From: Justin Burke (JBurke@sorosny.org)
Date: Fri Jun 21 2002 - 09:49:58 EDT
CASPIAN NEWS AGENCY
CNA all-inclusive newsline
/18:06 20.06.2002/ Kocharian-Aliyev meeting not to take place till July, Azeri
president states
Yerevan, June 20, 2002. (CNA). "I will meet with Armenian president Robert
Kocharian in July if the two parties agree to this". The head of Azerbaijan Heydar
Aliyev stated this in Baku on his arrival from Nakhichevan. According to him, he
has not had any intentions to meet with the Armenian president in the nearest
future. Speaking about the Turkish MFA last initiative regarding the holding of the
meeting of the Armenian and Turkish foreign ministers with the Azeri president
within the framework of the Istanbul summit of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
Organization, Aliyev stated such meeting would not take place. According to him, in
Istanbul, he will meet with the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs on the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict settlement, Panarmenian.net reports.
______
/15:58 20.06.2002/ Putin and Nazarbayev discussed cooperation in fuel and energy
sphere
Astana, June 20, 2002. (CNA). The Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kazakh
President Nursultan Nazarbayev had a phone conversation during which the two
presidents dicussed a number of urgent issues covering bilateral relations and
cooperation in fuel and energy sphere. CNA's correspondent reports from Astana that
situation in the Central Asian region and formation of "gas alliance" as well as
recent proposals of Turkmen president Saparmurat Niyazov to the Russian companies
to join TransAfghan gas main was as well discussed during the phone talk.
______
/15:52 20.06.2002/ President Shevardnadze talked with Romano Prodi
Tbilisi, June 20, 2002. (CNA). President Shevardnadze talked with the Chairman of
the EU Commission Romano Prodi and expressed his concern with the abduction of
British citizen Peter Shaw. It was met with understanding, says President.
President Shevardnazdze warned Ministers for Interior Affairs and Intelligence,
that they would be resigned unless Shaw is not found.Georgian investigators work on
several versions. According to one version, the abdication of foreign national is
related to his business. Peter Shaw was abdicated two days ago, Civil Georgia
reports.
______
/14:30 20.06.2002/ Aliyev and Kocharian may meet in July
Baku, June 20, 2002. (CNA)Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev told journalists late
on Wednesday that he may hold a one-on-one meeting with his Armenian counterpart as
part of discussions on ways to settle the Karabakh conflict in July. Aliyev denied
speculations that such a meeting should take place within the next few days.
"If Armenia agrees, Robert Kocharian and I may meet in July," the Azerbaijani
president said.
Aliyev made this announcement upon his return to Baku from the Nakhichevan
autonomous republic where he had been since June 15.
The Azerbaijani president said that he is expected to meet with co- chairmen of the
OSCE Group in Minsk within the next few days. This meeting will take place in
Istanbul. Aliyev is to visit Istanbul to attend a summit of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation Organization. The co-chairmen of the Minsk OSCE Group are also expected
to visit Istanbul at this time, Interfax reports.
______
/13:05 20.06.2002/ Turkish ex-president met Kazakh president in Antalya
Istanbul, June 20, 2002. (CNA). Turkey's 9th president and veteran politician
Suleyman Demirel paid a visit to Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev in the
latter's house in Kemer, Antalya.
Spending his holiday in Kemer, Nazarbaev said after the meeting that Turkey and
Kazakhstan were two brother states and added, "Kazakhstan is the country which has
closest ties with Turkey among the countries that separated from the Eastern block.
Our relations in terms of both economy and politics have always been at high
levels."
Nazarbaev stated that Demirel has always been a close friend to himself and his
country and invited Demirel and his spouse to Kazakhstan.
Demirel stated at the meeting that the relations between Turkey and Kazakhstan have
improved to a great extent in the past 10 years, stressing that these relations
would better further in the coming 10 years.
Nazarbayev informed Demirel about the mosque planned to be constructed in Turkistan
province of Kazakhstan and said that Hodja Ahmet Yesevi Tomb in Turkistan attracted
great interest. He added that a new mosque, whose project was designed by the
Turkish Religious Affairs Directorate, would be constructed close to the tomb,
Turkish Daily News reports.
______
/13:02 20.06.2002/ Special envoys of Iran and Russia discuss Caspian problem in
Tehran
Tehran, June 20, 2002. (CNA). Russia's special envoy on the Caspian Sea Viktor
Kalyuzhny and his Iranian counterpart Mahdi Safari met here Wednesday to discuss
issues relating to the world's largest inland sea whose legal regime has still to
be determined by the littoral states.
According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, the Russian official proposed that the
next summit of the Caspian working group, scheduled for July, be held in Tehran.
Safari reiterated Iran's support for regular negotiations among the Caspian
littoral states in order to reach a final common ground, IRNA reported.
He said the exact date of the next summit of the Caspian working group will be
announced after a consensus is reached to this effect among coastal countries.
Safari last month reiterated Iran's call for condominium or common sovereignty on
the Caspian Sea or a minimum share of 20 percent if the other four littoral states
agree on a division.
Tehran has also rejected bilateral agreements on the sea, saying they will not help
with the establishment of the inland sea's legal regime and will further complicate
it.
______
/12:58 20.06.2002/ Georgia claims that Russia has not fulfilled commitments of OSCE
Istanbul summit so far
Tbilisi, June 20, 2002. (CNA). "The monitoring of the base at Gudauta proved that
Russia has already complied with its commitment, the Russian First Deputy Foreign
Minister Valeri Loshchinin told, adding that there is no reason for the monitoring
of Gudauta military base in Abkhazia once again.
Meanwhile, Georgian side claims that Russia has not fulfilled its commitment of
1999 OSCE Istanbul summit so far. In fact, at the 1999 OSCE Istanbul summit Russia
took the responsibility to pull out its troops and military hardware from the
strategic base till summer 2001. The Russian officials assert that troops and
military hardware is already pulled out from Gudauta.
A team of four OSCE military experts on June 15 conducted a two-hour visit to the
Gudauta base. Georgian side did not participated in the monitoring of the base and
demands to repeat the procedure. Abkhazian side is against of Georgia's
participation in the monitoring.
______
/12:37 20.06.2002/ Georgian Deputy Speaker started his visti to Armenia
Yerevan, June 20, 2002. (CNA). Delegation of Georgia's parliament led by Deputy
Speaker Vakhtang Kolbaya arrived today in Yerevan to participate in the fourth
meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Georgian-Armenian Commission.
During the meeting with their Armenian colleagues the Georgian lawmakers will
discuss cooperation between parliamentary delegations of the two
countries within the framework of international organizations and prospects of
implementation of joint projects within the framework of regional cooperation. The
sides will fix the schedule of further joint meetings of inter-parliamentary and
intergovernmental commissions of Armenia and Georgia. The course of ratification of
international treaties and agreements in the two countries, tasks on exchange of
draft laws between the two parliaments and harmonization of tax and customs laws,
legislation in the sphere of communication and energy will as well be touched upon.
Another problem to be focused on during the meetings is the forms of participation
of the Armenian side in the programs of social and
economic development of Javakhk, which is mostly enhabitted by Armenians.
______
When re-using CNA content, we require that you credit Caspian News Agency by
including "CNA/www.caspian.ru"
|
