Author: Karagyozian Lena

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway

The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief

========================================== ======
Thursday 27 March 2008
NAGORNO-KARABAKH: JAILED RELIGIOUS CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR MUST UNDERGO
"RE-EDUCATION"

Jehovah’s Witness Areg Hovhanesyan, who has served more than three years
of a four-year jail sentence for refusing compulsory military service on
religious grounds, must remain in jail and undergo "re-education", Forum 18
News Service has learnt. The internationally unrecognised entity of
Nagorno-Karabakh’s has rejected his appeal for early release, a Supreme
Court official told Forum 18. Albert Voskanyan of the Centre for Civilian
Initiatives – who attended the court hearing – told Forum 18 that the court
had ordered the prison leadership to "re-educate the prisoner". Ashot
Sargsyan, head of the Department for National Minorities and Religions,
defended the jail sentence. "He’s not dangerous, but how can he be a
well-behaved person if he breaks the law by refusing to do military
service?" A previous conscientious objector, who did military service
without bearing weapons, was a Baptist, Gagik Mirzoyan. He refused to swear
the military oath or bear arms, for which he was beaten up and imprisoned,
but was eventually released from military service in January.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH: JAILED RELIGIOUS CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTOR MUST UNDERGO
"RE-EDUCATION"

By Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service <;

Jehovah’s Witness Areg Hovhanesyan, who has already served more than three
years of a four-year sentence for refusing compulsory military service on
grounds of religious conscience, must remain in prison and undergo
"re-education", Forum 18 News Service has learnt. The Supreme Court of the
internationally unrecognised Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in the South
Caucasus rejected his appeal for early release on 24 March, a court
official told Forum 18 from the capital Stepanakert on 27 March. Yet the
official – who would not give his name – refused to say why the court
rejected Hovhanesyan’s appeal. "I don’t have the right to give you this
information."

However, Albert Voskanyan of the Stepanakert-based Centre for Civilian
Initiatives – who attended the court on 21 March when the case was heard –
told Forum 18 that the court had ordered the prison leadership to
"re-educate the prisoner".

"I believe the rejection of the appeal is not right, as Areg’s conduct in
prison has been excellent and he has not violated any regulations,"
Voskanyan told Forum 18. "The court should have taken this into account,
not his religious affiliation which makes it impossible for him to serve in
the army." He said he had long been pressing for conscientious objectors
like Hovhanesyan to be given the possibility of an alternative civilian
service.

But Ashot Sargsyan, the head of the government’s Department for National
Minorities and Religions, defended Hovhanesyan’s continued imprisonment.
"He’s not dangerous, but how can he be a well-behaved person if he breaks
the law by refusing to do military service?" he told Forum 18 from
Stepanakert on 27 March. "Let him go to Azerbaijan then and do alternative
service there."

Hovhanesyan was imprisoned in February 2005 for violating Article 327 Part
3 of the Nagorno-Karabakh Criminal Code, which punishes evasion of military
service "in conditions of martial law, in war conditions or during military
actions" with a sentence of between four and eight years. (Nagorno-Karabakh
has adopted the criminal code introduced in Armenia in 2003.) He has been
held in the prison in the hilltop town of Shusha near Stepanakert (see
F18News 9 November 2006
< =866>).

Lyova Markaryan of the Jehovah’s Witnesses in Armenia – who retain close
ties to their fellow-believers in Nagorno-Karabakh – said that Hovhanesyan
had lodged his appeal for early release at the beginning of this year.
"Areg was hoping that he might be freed early after serving more than
two-thirds of his sentence," Markaryan told Forum 18 from the Armenian
capital Yerevan on 27 March. "But it is clear neither the authorities in
Stepanakert nor in Yerevan are prepared to give him early release."

Both Markaryan of the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Voskanyan of the Centre for
Civilian Initiatives maintain that Hovhanesyan’s conduct in the prison has
been exemplary. "Prison director Artur Abramyan praises Areg for his
behaviour and has given him a position of responsibility in the canteen,"
Markaryan told Forum 18. Voskanyan frequently visited Hovhanesyan and other
inmates in Shusha prison until his group were banned from monitoring prison
conditions.

Despite repeated calls on 27 March, Forum 18 was unable to reach Shusha
prison director Abramyan.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s Constitution – adopted by referendum in December 2006 –
required all citizens to take part in defence and made no provision for an
alternative non-military service (see F18News 9 November 2006
< e_id=866>).

Sargsyan of the Department for National Minorities and Religions defended
the lack of an alternative to compulsory military service. He cited the
long-running unresolved conflict with Azerbaijan, which insists that
Nagorno-Karabakh is an integral part of its territory. "The international
community is to blame that we don’t have such a law on alternative
service," he insisted. "If one was adopted, what would we do if 10,000
young men refused to serve in our armed forces? That’s why we’re not in a
hurry to adopt this law."

Sargsyan stressed that he was speaking to Forum 18 in an individual
capacity, not in the name of the government. "I’ve been in this job for
four months, but my post has not been confirmed," he explained. "Only when
the 1997 Religion Law is amended to include the role of this office can my
responsibilities be confirmed."

Despite repeated calls on 27 March, Forum 18 was unable to reach Ashot
Gulyan, speaker of Nagorno-Karabakh’s parliament. He had told Forum 18 in
2006 that a Law on Alternative Service would not be adopted until the
conflict over the territory had been resolved (see F18News 9 November 2006
< e_id=866>).

A previous victim of Nagorno-Karabakh’s policy of insisting that all
conscripts must swear an oath of allegiance before they begin their
military service was Gagik Mirzoyan, a member of a local Council of
Churches Baptist congregation. He also refused to bear arms. After being
forcibly taken to a military unit in December 2004 and beaten, he was then
imprisoned for refusing military service. He was freed in September 2006
and transferred to a military unit, where he was able to serve without
swearing the oath and without bearing arms (see F18News 9 November 2006
< e_id=866>).

Mirzoyan’s military service should have ended on 29 December 2007, but he
was released only on 4 January. "Gagik was summoned again on 3 January and
told that if he refused to swear the oath they would not let him home,"
local Baptists told Forum 18 back in January. "He told them he had not
changed his view and would continue to refuse to swear the oath, whatever
consequences that would bring. Seeing his firmness on this issue they
handed him his military card and allowed him to go home." On his military
record card, which Mirzoyan has, the section headed "Oath" was crossed out.

Unlike in earlier years, neither the Jehovah’s Witnesses nor the Council
of Churches Baptists – who refuse to apply for state registration in any
former Soviet state – report any current harassment of their religious
activity.

Sargsyan of the Department for National Minorities and Religions told
Forum 18 that until the Religion Law is changed, no religious communities
apart from the dominant Armenian Apostolic Church will be able to get legal
status.

"We have emergency military rule at the moment because of the unresolved
conflict so all religious communities should be registered," he insisted.
"But the current law does not have provision for that. The Armenian
Apostolic Church’s status is recognised in our Constitution, but no other
religious communities have legal status. This must be changed." He told
Forum 18 the status of his department needed to be enshrined in the law and
a mechanism for registering religious organisations enacted. (END)

Further coverage of freedom of thought, conscience and belief in
Nagorno-Karabakh is at
< mp;religion=all&country=22>

A printer-friendly map of the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh is
available at
< s/atlas/index.html?Parent=asia&Rootmap=azerba& gt;
within the map titled ‘Azerbaijan’.
(END)

© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855
You may reproduce or quote this article provided that credit is given to
F18News

Past and current Forum 18 information can be found at

JEWISH ORGANZATIONS OF SAN FRANSISCO SUPPORT ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION
Jean Eckian

KarabakhOpen
26-03-2008 15:14:11

The Jewish Community Relations Council of San Francisco, the Peninsula,
Marin, Sonoma, and Alameda Counties (JCRC) has re-iterated its previous
support for official recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

The organization overwhelmingly approved a policy statement re-issuing
a 1989 letterto Armenian community leader Bishop Aris Shirvanian,
expressing support for the Armenian Genocide resolution pending in
the U.S. Senate at that time. Senate Joint Resolution 212 sought
to designate April 24th as a national day of remembrance of the
Armenian Genocide.

Â" The JCRC’s policy statement is welcome and encouraging, especially
at this time of intensified denial of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey
and the U.S. administration’s willingness to support Turkey’s dangerous
policy of denial, Â" said Bay Area ANC Chairperson, Roxanne Makasdjian.

Â" The JCRC’s position reflects the broad majority of opinions
we’ve encountered by members of Jewish-American organizations, and
we hope this action will act as a moral beacon for Jewish American
organizations in Washington, DC Â", she conclued.

The JCRC represents more than 80 Jewish organizations across the Bay
Area of San Fransisco.

–Boundary_(ID_kSh2gjYyaNm6D3f8dZZYQA) —

CONSTRUCTION AND REPAIR EXPO 2008 TO OPEN IN YEREVAN IN APRIL

ARKA
March 24, 2008

YEREVAN, March 24. /ARKA/. The fifth international exhibition
"Construction and Repair EXPO 2008" will be held in Yerevan, April
11-14, 2008. LOGOS EXPO Center which organizes the event told ARKA
that the exhibition is targeted at the investors and professionals
of the construction and repair spheres.

The company believes that business-meetings and roundtable discussions
will provide real opportunities for increased foreign investments in
Armenia and will help local building companies seeking international
partners and market expansion.

The organizers say that the EXPO helps local companies study the
experience and achievements of other countries, present their
products and create pre-conditions for larger foreign investments
in the country, international cooperation and integration into the
world market.

This year EXPO will focus on building technologies, ceramics
and stones, wall and ceiling decorations, roofs and isolation
technologies, heating and conditioning systems, varnishes and paints,
windows and doors, carpets and floor covers, interior and exterior
design, stained-glass windows, furniture and accessories, design,
swimming-pools and bathroom equipment.

The exhibition will cover a territory of 900 square metres presenting
85 leading investment, construction and design companies.

The exhibition has been organized by LOGOS EXPO Center with
the official assistance of the Trade and Economic Development
Ministry, Foreign Ministry, Urban Development Ministry, the Union of
Manufacturers and Businessmen of Armenia, the Union of Builders of
Armenia, the Union of Architects of Armenia, as well as the Yerevan
Municipality and the Armenian Development Agency.

LOGOS EXPO Center, the first Armenian exposition company, was founded
in 1999. It is the Armenian leader in organizing industrial tradeshows,
national and international exhibitions and congresses in Armenia
and abroad.

LOGOS EXPO has organized over 55 specialized and international
exhibitions on various branches of economy so far.

The LOGOS EXPO Company annually holds 10-12 specialized exhibitions
reflecting the dynamic development of the national economy. Over 1,000
local and foreign organizations have participated in the exhibitions
so far with the number of visitors reaching 40,000.

NEWS.com.au, Australia
March 24 2008

Stolen Generations listed as genocide

By Rosemary Sorensen and Ashleigh Wilson
March 24, 2008 03:20am

THE forced removal of children from Aboriginal families has been
included in an international compilation of genocide events, reviving
the controversy about the use of the term to describe the Stolen
Generations.

Paul Bartrop, who co-authored The Dictionary of Genocide with US
scholar Samuel Totten, has rejected the use of the word genocide to
describe Australian colonial history in general but says the use of
the term can be "sustained relatively easily" when describing the
Stolen Generations.

Dr Bartrop, who wrote the entry titled "Australia, Genocide in:",
said he used the 1948 UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment
of the Crime of Genocide, as cited by Ronald Wilson in his 1997
Bringing Them Home report, as the benchmark for the use of the term
genocide.

"It’s a very misunderstood word," Dr Bartrop said, "as it’s more than
just killing. If you use it as a slogan word, it may lose its power."

The entry contradicts a growing consensus among Australian academics
that Sir Ronald was wrong to describe the forced removals as
genocide.

Earlier this month, La Trobe University professor Robert Manne said
it was now "generally acknowledged" that the authors of the Bringing
Them Home report were wrong to argue that Australian authorities had
committed genocide by removing indigenous children from their
families.

Writing in the March edition of The Monthly, Professor Manne says
"assimilation has never been regarded in law as equivalent to
genocide".

"There is almost no one who would now support the way Bringing Them
Home arrived at the conclusion that Aboriginal child removal policies
involved the crime of genocide," Professor Manne writes.

Dr Bartrop said that while genocide was "absolutely" the correct word
in the case of the 20th-century Stolen Generations, it gets "tricky"
to prove that in the 19th century there was an "intent to destroy".

"The word is often abused," he said.

"We’ve seen the Dalai Lama refer to cultural genocide but that is a
misuse of the term."

His claims were criticised by conservative historian Keith
Windschuttle, who said that Dr Bartrop should not rely on the
Bringing Them Home report to describe the Stolen Generations as
genocide.

"It’s astonishing," Mr Windschuttle said yesterday.

"If it’s this easy (to describe the Stolen Generations as genocide),
then why has the commonwealth Government not used the word? The
reason is that the charge can’t be sustained."

Historian Inga Clendinnen was reluctant to comment without further
detail about Dr Bartrop’s claims, but said the term genocide rested
on the "question of intentionality".

"There’s not much doubt, with great murderous performances that were
typically called genocide, that they were deliberate and
intentional," she said. "Beyond that, it always gets very murky."

The dictionary, published in the US, sets out to "explain the history
and suffering of ethnic groups experiencing genocide throughout the
world".

It provides students and scholars with information about "people,
places, governments, agencies, documents, legal terms and all other
aspects of genocide".

Entries in the two-volume publication include Afghanistan Genocide,
Armenian Genocide, Mao Zedong, Hutu Power and Kim Il-sung.

Dr Bartrop’s entry states that the charge of genocide was "vehemently
rejected by many who had previously viewed genocide only from the
perspective of killing.

Others agreed that removals had taken place, but that the report was
unfair in labelling the policy as genocide in view of the fact that
those carrying it out were acting from good intentions".

"When we look at the Stolen Children, it’s unequivocal," said Dr
Bartrop, head of the History Department at Bialik College in
Melbourne.

"But there seems to be a strong view among Australians that we’re too
good for that, we’re all good blokes and we don’t do those things
here. People who think that way need to grow up and face facts."

,23599,23421961-4 21,00.html

Right of compensation of evicted residents of accident-prone buildings
in Yerevan restored

2008-03-22 21:42:00

ArmInfo. Residents of accident-prone buildings in Achapnyak community
will be provided with flats by a relevant instruction of Prime Minister
of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan. In particular, the government has put into
circulation a document saying that the registered citizens who are not
the owners of the flats they live in will also receive a right of
compensation. Earlier, only the housing owners had such right.

The lawyer of Armenian Center for Human Right Protection after A.
Sakharov Meri Khachatryan told ArmInfo the Center applied to the prime
minister with a relevant request. In 2000 the government adopted a
decision No 682 providing for compensation for eviction to renters,
owners and refugees. In March 2007, Yerevan Municipality made a
decision to evict 16 families of Sisakyan 22 building that was
recognized accident-prone. The residents of the building applied to the
Center against the decision of the Municipality. In its turn the Center
applied to the Municipality for revision of the decision but was
rejected. In the meanwhile, in mid January 2008, the prime minister
instructed the Municipality to take into account the proposals of the
Center for Human Rights Protection after A. Sakharov. In response, the
Municipality informed the Town Planning Ministry that all the residents
of Sisakyan 22 building and a similar building in 8a Arzumanyan Street
must be provided with flats. In total, the municipality provided 86
flats in the new residential buildings in Achapnyak, Malatia Sebastia
and Davidashen communities to evicted families.

KOCHARIAN WARNS OPPOSITION AGAINST MORE PROTESTS

Radio Liberty
March 20 2008
Czech Republic

President Robert Kocharian said Thursday that he will not prolong the
state of emergency in Yerevan but warned that Armenian security bodies
would not hesitate to break up more anti-government demonstrations
planned by opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian.

Kocharian also effectively dismissed international calls for an
independent investigation into the March 1 clashes between riot police
and thousands of Ter-Petrosian supporters demanding a re-run of the
February 19 presidential election.

The violence, which left at left at least seven opposition supporters
and one police officer dead, led to the imposition of the 20-day
state of emergency. All rallies and other public gatherings in the
capital were banned as a result.

Kocharian said the Armenian authorities will not sanction rallies for
"some time" even after the expiry of emergency rule on Friday.

"People who shot at law-enforcers [on March 1] are still at large,
there is no guarantee that the same people will not try to organize
various provocations or shootings at the next rally and then blame
that on the police," he told a news conference.

The Armenian parliament approved this week a government bill that
will make it easier for the authorities to prohibit anti-government
protests. They will now be able to do that by citing threats to
"state security, public order, public health and morality" reported
by the police and the National Security Service. Ter-Petrosian has
dismissed the amendments as unconstitutional.

Kocharian warned the opposition leader, who had served as Armenia’s
first president from 1991-1998, against staging unsanctioned street
protests. "I forbade the police from taking any steps [against
opposition demonstrators] before the events of March 1, but will now
demand that they take strict measures," he said, adding that he is
determined to restore stability in the country before handing over
power to Prime Minister and President-elect Serzh Sarkisian on April 9.

Ter-Petrosian says that the authorities themselves instigated the worst
street violence in Armenia’s history by breaking up his supporters’
non-stop sit-in in Yerevan’s Liberty Square and then firing at
thousands of people who gathered elsewhere in the city center later
on March 1.

Western powers have also questioned the official version of events,
with the European Union and the Council of Europe urging the
authorities in Yerevan to agree to an "independent investigation" of
the bloodshed. Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s commissioner
for human rights, suggested last week that such an inquiry be conducted
by a special commission of prominent Armenians "trusted by the public."

Kocharian insisted, however, that Armenian law-enforcement bodies and
the Office of the Prosecutor-General in particular are independent
and competent enough to investigate the deadly unrest. He said they
can only agree to international experts’ involvement in their ongoing
investigation that has resulted in mass arrests of opposition leaders
and activists.

Both the EU and the United States have expressed serious concern about
the unprecedented government crackdown. U.S. Assistant Secretary
of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried reiterated
those concerns on Thursday, saying that Armenia should "pull itself
together and get back on a democratic path."

"We welcome the lifting of the state of emergency, but there are
other problems and these need to be addressed," Fried told RFE/RL.

"People who have been arrested for rioting and violent actions, that’s
one thing. But people who have been arrested for more questionable
reasons need to be let go, there needs to be normalization, there
needs to be a dialogue with the opposition."

"Look, this is a troubling situation for all of Armenia’s friends,"
he said.

Kocharian effectively dismissed such calls, saying that law-enforcement
authorities have been quite lenient towards opposition protesters. He
argued that some 800 people were detained in connection with the
March 1 events and that only just over a hundred of them are currently
under arrest pending trial.

Washington threatened last week to "suspend or terminate" $236.5
million in economic assistance which it promised to provide to Armenia
under its Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) program. The money was
due to be spent on the reconstruction of Armenia’s battered rural
roads and irrigation networks.

Kocharian claimed to be untroubled by the possible termination of
the five-year aid package, saying that the Armenian government will
find other sources of funding for the rural development projects,
if need be. "If they make such a decision we will look for other ways
of fully implementing that program," he said. "I have no doubts that
we will find those ways."

Kocharian also downplayed U.S. President George W. Bush’s failure so
far to congratulate Sarkisian on his hotly disputed victory in the
presidential election. Kocharian said he himself was congratulated by
Bush only after being sworn in for a second five-year term in office
in April 2003. That, he said, did not prevent Armenia from recording
higher rates of economic growth and "cooperating effectively" with
the United States in the following years. "So maybe it’s a good sign,"
he told journalists jokingly.

In fact, Bush stopped short of congratulating Kocharian on his equally
controversial reelection and cited instead serious irregularities
that were reported during the Armenian presidential election
of February-March 2003. "In a spirit of friendship, I share the
disappointment of the OSCE and others who have observed that Armenia
missed an opportunity to make an example of a democratic election,"
Bush said in an April 2003 letter to Kocharian.

SIRUSHO TO SING 14-th AT EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

ARMENPRESS
March 14, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS: Armenian singer Sirusho, chosen to
represent Armenia at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest in Belgrade,
Serbia, will perform 14th in the first semifinal scheduled for May 20.

Diana Mnatsakanian, head of foreign relations department of Public TV,
told Armenpress that the first semi-final will feature singers from
19 countries. Azerbaijan, Russia and Greece were given the right to
choose their queues.

The second semi-final will take place on May 22 to feature singers
from as many countries. In this group of countries, Macedonia,
Portugal and Denmark were allowed to choose their queues.

Sirusho was selected last November and the song she will sing in
Belgrade was chosen by a jury and members of the public earlier
this month.

The songs came from an open competition involving Armenian songwriters,
which the jury narrowed down to just four.

Sirusho sang each of the songs Strong, I Can’t Control It, I
Still Breathe plus the winning song Kele Kele on TV on Saturday
evening. After the songs had been presented, TV viewers were then asked
for their verdict by text voting, as well as that of an expert jury.

The winning song is a mixture of ethnic sounds and contemporary pop
music. It starts like a ballad with a verse in Armenian language,
building up to an up-tempo pop song with lyrics which are mostly
in English.

BLOCK OF APARTMENTS WILL BE BUILT IN SHUSHI FOR ARMY PERSONNEL

KarabakhOpen
20-03-2008 12:39:22

During the meeting of government on March 18 the government decided
to grant the half-ruined building of the nursery school of 1725 sq
m at 21a Njdeh Street in Shushi and the adjacent land of 3041 sq m
to the NKR ministry of defense. The ministry of defense is likely to
build a block of apartments for officers in the place of the former
nursery school.

OSCE MINSK GROUP CO-CHAIRS ISSUE STATEMENT ON UN RESOLUTION

Azeri Press Agency
March 18 2008
Azerbaijan

"The political-level representatives of France, the Russian Federation,
and the United States, as Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group dealing
with the Nagorno-Karabakh (NK) conflict, jointly proposed a set of
basic principles for the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
(NK) conflict to the sides in November 2007 on the margins of the
OSCE Ministerial Council in Madrid. These basic principles are
founded on the provisions of the Helsinki Final Act, including
those related to refraining from the threat or use of force,
the territorial integrity of the states, and the equal rights and
self-determination of peoples. The proposal transmitted to the sides in
Madrid comprises a balanced package of principles that are currently
under negotiation. The sides have agreed that no single element is
agreed until all elements are agreed by the parties.

Unfortunately, this draft resolution selectively propagates only
certain of these principles to the exclusion of others, without
considering the Co-Chairs’ proposal in its balanced entirety.

Because of this selective approach, the three OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair
countries must oppose this unilateral draft resolution. They reiterate
that a peaceful, equitable, and lasting settlement of the NK conflict
will require unavoidable compromises among the parties that reflect
the principles of territorial integrity, non-use of force, and equal
rights of peoples, as well as other principles of international law",
the statement said.

”While the Minsk Group Co-Chairs will vote against this unilateral
draft resolution, which threatens to undermine the peace process, they
reaffirm their support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and
thus do not recognize the independence of NK”, reads the statement.

At a time when serious clashes have occurred on March 4 along the
contact line with loss of life, the co-chairs called on both sides
to refrain from unilateral and maximalist actions either at the
negotiating table or in the field.

SERGEY LEBEDEV: "RESULTS OF VOTING IN UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY WILL NOT HAVE NEGATIVE INFLUENCE ON COOPERATION AMONG CIS COUNTRIES"

Azeri Press Agency
March 17 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Ulviyya Aliyeva-APA. "I think that results of voting in UN
General Assembly will not have negative influence on cooperation among
CIS countries," Sergey Lebedev, head of CIS Executive Committee told
journalists in Baku, APA reports.

To him, CIS countries support peaceful solution to the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict.

"CIS countries want the solution of the conflict within the interests
of Azerbaijan and Armenia. This is common problem. Everything depends
on Azerbaijan, Armenia and negotiation process. CIS countries make
great efforts for the solution to the conflict," he said.