th cc.)’ Among the
different perceptions of the Armenians, Lebanon represents an open and
diversified culture, summarized in Pope John Paul II’s statement `Lebanon
is more than a country; it is a living message to the world’. In addition,
Beirut is the land of refuge after the genocide of 1914, and moreover it’s
the capital of the Armenian Diaspora during the years between 1955 and 1975′.
During the next 3 days of the conference, the 16 experts coming from
Canada, the USA, France, Argentina, Egypt, Syria, Armenia, Germany, Italy
and Lebanon thoroughly covered numerous facets of the Armenian life and
history in Lebanon. Topics varied from the political history of the
community within both the Lebanese and pan-Armenian contexts, social and
economic history, aspects of the influx and exodus of Armenians to and from
Lebanon, identity, literature, music to the Armenian cause.
Dr. Claude Mutafian, from Université de Paris I-Panthéon-Sorbonne, lectured
on the Armenian Princesses at the Head of Crusader States (13th-14th cc.).
Dr. Hilmar Kaiser, from Solingen, Germany tackled the issue of the
Armenians and Lebanon during the Genocide of the First World War.
Dr. Vahé Tachjian, from the Centre D’histoire Arménienne Contemporaine,
Bibliothèque Nubar, Paris, talked about the Project and Realization of the
Final Settlement of Armenian Refugees in Lebanon (end of 1920s-1930s).
Dr. Ara Sanjian, of Haigazian University, Beirut covered the topic of
Formulating Strategies of Irredentism at the Crossroads of Nationalism,
Communism and Diverging Interpretations of the Soviet Experience: The
Armenian-Language Press of Beirut on the Quest for the `Internal Lands’ in
Soviet Transcaucasia, 1954-1985.
Dr. Shoghig Ashekian, of Yerevan State University, discussed the issue
of the Armenian Community of Lebanon and the Armenian Cause, 1965-1975.
Dr. Aida Boudjikanian, from Montreal, Canada talked about Self-Employment
amongst the Armenians of Lebanon: From a Community Tradition to a Concept
of Diaspora Theories.
Dr. Ohannes Geukjian, of Haigazian University and the Lebanese American
University covered the topic of the Policy of Positive Neutrality of the
Armenian Political Parties in Lebanon during the Civil War of 1975-1990s
Dr. Khatchik Der Ghoukassian, of Universidad de San Andrés, Buenos Aires
discussed,Lebanon in My Mind: The Civil War and the Centrality of the
Lebanese Armenian Community in the Making of Armenian Diaspora Nationalism.
Mr. Roupen Avsharian, of the American Military University presented an
exhaustive study of the Ta’ef Accord and the Armenians of Lebanon.
Mr. Armen Urneshlian, of Haigazian University talked about the Arab
Characters in Lebanese-Armenian Literature.
Dr. Nora Salmanian, from Beirut, Lebanon, covered the topic of the
Contribution of Armenians in the Musical Life of Lebanon from 1920 to the
Present.
Mrs. Roubina Artinian of Haigazian University, discussed the Armenian
Choirs in Lebanon, 1930-1980: A Bridge between the Past and the Present.
Dr. Verjine Svazlian, of the National Academy of Sciences, Armenia, tackled
the issue of the Social-Cultural Diachronic and Synchronic Development of
Lebanese-Armenian Repatriates in the Motherland.
Mr. Asbed Kotchikian, of Hobart and William Smith Colleges discussed the
issue of Between (Home)land and (Host)land: Lebanese-Armenians and the
Republic of Armenia.
Mrs. Araxy Deronian-Khatcherian, of the Library of Congress, Cairo Office,
covered the Armenians of Lebanon, the Middle East and North Africa in the
Library of Congress.
Dr. Nicola Migliorino, of the University of Exeter, England talked about
the Lebanese System and Armenian Cultural Diversity between Yesterday,
Today, and Tomorrow: Opportunities and Limits.The conference ended with
discussion and recommendations.
Parallel to the conference, public lectures were held during three
consecutive evenings, on related topics, by Dr. Vahe Tashjian. Dr. Khatchig
Der Ghoukassian and Dr. Nicola Migliorino.
In conclusion, by organizing this groundbreaking, multidisciplinary
academic conference, the Department of Armenian Studies has contributed its
share to the 50th anniversary celebrations of Haigazian University. The
organizing committee hopes that the papers submitted to this conference
will become an important first step in raising awareness and future
interest in studying the different facets of the Armenians in Lebanon. It
is planned that the conference will lead to the eventual publication of a
respectable volume of collected studies on the subject.

Breakaway regions Moscow forum “out of politics”, Russian envoy tells Azeris
Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
15 Sep 05

Excerpt from report by Azerbaijani private TV station ATV on 15
September
[Presenter] Representatives of separatist regimes in the CIS have come
together in Moscow. Russia, which hosts the separatists, is accusing
Azerbaijan of supporting the Chechen mojahedin in order to justify its
step.
[Correspondent over video of the Kremlin] Russia is unsure that there
are no forces in Azerbaijan which sponsor meetings held by
representatives of the unrecognized Chechen republic of Ichkeria.
This is how the Russian charge d’affaires in Azerbaijan, Petr
Burdykin, has sought to justify the Moscow conference of separatists
from Abkhazia, South Ossetia, the Dniester region and Nagornyy
Karabakh.
[Burdykin speaking in Russian with Azeri voice-over] Who can say that
the Chechens do not hold their meetings here? Are you sure about this?
[Correspondent] Even though Burdykin stressed that Russia did not
officially support the conference, he advised us not to look for ill
intentions behind the separatists’ meeting in Moscow.
[Burdykin] The conference was held to inform politicians and
journalists of the regional situation. The Russian government has not
attached close attention to the conference. In general, the conference
has nothing to do with politics. People gathered there to learn
something but you have turned this into a smear campaign.
[Passage omitted: correspondent says a group of Russian MPs have
organized the conference]
[Correspondent] Bahruz Maharramov, Samil Qasimov, “Son Xabar”.