Vladimir Putin Meets In Kremlin With Leaders Of Four Caucasian Republics

On the agenda of the current fifth meeting of heads of state of the "Caucasian Four" /Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Armenia/ are "crucial and important points" both for the region's vitality and for the four countries concerned, said Vladimir Putin at a Kremlin meeting Friday. According to him, the agenda covers struggle against terrorism, settlement of regional conflicts, deeper security cooperation, and coordination of efforts in the Caucasian region "to create conditions for positive cooperation" along all lines. The Russian president also said that the four heads of state had already had bilateral contacts, and in particular he met with Eduard Shevardnadze. After noting that there was no special bilateral meeting between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Putin expressed satisfaction with the positive contacts between Robert Kocharyan and Geidar Aliyev "on the sidelines" of the meeting. He expressed hope that the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh will get its positive solution too.