Georgian police violates agreement on free movement of Ossetians in
the conflict zone; citizens of Armenia and Azerbaijan are blocked, too
Regnum, Russia
July 21 2006
Movement of ethnic Ossetians is blocked again by Georgian police in
Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone. South Ossetian Interior Minster
Mikhail Mindzayev is quoted by REGNUM as stating that recently,
Georgian police did not let pass passenger buses to remote villages
of Tskhinvali and Leninogorsk districts of South Ossetia. It was a
gross violation of agreements on the movement of persons and vehicles
in the conflict zone, the minister noted.
Mikhail Mindzayev assessed the Georgian police behavior as abusive. He
said that while performing their personal and baggage checks, the
police are going into minute details and insult people.
Georgian police control all roads connecting Ossetian and Georgian
villages. The minister pointed out that an agreement on free movement
of Ossetians was achieved earlier. “In case the Georgian side’s
tactic is continued, we will be forced to take adequate measures,”
Mikhail Mindzayev said.
At present, Georgia does not let pass Armenian and Azerbaijani citizens
through South Ossetian territory too.

FM OF AZERBAIJAN MEETS EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE ON S. CAUCASUS
[July 21, 2006, 19:14:50]
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
July 21, 2006
Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov on 20 July has met
with Mr. Peter Semnebey, Special Representative of the European Union
on South Caucasus.
The sides had a comprehensive exchange of views on the issues of
the present status of the Azerbaijan-EU relations, the negotiation
processes on settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, regional relations, the large-scale economic and transport
projects being realized in region.
In the discussions related to the Azerbaijan-EU relations, focused
was the process of negations on the Plan of Activity for Azerbaijan
in the frames of the Organization’s New Neighborhood Policy, and
especially were discussed the co-op opportunities in the energy sphere.
Noting, Azerbaijan is not only the source of energy, but also the
transit country, Minister Mammadyarov said the integration to reach the
European markets is priority in state policy of Republic. It is also
of great importance form the national security standpoint, he stressed.
In meeting, also touched were issues of energy safety, support for the
final document adopted by G8 on the problems of global energy safety.
Speaking of the negotiations on peaceful settlement of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Mr. Semnebey stated
expressed hope for peace achievement with the help of mutual trust
steps.
‘Azerbaijan adheres the negotiations to be continued in the frame of
Prague process’, the Minister said. ‘The occupied territories should
be freed, the refugees and IDPs return to their homelands. But the
unconstructive position of Armenia impedes it’, he underlined. The
Minister called the mass fire set in the occupied areas by Armenians
as ecological catastrophe. ‘Should these fires be eliminated by
Azerbaijan or with the mediation of the OSCE, it would contribute
mutual trust actions’, Mammadyarov stressed.
Peter Semnebey promised to lift the question in Brussels, and stressed
necessity to stop the fires.
In the meeting, also discussed were a range of questions of mutual
interest.

Safar Abiyev: Armenia should pull back its forces from occupied Azerbaijani lands
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 21, 2006
[ 21 Jul. 2006 18:36 ]
Azerbaijan’s Defense Minister Safar Abiyev today received the
European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter
Semneby. The Ministry press service told the APA Minister Abiyev
touched on Azerbaijan’s integration into Europe.
He also said some aims artificially caused the Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict.
“Armenia has occupied Azerbaijani lands and on the other hand,
it intends to build mutual confidence with Azerbaijan. However,
we have no trust in Armenia. Since Armenia wants to build mutual
confidence, it should pull back its forces from the occupied
Azerbaijani territories, provide refugees and IDPs returning to
their native lands, and infrastructure should be restored in these
territories. This conflict should be resolved in the frames of the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan,” Mr.Abiyev said.
Mr.Semneby wished that conflict be resolved peacefully underlining
the European Union will make all efforts for the settlement of the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict./APA/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenians violate the cease-fire in Tovuz front
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 21, 2006
[ 21 Jul. 2006 17:37 ]
The companies of the Armenian Armed Forces from their positions in
Kokhanabi village of the Azerbaijani region of Tovuz fired on the
opposite positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces with submachine
and machine guns from 17:55 till 18:10 yesterday.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry press service told the APA the enemy
was resisted by response fire. No casualties were reported./APA/

Armenian occupying forces become active in Garabagh front
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 21, 2006
[ 21 Jul. 2006 17:03 ]
Armenian military forces have recently become active in Agdam front
in Garabagh province of Azerbaijan.
Local residents told the APA’s Garabagh bureau that military equipment
is brought to the occupied parts of Agdam which have recently suffered
arsons committed by Armenians. The cease-fire is often violated by
Armenian militants in this front. Last night, Armenians committed
arsons in the occupied villages Papravend and Garapirim of Agdam. The
enemy also fired on the opposite positions of the Azerbaijani Armed
Forces from the occupied parts of Bash Gervend village.
It is reported that Armenians continued to torch the occupied
Azerbaijani lands yesterday. Arson was committed in the occupied
Khojavend region. Local residents say Armenian militants achieved
in committing arsons in the parts of Khojavend regions controlled by
Azerbaijani Armed Forces./APA/

Armenian President not to attend CIS summit
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 21, 2006
[ 21 Jul. 2006 16:25 ]
The heads of states from the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS) are arriving at the Russian capital of Moscow to attend the
CIS informal summit tomorrow (APA).
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin invited the CIS heads of state to
discuss the ongoing processes in the world as well as issues regarding
improvement of the CIS. The heads of states will also follow the
horse races for Russian President’s award, which are held in Moscow
for three years.
The summit’s agenda is free, no documents are expected to be
adopted. President Putin will also introduce his counterparts the
results of the G8 summit held in St Petersburg from July 15 to 17.
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev today has left for Moscow to attend
the summit. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili will not participate
in the summit, said Georgi Arveladze, head of President’s Office. The
reason for the postponing was not made public. But it is believed
Saakashvili refused the visit as he won’t be able to meet with his
Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Georgian and Russian Presidents
were expected to meet in private to discuss Georgian parliament’s
recent decision on withdrawal of the Russian peacekeepers from the
conflict zones in Georgia.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian will not attend the
CIS summit either. The reason for that was shown his health
problems. Turkmenistan’s president Saparmurad Niyazov was announced
previously that he will not attend the summit.
Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko will not participate in the
summit due to the political situation in his country. His press
secretary Irina Gerashenko told journalists that Yushchenko has written
to the host of the summit Vladimir Putin about that. The Ukrainian
President also wrote in the letter that Ukraine sees Russia as a key
strategic partner. He also asked President Putin to specify the date
of his visit to Ukraine./APA/

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
July 21, 2006
Armenian detained in Azerbaijani village
[ 21 Jul. 2006 16:51 ]
An Armenian has been detained in Boyuk Bahmanli village of the
Azerbaijani region of Fuzuli today.
APA’s Garabagh bureau reports the Armenian at the age of about 40
was detained by local residents. The Armenian wearing civil uniform
hided in a garret in the village. Azerbaijani villagers handed over
him to the law enforcement bodies. Azerbaijan’s National Security,
Defense and Interior Ministries were not informed about that./APA/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MosNews, Russia
July 21, 2006
3 of 12 CIS Leaders Will Not Attend Informal Summit in Moscow
Created: 21.07.2006 14:42 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:35 MSK, 15 hours 48 minutes ago
MosNews
Armenian, Georgian and Ukrainian Presidents will not attend the
informal CIS summit, which starts today in Moscow.
According to RIA Novosti news agency, Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan has come down with a severe cold and will be unable to attend
the informal meeting with his CIS counterparts in Moscow this weekend,
his press office said Friday.
Kocharyan is the third leader to pull out of the July 21-22 informal
summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States, a loose union of
11 post-Soviet nations.
Earlier today, Georgia’s Mikheil Saakashvili said he would not come. He
was expected to use the event for talks with President Vladimir
Putin on Georgian-Russian relations, strained by a controversy over
the presence of Russian peacekeepers in the breakaway regions of
Abkhazia and South Ossetia. A source in Saakashvili’s inner circle
said a possible reason for the president’s withdrawal was that the
mooted meeting with Putin might not have taken place.
According to the ProUA news agency Ukrainian leader Victor Yushchenko
has also decided to ignore the informal meeting. “Taking into account
the current political situation in the country, President Yushchenko
has decided that he has to stay in Ukraine,” the press secretary of
the Ukrainian president Irina Gerashchenko told ITAR-TASS news agency
on Friday.
The upcoming summit will be the seventh informal “shirt-sleeves”
meeting of CIS leaders since the organization was formed in December
1991.
It has no fixed agenda, but is expected to deal with reforms of the
grouping’s executive bodies as well as international developments of
mutual concern. The Russian president will tell his CIS counterparts
about the Group of Eight summit he hosted last weekend in a
St. Petersburg suburb.
The CIS includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Ukraine, Moldova and
Georgia. Turkmenistan gave up full membership of the club in 2005
and is now an associate member.

POLITICAL ANALYST: KARABAKH’S SELF-DETERMINATION RIGHT DOESN’T HAMPER AZERBAIJAN’S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY
Arka News Agency, Armenia
July 21, 2006
YEREVAN, July 21. /ARKA/.Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’s self-determination
right doesn’t hamper Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, Alexander
Manasyan, professor to Yerevan State University, said Thursday in
Yerevan, at a seminar focused on Karabakh problem.
“Nagorno Karabakh has never been a part of Azerbaijan and needs no
Baku’s permit for its self-determination”, he said.
In his opinion, Azerbaijan has no powers to rule Karabakh, since
in 1991, when Azerbaijan declared its independence, there was not
a single Baku’s document mentioning extent of its territories and
nowhere Karabakh was mentioned as part of Azerbaijan.
The seminar was held by Armenian Association of Studying Conflicts
and Peace. M.V.-0—

Armenian President cancels visit to Moscow
RosBusinessConsulting, Russia
July 21, 2006
RBC, 21.07.2006, Moscow 13:53:40.Armenian President Robert Kocharian
has cancelled his visit to the informal CIS summit in Moscow because of
a cold, RBC was told by the Armenian presidential administration. The
administration officials also said that the President was on a
short-term vacation that he intended to spend in Armenia, and had
been since July 17.
It has also been reported that Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili
will not be going to Moscow. It had been expected that President of
Russia and Georgia would discuss stabilization of relations between
the two states.