Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

Baku Today
July 7 2004
US Ambassador Visits Nakhchivan
U.S. ambassador Reno Harnish arrived in Azerbaijan’s autonomous
republic of Nakhchivan Tuesday on a two-day visit.
On the first day of the visit, Harnish met with Vasif Talibov,
chairman of the Nakhchivani parliament. The current political and
economic situation in the autonomous republic reportedly topped the
agenda of the meeting.
The U.S. ambassador is also expected to discuss Nakhchivan’s poor
human rights record with the authorities of the autonomous republic.
Local and international rights groups, opposition parties as well as
media representatives complain about violation of basic human rights
and freedoms in Nakhchivan.
Several members of the Center for Democratic Development (CDD), an
alliance of local branches of opposition parties, have been refusing
food since June 21 in protest of police harassments.
Turan reported that Talibov told the U.S. ambassador about reforms
carried out in Nakhchivan over the recent years. Talibov also lamented
that the people of Nakhchivan cannot export their products to other
regions of Azerbaijan because of a 12-year-long blockade by Armenia.

RECEPTION AT CABINET OF MINISTERS
Azer Tag
July 05, 2004
Prime Minister of Azerbaijan Republic Artur Rasizade received the
delegation led by Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov on 5 July.
Greeting the guests, Premier of Azerbaijan expressed confidence that
such an authoritative delegation would become another stimulation for
expansion of Azerbaijan-Russian relations. After election of Vladimir
Putin as President of the Russian Federation, he continued, the
bilateral relations between the two countries have acquired higher
level.
Actively developing the bilateral relations in the economic field, Mr.
Rasizade said. The goods turnover is increasing. Speaking of the
economic links, Premier noted the necessity of ties with the regions,
and especially with Moscow in the field of economy and cultural
sphere. He also stressed his adherence to expand cooperation with the
government of Moscow in all fields.
Touching upon the ongoing economic reforms, the reached
accomplishments in this sphere, the Premier of Azerbaijan noted that
priority in the economic program is given to social sphere, which will
receive additional source of finance after commissioning of the Main
Export Pipeline. Mr. Artur Rasizade stated that the major problem for
eh country is dissolution of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh
conflict.
Yuri Luzhkov, thanking for warm reception, noted the positive
alterations in Baku, actively being realized constructions
works. Mayor of Moscow gave a high assessment to new level of the
Azerbaijan-Russia mutual relations, also underlined the necessity of
development of the Azerbaijan-Moscow links having good experience in
the humanitarian-social sphere.
Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Russia Ramiz Rzayev attended the meeting.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Gulf Daily News, Bahrain
July 2, 2004
A land of history and rich culture

BY AIDAN PAYNE
Iran, a land with more than 2,500 years of rich culture and history,
is a living museum with its pre-Islamic monuments, great palaces,
historical mosques, churches, ancient fire temples, vast mountain
ranges and two vast deserts.
With all this in mind, I was set to make my first visit to the
mainland of Iran and spend at least two weeks exploring and travelling
from city to city.
Doubts arose from friends, colleagues and family about the wisdom of
making the trip, but I wanted to prove them all wrong.
Armed with my Lonely Planet guidebook and useful information from the
Concise Encyclopaedia of Islam I was all set.
A 21-day visa was secured after spending 72 hours on the Free Trade
Zone Island of Kish by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at a cost of
$78 (BD29.5).
My plans were almost shattered while cycling on the Kish coast. I was
going too fast and crashed into some metal barriers used to stop cars
using the track.
I smashed my head against the ground and needed emergency treatment at
the island’s main hospital and 50 stitches for gashes above the eye
and an almost ripped-off ear.
Heavily bandaged, I visited the island attractions, as I had on
previous visits, including the marooned Greek Ship, the ancient city
of Harireh, Derakht-e-Sabz (Green Park) and the Ahovan Wildlife Park
and Aquarium.
My visa came through and an air-ticket on Aria Air, costing 269,000
rials (BD12) got me to the capital Tehran.
TEHRAN
After leaving the airport an official airport taxi for 30,000 rials
(BD1.500) gave me my first look at the sprawling metropolis.
I passed the 45-metre high Azadi (Freedom) monument built in 1971 to
commemorate 2,500 years of the Persian Empire and it suddenly hit me
that I was in Iran.
On my way to the Atlas Hotel at $35 per night I got a glimpse of
Tehran’s traffic nightmare with cars changing lanes without
indicating, motorcycles moving in all directions including on
pavements and little or no observance of traffic signals. I did much
walking and managed to avoid becoming a traffic statistic!
I took a stroll on a cold Thursday night and stumbled across the old
US Embassy, now known as the US Den of Espionage.
Central Tehran with its wide avenues is eerily quiet at night.
The next morning, I met Sadegh a friend I’d first met a year before on
Kish, and the two of us took an early lunch at the Dizi Restaurant,
which serves traditional abgusht, a famous dish of Tabriz in the
northwest of Iran.
It’s a combined soup/stew of beef or lamb, chickpeas, potatoes, onions
and a chunk of fat served in a dizi or small upright container. You
drink the soup and eat the stew (after mashing it into a paste)
separately with bread. It was very tasty and is a favourite amongst
Iranians.
After parting ways, I made my way to the Armenian Sarkis Cathedral,
situated in an area with a sizeable Christian population. Though the
church was closed, I had a quick look around the courtyard which has a
number of graves.
Built between 1964 and 1970, this white-coloured building is one of
the most important non-Islamic buildings in the city and is open to
visitors free of charge most days except Sunday.
As in most cities you have to be careful if you are a stranger and
Tehran is no exception.
Beware of ‘bogus police’ – I was stopped by one guy who stepped out of
an unmarked car who asked about passport, money, mobile phone and even
what I had photographed. I demanded to see his identity card which was
flashed briefly in my face. It could have been anything.
You should never get in a car and insist they come with you to your
hotel which should frighten them off. Telling them I had the
registration number of the car, they quickly moved on!
A bit rattled, I informed the hotel and they said that this often
happens to foreign tourists.
One of the most interesting and least known museums is the Reza
Abbasi, so named after the artist who lived in the Safavid period
1502-1722 AD.
The top floor has collections from the Achaemenid period 550-330 BC,
such as drinking vessels, armlets, carvings, tools and daggers dating
back to 1000 BC and the Sassanian period 224 to 637 AD.
The Islamic Gallery houses pottery, metal objects from the Seljuk
period from 1051-1220 AD, along with oil lamps, incense burners and
metal works through the Safavid period up to the end of the Qajar
dynasty in 1925.
In the Calligraphy section, you can see ancient Qurans, leaves of
copies from the books by the great poets Ferdowsi and Sa’adi and
paintings by Reza Abbasi.
The bazaar in the south of the city is a city within a city,
containing mosques, hotels, banks, a church and even a fire station.
It is a labyrinth of alleys and streets and a first-time visitor will
easily get lost. The whole complex is a mass of humanity where just
about any commodity can be found. Each area sells different items such
as copper, gold, spices, carpets, shoes, electrical and tobacco to
name but some.
Inside the bazaar a couple of mosques stand out – a 600-year-old one
containing the shrine of Emamzadeh Zaid, with beautifully coloured
Quranic and mosaic inscriptions and the Imam Khomeini or Shah mosque
from the 18th century which is in an open courtyard. Picture taking
is frowned upon because the faithful are praying at all times.
Nearby is the Golestan Palace complex, which originated as a citadel
during Safavid era, becoming a palace during the mid-18th century.
Golestan was mainly for receptions during Pahlavi era and Reza Shah
crowned himself here in 1925 in what is known as the Takht-e-Marmar
(Marble Throne) and supported by human figures and constructed from 65
pieces of marble.
Other sections include collections of art, calligraphy, furniture and
vases and a historical photography gallery.
The National Jewels Museum, is a must-see with exhibits dating as far
back as 500 years. It is heavily guarded and even touching the glass
cases is likely to set off a piercing alarm. Photography is not
allowed.
The main attractions include a throne encrusted with 26,733 gems,
crowns worn by the last Shah and his wife Farah Diba in the coronation
of 1967 and a 34kg Globe of Jewels made in 1869 and using 51,366
precious stones.
My third day took me to the Sa’d Abad Museum and Niyavaran Palaces,
both former residences of the last Shah.
Sa’d Abad has 54 rooms and you get to see the private quarters and
banqueting and ceremonial halls for visiting dignitaries and
diplomats.
Outside is a giant pair of bronze feet, all that remains of a statue
of Reza Shah cut down during the revolution.
The Niyavaran Palace is now split into four museums. The best was the
Sahebqerameh Palace or King’s Special Office, which houses a
collection of paintings, photographs and calligraphy, a teahouse and
even private dental surgery facilities.
My final day in Tehran took me down to the Holy Shrine of Imam
Khomeini and the Behesht-e-Zahra cemetery. The shrine is the resting
place of Ayatollah Khomeini, who died in 1989.
It was an incredible experience being in a vast room and the hundreds
who pay their respects to the founder of the Islamic Republic.
The huge Behesht-e-Zahra Cemetery is a sad place and it is estimated
about 200,000 soldiers are buried here, killed during the Iran-Iraq
war.
QOM
My next stop was the holy city of Qom, a religious centre with many
clerics and scholars. My hotel, the Kowsar Hotel, at $13 per night,
was located opposite the Hazrat-e-Masumeh shrine, the burial place of
Fatemeh (sister of Imam Reza) with its magnificent dome and minarets.
Many people visit the shrine each day but non-Moslems are not
permitted. The next morning I visited Khan-e-Khomeini, which was the
former residence of Ayatollah Khomeini in the 1960s.
A very modest dwelling, I felt overwhelmed and privileged to be able
to go inside this place with all the history behind it.
ESFAHAN
I arrived next in Esfahan, one of Islam’s great cities and one of
Iran’s jewels.
For an amazing $15 per night, I stayed at the Aria Hotel near the city
centre and barely five minutes walk from the Imam Khomeini or
Naghsh-e-Jahan Square. At 5,200 feet above sea level, it was very
cold at the time.
Chahar Bagh (four gardens) is the main street originating from 1597
and once lined with many palaces. One of the main features of the city
is the River Zayandeh and its 11 bridges, five of which are
historical.
The next day would be spent exploring the old bridges which would take
up most of the time.
A second day of walking took me to the Safavid era Hakim mosque, which
has a portal dating back to the 10th Century.
It’s easy to get lost in the older part of the city with all its
restored old houses in the narrow lanes and in the same area is the
Bazar-e-Bozorg or Great Bazaar, one of Iran’s biggest and built in the
16th century.
A number of shrines are in the bazaar area, one dedicated to
Emamzadeh-y-Jaafar and another to Emamzadeh-ye-Ismail and the
Mausole-um of Harun Vilyat.
One of the most visible sights is the towering 48m high brick minaret
of the Ali Mosque which soars 48m into the sky.
My third full day began with a tour of the Jameh (Friday) mosque
dating back to the 11th Century.
It is also one of the largest mosques in Iran, even surviving bomb
damage during the 1980-88 war with Iraq. Another mosque is the Manar
Jomban (Shaking Minarets) about seven kilometres outside the city.
They truly do shake! Every half hour visitors see a demonstration by
the Official Minaret Shaker and it does look to the eye that they
move. Sitting on the low wall you can definitely feel the
vibrations. It is an amazing experience.
Esfahan also has an Armenian quarter called Jolfa, established in the
early part of the 17th century, where you can find 13 churches today.
Vank Cathedral, established in 1606, is decorated with themes from the
old and new testaments. lt also houses more than 700 handwritten books
on display, a section on Armenian culture and religion, a memorial to
the 1915 Armenian genocide and even a small drawing by Rembrandt.
A good way to wind down after a day of exploring is to try the local
Qalyan (sheesha) at a teahouse and admire the view of the square.
Other attractions include the Chehel Sotun Palace, Natural History
Museum, Hesht Behesht Palace and the Madraseh-ye-Chahar Bagh
Theological School and Esfahan’s most expensive hotel the Abbasi.
On the way to Yazd more than 400 kilometres away, I passed through the
geographical centre of Iran at the town of Na’in. It is a carpet
centre and has a 10th century Jameh Mosque.
Next Friday, we travel to Yazd and Shiraz.

Washington Post, DC
July 2, 2004
‘Amazing Race’: Location Is Everything
By Tracy L. Scott
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, July 4, 2004; Page Y04
The Emmy Award-winning “Amazing Race” is an elaborate TV production —
contestants and crews traverse the globe in a trek that requires four
to five months in preparation alone.
Since its debut in 2001, the show’s contestants have traveled to 62
different countries in hopes of winning the $1 million prize.
“We’ve gone to just about every continent,” said co-creator Bertram van
Munster.
The show’s fifth season, which begins Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. on CBS,
follows 11 two-person teams — including cousins from Maryland (see
sidebar, page 28) — as they travel approximately 73,000 miles in 29
days and tape 13 episodes, van Munster said.
The show works like this: The first team to arrive at any designated
destination is the first team to leave — thereby getting a head start
— on the next day’s journey. The last team to arrive at each location
is cut. Contestants also are allowed to use only a specific amount of
money during their journey.
It sounds easy enough, but along the way, teams may have to bungee jump
or enter a rat-infested temple to obtain further instructions and make
it to the next location.
Gaining access to those locations is an daunting task, and van Munster
said the show must receive permits for every place visited.
“It’s a very ambitious project on a huge international scale,” he said.
“It is very complex, but generally people are welcoming. [The show] is
very well-known worldwide.”
No country van Munster’s approached has refused to participate, he
said. This season the teams travel to Uruguay, Russia, Egypt and the
Philippines, among other spots.
Although the program focuses on the race, the show is as much about
relationships — with people in other countries, as well as with family
and friends — as it is about completing the challenge.
Host Phil Keoghan, who said no major international incidents occurred
as a result of the show, noted that some teams are more accepting of
different cultures than others.
“A lot of what happens — if there’s any incidences with local people
— it’s a result of how the teams themselves respond to the local
people.
“Americans have a lot of preconceived ideas of what the world’s about
and how it operates,” said Keoghan. The show “dispels a lot of people’s
misconceptions about what the world is like,” he said.
Everyone selected for the show has a preexisting relationship, whether
father and daughter, two cousins or best friends.
“I always thought preexisting relationships were more interesting,”
said van Munster, who described the show as a “reality soap opera.”
Members of the teams talk openly with each other, van Munster said.
“Strangers feel each other out for the first three or four episodes.
They don’t get the real thing.”
Although the competition is physically challenging, van Munster said he
looks for applicants with interesting personal relationships as opposed
to brawn or athleticism.
“We tell them up front the show will change your life,” said van
Munster, noting that the change isn’t always for the better. The show
even contributed to a breakup. Chip Arndt and Reichen Lehmkuhl, last
season’s winners, severed ties after they collected their $1 million.
Keoghan said the experience also has reunited couples.
“It does strange things to relationships. It is incredibly stressful
for these teams. They are pushed emotionally to places they haven’t
gone before,” he said.
Maryland Cousins Compete on ‘Race’
Two Maryland residents will compete for the $1 million prize in CBS’s
new season of “Amazing Race.”
Charla Faddoul and Mirna Hindoyan are first cousins. Both were born in
Syria but now live in Phoenix, Md., and Towson, respectively.
The 27-year-olds describe themselves as “extremely comical and
aggressive,” according to CBS press releases. To their advantage, the
pair speak several languages, including Armenian and Turkish.
Faddoul, a manager of a sports store, has a form of dwarfism and hopes
her appearance on the program will show the world that the condition is
not a physical handicap.
“We did not have to change anything for her,” said co-creator Bertram
van Munster.
Hindoyan is a graduate of the University of Maryland at Baltimore
School of Law.
Host Phil Keoghan said the cousins “were a crucial part of making this
season really pop.”

El Pais
June 27, 2004
Un nuevo rey para Las Vegas
SANDRO POZZI
Kirk Kerkorian logra hacerse con los casinos de Madalay por 7.900
millones de dolares. El leon que nunca duerme. Eso es lo que dicen en
Las Vegas del multimillonario Kirk Kerkorian, al que sus 87 anos de
edad no le pesan nada. Tampoco la inmensa fortuna que ha ido amasando
con sus manos, con la que parece no conformarse. El accionista
mayoritario de los estudios MetroGoldwynMayer (MGM) y del operador de
casinos MGM Mirage esta a un paso de convertirse en el mas grande
entre los grandes en el mundo de los juegos de azar y del negocio de
las convenciones, al anunciar la compra de su rival Mandalay Resort.
BODY:
A Kerkorian -numero 65 en la lista de los hombres mas ricos del
planeta, segun Forbes- le bastan tres minutos para oler una buena
operacion. Los negocios, dice, son “el elixir de la vida”. Y mientras
mas grande sea la operacion, mejor. Es raro ver al magnate en eventos
publicos Ni siquiera se pasea por sus casinos. Lleva mas bien una
vida al margen de la sociedad mientras teje tras las cortinas la
expansion de su imperio. Nada que ver con el ganster Bugsy Siegel,
quien en 1946 abrio en Las Vegas el primer casino con neones, el
Flamingo. Sin embargo, su historia esta intimamente ligada al
boulevard del juego desde hace 35 anos.
Kirk Kerkorian esta considerado, de hecho, como uno de los pocos
hombres de negocios que apostaron por transformar la imagen del vicio
de la Sin City -la ciudad del pecado-, para convertirla en todo un
icono del capitalismo y del negocio. La adquisicion de Mandalay
Resort por 7.900 millones de dolares, anunciada hace dos semanas, es
un paso mas en esa direccion. Sin tener que salir de Las Vegas, este
magnate californiano, hijo de inmigrantes armenios, controlara 11
hoteles de casinos, entre ellos los famosos Bellagio, Mandalay Bay,
Excalibur, Lu-xor, New York New York o el Circus Circus.
Kerkorian tendra mas plazas hoteleras de las que nunca pudieron tener
juntos el multimillonario tejano Howard Hughes y Stephen Wynn,
antiguo dueno de la cadena Mirage. Lo unico que le falta es el Caesar
Palace. Hasta el punto que dicen que Las Vegas, una de las metropolis
de mayor crecimiento en EE UU, es propiedad de una sola compania. Su
reino en el mundo del juego ira mas alla aun. Con la adquisicion de
Mandalay, su imperio se extendera a otros Estados del pais -Nevada,
Misisipi y Nueva Jersey- y Australia.
MGM Mirage, donde Kerkorian posee el 57% del accionariado, contara
con un total de 30 propiedades y sumara 75.000 plazas hoteleras, el
40% de las maquinas tragaperras y el 44% de las mesas de apuestas del
pais. A esto hay que sumarle 186 kilometros cuadrados de espacio en
centros para convenciones en las principales ciudades de EE UU. MGM
contara con 70.000 empleados y unos ingresos superiores a los 7.000
millones de dolares anuales.
La adquisicion de Mandalay es la segunda mas importante que en los
ultimos cuatro anos va a realizar MGM, tras hacerse en 2000 con el
control de Mirage en una operacion valorada en 6.400 millones de
dolares. El propio Stephen Wynn explica que Kerkorian siempre se bate
a si mismo: “Cuando habia hoteles con 400 habitaciones, el construyo
uno con 1.512 plazas en 1969. Despues se supero con uno de 2.000 y
luego otra vez con un gigante de 5.000”. Si el mafioso Bugsy Siegel
esta considerado como el creador de Las Vegas, a Kirk Kerkorian se le
atribuye la era de los megaresort.
La adquisicion de Mandalay, como todas las apuestas fuertes, esta
sujeta a varios riesgos. Por un lado, esta el control de las
autoridades reguladoras, que podrian imponer la venta de determinados
activos y la cesion de licencias para evitar una concentracion
excesiva en el sector. La otra es la amenaza de un nuevo ataque
terrorista en suelo estadounidense, que podria dejar la operacion en
zona peligrosa, ya que Las Vegas esta considerada como un objetivo
posible.

Georgia restores Armenia’s rail link to Ajaria
Arminfo
25 Jun 04

YEREVAN
In accordance with an agreement signed between the railway companies
of Armenia and Georgia, the Yerevan-Tbilisi-Batumi railway link was
restored on 24 June in order to enable Armenian citizens to spend
their summer holidays at Georgia’s Black Sea resorts, the press
service of the Armenian Ministry of Transport and Communications told
Arminfo news agency today.

AZERI COURT JAILS FIVE FOR PICKET AGAINST ARMENIAN PRESENCE AT NATO MEETING
ANS TV, Baku
24 Jun 04
In accordance with the petition of the Nasimi district prosecutor’s
office, the Nasimi district court today sentenced the chairman of the
Karabakh Liberation Organization, Akif Nagi, and another four members,
Rovsan Fatiyev, Manaf Karimov, Mursal Hasanov and Ilkin Qurbanov, to
two months’ imprisonment.
The five men were arrested on 22 June in a picket outside the Hotel
Europe in protest against the presence of Armenian military officers
at a Baku-hosted seminar held within the framework of NATO’s
Partnership for Peace programme. The four were found guilty under the
Criminal Code article on hooliganism and putting up resistance to the
police, and Akif Nagi was found guilty under the article on inciting
people to illegal actions. They are being held at a temporary remand
centre in the Nasimi district for the time being. They will be
transferred to the Bayil prison tomorrow.
Firudin Mammadov, deputy chairman of the Karabakh Liberation
Organization, has been summoned to the Nasimi district prosecutor’s
office and is still being held there. According to information from
the prosecutor’s office, Firudin Mammadov has been asked to testify on
the 22 June incident.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Interfax
June 23 2004
Armenian officers attending NATO conference in Baku
YEREVAN. June 23 (Interfax) – Two Armenian Defense Ministry officers
are taking part in the NATO conference in Baku, following
Azerbaijan’s promises to ensure their security, the Armenian Defense
Ministry’s press service told Interfax.
“The country hosting [the NATO conference] has pledged to ensure the
security of the two Armenian officers in Baku,” the press service
said.
Armenia’s concerns were sparked by a Tuesday rally by the
Organization for the Liberation of Karabakh. Some 40 members of the
group, protesting the presence of the Armenian military men in Baku,
tried to break through the police cordon to enter the Europe Hotel,
the venue for the NATO conference.
Delegations from NATO’s 24 member-nations are taking part in the
conference, which is aimed at preparing the Cooperative Best Effort
04 exercises. These military exercises will be held in Azerbaijan in
September.

Putin speaks at forum in Eurasian University in Astana
ITAR-TASS News Agency
June 18, 2004 Friday 12:22 AM Eastern Time
ASTANA, June 18 — Russian President Vladimir Putin is participating
in the work of the international forum on “Eurasian Integration:
Current Development Trends and Globalization Challenges,” which has
opened in Astana.
The forum takes place in Eurasian National University. It was founded
in 1996 at the site of Akmola University.
Under the Kazakh presidential decree, the institution of higher
learning has a special status.
Graduates from the university have state diplomas recognised in
CIS countries.
Education in several fields of specialization is given here to students
from Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, China,
Mongolia, Yemen, Lebanon and Turkey.
The Kazakh branch of Moscow Lomonosov State University was founded
at Eurasian University in 2001.
Foreign leaders and heads of international organisations visited
Eurasian University more than once.
CIS presidents Vladimir Putin, Askar Akayev, Saparmurat Niyazov,
Alexander Lukashenko, Leonid Kuchma and Ilkham Aliyev addressed
students here.
NATO secretary general George Robertson, Spanish King Juan Carlos,
Pope John Paul II and Polish President Alexander Kwasniewski visited
the university.

CSTO rapid deployment forces to hold joint exercises (adds)
By Mikhail Peterov
ITAR-TASS News Agency
June 18, 2004 Friday 12:22 AM Eastern Time
ASTANA, June 18 — Rapid deployment forces of the Collective Security
Treaty Organisation (CSTO) will hold joint exercises in Central Asia
in late July-early August, Russian Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov
told a briefing at the outcome of the CSTO summit here on Friday.
He said the first phase of the war games will take place in Kazakhstan
and the second, in Kyrgyzstan.
“In the exercises, Russia will be represented by combat units and
commando forces, which will be airlifted to the scene of the exercises,
as well as combat planes and helicopters,” the minister said. “The
aircraft will carry out real bomb-droppings and simulate actions in
an unfamiliar theatre of operations,” Ivanov said.
According to Ivanov, “these war games will demonstrate the CSTO rapid
deployment forces’ resolve to rebuff any attempts to destabilize
the situation.”
Ivanov also said the summit had mapped out the main directions of
the coalition military cooperation up to 2010.
According to the minister, Russia and Uzbekistan in 2005 intend to
hold joint exercises “with the use of warplanes, helicopter gun ships
and commando forces.”
“The war games will be held in a mountainous test range near
Samarkand,” he indicated.
Answering a question on a possible return of Uzbekistan to the
Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) Ivanov said, “Russia
builds its relations with Uzbekistan so that the partner could feel
welcome and convenient. If Uzbekistan shows no wish to join the CSTO,
Russia doesn’t intend to persuade it,” the minister said.
“We are ready to hold talks and do not plan to run away and hide head
in the sand.”
Heads of six CIS countries – Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan – signed the Collective Security Treaty in
Tashkent in 1992. Azerbaijan, Georgia and Belarus joined the treaty
in 1993.
The treaty came into force in all nine countries in April 1994. But
in April 1999 Azerbaijan, Georgia and Uzbekistan decided not to sign
a protocol on its prolongation.
In 2002, the Collective Security Treaty format was transformed into
a valid international organisation-CSTO.
The CSTO rules say the member-countries take joint actions to form
an efficient collective security system within the framework of
the Organisation, create regional military groupings and coordinate
their efforts in fighting with international terrorism, drug and arms
trafficking, organised crime, illegal migration and other threats.