page 10
Ambassador Tina Kaidanow, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State forEuropean and Eurasian Affairs had a closed-door meeting with Georgianparliamentary and non-parliamentary opposition, News Georgia reports.The main issue of discussion was the May 30 local elections in Georgiaand the Tbilisi mayoral elections.
The presidents of Azerbaijan and Serbia, Ilkham Aliyev and BorisTadic, signed a joint declaration in Baku today, RIA Novosti reports,citing the Azerbaijani presidential press service.Both presidents note that there is great potential for broadening tiesbetween the countries in various spheres, including economic ties, andexpressed confidence in the further development of bilateralrelations.They exchanged opinions on bilateral, regional and international issues.
Iran is ready to provide Tajikistan with any necessary assistance inimproving the lives of its citizens, Defense Minister of Iran AhmadVahidi said after a meeting with Tajik Defense Minister SheraliKhayrulloyev, Iran News reports.Vahidi noted that Tajikistan possesses great resources. Its hydroplants can supply neighboring countries and Iran will help Tajikistanmake use of the opportunity.
The speaker of the Georgian parliament, David Bakradze, has met theEU's special envoy to the South Caucasus Peter Samnebi in Tbilisi, TheGeorgian Times reports.According to the parliament's press-service, the sides discussed theMay 30 local elections.
The special envoy of the European Union to the South Caucasus, Peter Samnebi, believes that Georgia and Russia should gradually settle their relations, Trend reports.He said at a meeting with the chairman of the Georgian parliament, David Bakradze, that they should take a pragmatic approach to many issues, including trade and other relations. They discussed the situation in Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and state strategy on these territories.
Although the sides have not fully come together, progress is being made on a Nagorno-Karabakh resolution, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said at a press-conference in Ankara after negotiations with Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan, RIA Novosti reports. He said that they discuss the issue regularly. The last time it was discussed was in Washington. Medvedev said that they are continuing their efforts to solve the issue. He met President Sargsyan and President Aliyev and carried out joint meetings on the problem,
Russia and Turkey can realize joint high-tech projects to modernize the economy of the two countries, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said at a meeting in Ankara, RIA Novosti reports.One of the projects is the creation of broadband wireless internet access using WiMAX technology.Medvedev also said that Russia and Turkey may increase trade turnover to $100 billion in five years.
The European Union does not want to compete with Russia in post-Soviet space, said the European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighboring Policy, Stefan Fule, RIA Novosti reports.Fule recalled that the EU had offered to cooperate with Russia in the 'Eastern Partnership' program, which covers the political and economic integration of the EU with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldavia and Belarus, but that the Russian authorities refused.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev concluded his visit to Syria and arrived with an official visit to Turkey, RIA Novosti reports.Russian leader arrived to the airport of Esenbod in Ankara where the state flags of Russia and Turkey were raised and honorary guards were drawn up. Medvedev greeted the soldiers in Turkish.Medvedev met the Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Chairman of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Mehmet Ali Sahin and had negotiations with Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Azerbaijani parliament passed a bill in the third reading onAzerbaijan's participation in peacekeeping operations, Trend reports.“The law specifies the basis, forms and rules of Azerbaijaniparticipation in peacekeeping operations, concerning warning,settlement and solution of local and regional conflicts”, said amember of the committee of the Milli Majlis (the Azerbaijaniparliament) on security and defense, Siavush Novruzov.
Georgian Minister for Reintegration Timur Yakobashvili reported thatTbilisi will not renew war with Abkhazia and is ready to sign thenecessary documents with Russia and the world community, Georgia Timesreports.
A delegation headed by the leading specialist of the World Bank’s (WB)financial sector, Michael Edwardson, arrived in Baku on May 10th,1news.az reports, citing the Azerbaijani State Committee on Securities(SCS). The visit ends on May 18th.The committee plans to discuss with the WB specialists development ofcooperation on development of securities market of Azerbaijan andpreparation of a joint project ‘Modernization of the Capital Market’.
The co-chairmen of the discussions in Geneva on security in the Transcaucasia are to visit South Ossetia, Yuga.ru reports.According to the presidential envoy of South Ossetia on post-conflict settlement Boris Chochiyev, the co-chairs from the EU, the OSCE and the UN will arrive for preparatory works on May 13th.
The issue of the delimitation of state borders between Azerbaijan andRussia has been fully resolved, Trend reports, citing the head of theState Committee on land and mapping of Azerbaijan Garib Mamedov.According to Mamedov, Russia and Azerbaijan came to an agreement onexploiting the border bridge over Samur river, forests and otherdisputed territories.The head of State Committee said that they are currently working onmaps, and the work will be completed in the near future.
Within the visit of the Adygeya delegation to Ukraine, the sidessigned an agreement on friendship and cooperation between theAntratsitov region and the Lugansk Territory, Yuga.ru reports, citingthe president of the Republic of Adygeya, Aslan Tkhakushinov.
The Secretary-General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen and the head ofAzerbaijani delegation to the alliance Kamil Khasiyev have discussedthe prospects of cooperation between Azerbaijan and NATO, theAzerbaijani Foreign Ministry said, Trend reports.The Secretary-General said he highly valued the Azerbaijanicontribution to the restoration of stability in Afghanistan and itsparticipation in peacekeeping operations.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki did not discuss sanctionsagainst Iran with diplomats from the UN Security Council, RIA Novostireports, citing the Japanese envoy at the UN, Yuki Takako.The meeting, which took place on Thursday night and went on into theearly hours of Friday, was organized at the initiative of Mottaki. Of15 members of the Security Council, only Nigeria and Gabon were notpresent. The five permanent members with the veto, Russia, China, theUSA, Great Britain, France, participated.
A round-table in Ingushetia featuring government figures, NGOs andreligious organizations of Ingushetia and North Ossetia discussed therapprochement of good-neighbourly relations and measures on the returnand development of refuges.The participants discussed ways of eliminating the consequence of theOssetian-Ingush conflict, mainly concerning refugees, their return andintegration, Rosbalt reports.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has no plans to meet his Azerbaijanicounterpart Ilkham Aliyev in Moscow, RIA Novosti reports, citing theArmenian president's press-secretary.An informal summit of CIS and CSTO countries will take place on May 8 in Moscow.Azerbaijani media report that the presidents plan a meeting within theframework of the summit.
The Secretary-General of GUAM (Organization for Democracy and EconomicDevelopment) Valery Chechelashvili visited Georgia on May 3-5. He metthe Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister David Jalaganiya and discussedvarious issues, mainly the implementation of GUAM projects. The sidesexchanged their views on the session of the Council of NationalCoordinator of GUAM, Trend reports.
