Iran Hampers Advance of Russia-Armenia Cooperation, Moscow Professor SupposesMay 16, 2006 - 18:30 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Presence fo observers at elections is compulsory, however it should be systematic, Chair of the Department of Comparative Political Science of Moscow State Institute of International Relations Mikhail Ilyin said, when answering a question on differences of assessment of the elections in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan by CIS and OSCE observer missions. In his words, the role of observers lies in providing equal assessment of elections in any country. «An absolutely impartial assessment by experts is impossible. However, this does not mean that observers are not necessary. As of standards, they are present always - dual, triple, as interested parties often assume the role of experts," Ilyin noted.As of Russian policy in the South Caucasus, Ilyin said, «in case of Armenia there are far less problems, than with Azerbaijan, to say nothing of Georgia. A major issue form advancement of relations and cooperation with Armenia is absence of a common border, as well as Iran. However, I believe there is a good potential for expanding cooperation between the two countries.» In his words, there are more problems with Azerbaijan and these relate to oil and gas sector, as well as that country's relations with Iran. «Worsening of Russian-Georgian relations is linked with many factors, most important of these being not constructive policy of the Georgian authorities. However, I hope Russia will not interfere with Georgia's internal affairs, especially in settlement of the Ossetian conflict,» the professor said. Top stories Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took to social media to thank his Lithuanian counterpart for the contribution. President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Achieving stable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains a priority of the OSCE, said Ian Borg. The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State to travel to Armenia Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs James C. O’Brien will travel to Yerevan on June 10-12. Power of One Dram to benefit Road of Life, Strong Mind IDBank and Idram summarize the results of the May program of “The Power of One Dram”. |