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Negotiations

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Armenia and Orenburg territory sign cooperation agreement

The Armenian government and Orenburg territory will sign an agreementon cooperation on Friday, aimed at establishing mutually beneficialbilateral relations, the governor of the territory Alexey Chenyshovsaid at a meeting with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, the Armenianpresidential press-service said, News Armenia reports.Chernyshov said he arrived in Armenia with a delegation consisting ofheads of departments and specialists from different spheres.

Sargsyan considers 2010 the period of Armenian economy restoration

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at a meeting with the head ofthe IMF mission in Armenia, Mark Louis, and deputy chairman of the IMFin Armenia, Giermo Tolosoy, that 2010 will be a very active year forthe republic from the economic restoration point of view, News Armeniareports.

PACE may close political file on South Ossetian conflict

The briefer of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the South Ossetian conflict in August 2008, David Wilshire, presented a package of propositions on closing the Russian-Georgian file, said deputy of the Russian delegation in PACE and first deputy chairman of the Duma committee on foreign affairs, Leonid Slutskiy, ITAR-TASS reports.

Azerbaijani foreign minister met OSCE chairman

On his visit to Tajikistan the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, Elmar Mammadyarov, met the OSCE chairman-in-office and head of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, Kanat Saudabayev, ANS PRESS reports. The meeting took place in Dushanbe within the framework of the 37th session of the council of foreign ministers of member-states of the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Azerbaijani ambassador to visit Abkhazia

The Azerbaijani ambassador to Georgia, professor Namik Aliyev, willvisit the Abkhazian capital on May 20. In Sukhumi he plans to meet thehead of the local university, professor Joni Apakidze, as well asmembers of the academic council and students, Rosbalt reports.

Minister of European Integration to speak to Georgian parliament

The Georgian State Minister on European-Atlantic Integration GeorgiyBaramiya will speak in parliament tomorrow. He is expected toparticipate in a joint session of committees on euro-integration andissues of Georgians living abroad, The Georgia Times reports.The minister will also inform parliament about the cooperation betweenGeorgia and EU.

Murder suspect extradited from Russia to Abkhazia for first time

An Abkhazian national accused of murder was deported to Abkhazia fromRussia on May 15th in the first case of its kind.Andronik Nersesian is accused of murdering a man from the republic'sGulripshskiy region in August 1999, Interfax reports.According to Golos Rossii, the Prosecutor-General's office of Abkhaziasent over 15 requests to Russia to extradite people for seriouscrimes.

Brazil, Turkey to participate in Iran Six talks

Brazil, Turkey to participate in Iran Six talks

Brazil and Turkey are willing to participate in Iran Six (the fivepermanent members of UN Security Council plus Germany) on the Iraniannuclear issue, France Press reported on Tuesday, citing the foreignpolicy advisor to the Brazilian president.On Monday, the foreign ministers of Iran, Brazil and Turkey signed anagreement on the exchange of Tehran's low-enriched (3.5%) uranium forhighly-enriched (to 20%) fuel for Tehran's science research reactor.

Turkey speaks out against Iran sanctions

Turkey will not support sanctions against Iran, Turkish ForeignMinister Ahmed Davutoglu said, 1new.az reports."The agreement on the exchange of Iranian uranium is not just adocument of good intentions, but also a significant agreement," henoted. "The trilateral agreement between Brazil, Turkey and Iran isthe most important diplomatic step by Tehran in the 30 years".Davutoglu expressed confidence that Iran will fulfill its obligations.

Brazil-Iran have a 30% chance to agree

The chance Brazilian Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will manage to come to an agreement with Iran is 30%, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said, RIA Novosti reports.“Taking into account that my friend Luiz is an optimist, I want to be an optimist as well and I give – 30%”, Medvedev said, answering the journalists’ questions on the chances of Brazilian president for success in negotiations with Iran, where he will arrive on Saturday.

Russian State Duma ratifies protocol on CIS border control

The Russian State Duma ratified the protocol on organizing cooperation between border control services in regulating crisis situations on external frontiers with the CIS today.According to Rosbalt, the protocol was signed on 5th October 2007 in Dushanbe by the heads of Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The document is aimed at implementing the agreement on cooperation of border troops of CIS countries in case of crisis situations on their external frontiers.

Czech Republic and EU to support negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh settlement

The Czech Republic and the EU in general are ready to support thenegotiation process on a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, Czech ForeignMinister Jan Kohout said at a press-conference after negotiations withAzerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov, ITAR-TASS reports.Kohout noted that the Czech Republic refers to international legalnorms, the act signed in Helsinki and the Madrid document, reflectingthe principle of territorial unity.

Azerbaijan, Finland agree on customs cooperation

Azerbaijan and Finland signed an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation in the sphere of customs and mutual aid, says the report of State Customs Committee (SCC) of Azerbaijan, Trend reports.The agreement was signed by Azerbaijani head of SCC Aydyn Aliyev and Finnish Director General of the National Customs Department Tapani Erling within the framework of a two-day visit of Azerbaijani delegation to Finland 10-11 May.

Georgian government neglects criticism from EU

Liberalization of economy helped Georgia cope with crisis, parliamentary committee on field economy answered the criticism of EU, Trend reports.The committee believes that free trade with EU is essential, but economic development remains priority for the country.European Commissioner Stefan Fule criticized Georgia for ultraliberal views of Georgian government that don’t meet free trade with EU.

Kiev does not acknowledge sovereignty of Abkhazia and South Ossetia

Ukraine will not acknowledge the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Constantine Grisheno said in an interview to Kommersant-Ukraine newspaper.He added that Ukraine is planning sectoral agreements on cooperation with Russia and will participate more actively in the work of CIS, but will not become a member of CIS.

Erdogan to make a historic visit to Greece

Erdogan to make a historic visit to Greece

Ankara considers the visit of the Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdoganto Greece an historic one. Erdogan will be the first Turkish Premier tovisit Athens, TRT reports, adding that he is accompanied by 10 ministersand a large group of businessmen.Erdogan’s visit is considered to mark a new period in relations betweenTurkey and Greece.The Turkish Premier will take part in various negotiations, including

Turkish Foreign Minister and US Secretary of State have telephone conversation

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a telephone conversation on Thursday, Anadolu agency said, Trend reports.They discussed the Iranian nuclear program. Davutoglu informed Clinton about his negotiations with the Iranian authorities on uranium exchange. Clinton and Davutoglu agreed to continue discussions on Turkish efforts in the issue.

Co-chairs of Geneva negotiations arrive to Tbilisi

Co-chairs of negotiations in Geneva from OSCE, UN and EU arrived to Tbilisi today. According to Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Nino Kalanadze, the co-chairs will have meeting in Tbilisi to discuss various issues planned for June 8th on the 11-round of talks, Trend reports.They will meet Deputy Interior Minister Gigoy Bokeriya to coordinate the exact schedule of meetings in Tbilisi.

Russian, Turkish foreign ministries promote fight against transnational crime

The Russian and Turkish foreign ministries will promote a joint fightagainst transnational crime, illegal migration and smuggling under anagreement between the two ministries on cooperation signed in Ankarawithin the framework of the Russian president's visit, RIA Novostireports.The agreement replaces a 1992 deal and provides broader contacts infighting terrorism, corruption, economic crime, human trafficking,organized illegal migration, drug crimes, and smuggling.