New Kars Mayor blocked the programs on protection of the Armenian historical buildings initiated by his predecessor Naif Alibeyoglu. Homeless are gathering in the old Armenian houses near Kars fortress, breaking windows and doors of the buildings. The local residents are indignant at these acts of vandalism and appealed to the Mayor demanding that destruction of the old buildings should be prevented. In reply to complaints, the head of Kars department on culture and tourism Hakan Doganay stated that protection of the mentioned buildings is not under the authority of his department, as they belong to the city hall.

The only CSTO leader not to attend the summit is Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov.

Earlier, the Russian media reported that Lukashanko may boycott the summit due to strained relations between Russian and Belarus leaders.

Armenia will host informal CSTO summit on August 21-22. Five presidents will be present. Situation in Kyrgyzstan will be the key issue discussed during the summit, CSTO website says. “The Presidents of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan will discuss situation in Kyrgyzstan and collective measures on stabilization of the situation in the country,” the statement reads.

According to the source, the return of Martuni, Martakert and Shahumyan regions was raised by the Armenian side. The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs also attended the meeting and took the issue with understanding. The diplomatic sources did not rule out the issue will again be touched upon at the meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister in Almaty, on the sidelines of OSCE Informal Ministerial.

The reason for Russia’s desire to emphasize its role in the South Caucasus is Turkey’s becoming increasing active in the region recently. “Russia will never agree to share its dominant role in the region, particularly in the Karabakh conflict, with a third country,” she said.

Manvel Sargsyan, an expert for the Armenian Center for National and International Studies, stressed that Gryzlov’s statement can be considered in the context of an agreement reached between Moscow and Ankara during the recent mutual visits by the two states’ leaders.

“Over the last month, Russia’s position on Nagorno-Karabakh has been hard to explain. Many questions have arisen which have never been answered,” the expert said. RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s Brussels address to NATO to step up efforts in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process is indirect evidence Russia and Turkey consider the peace process in the context of their bilateral relations.”The reason for Serzh Sargsyan’s must have been his forecasts concerning the plans of Ankara and Moscow,” the expert said.

During his recent visit to Yerevan, Speaker of the RF State Duma Boris Gryzlov stated specific decisions concerning the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be made in the near future.

He stressed that clear steps are being made and prerequisites for decisions concerning the settlement are available. It is natural to discuss the NKR’s status during the talks, Gryzlov said. He stressed that the issue of territories controlled by the Armenian side is being discussed as well.

YEREVAN, (Reuters) – Breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh held a parliamentary election on Sunday, a month after the collapse of a plan to end hostility between Armenia and Turkey and ease tension in the south Caucasus.

Most candidates and parties insist on independence for Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijan, while some want the region to become part of Armenia. Officials see the poll as part of a process of institution building in the disputed enclave.

Azerbaijan, which is backed by ethnically related Turkey, criticised the election as illegal.

The tiny mountainous region, mainly populated by Christian Armenians, seceded from Muslim Azerbaijan and proclaimed independence after a war in the early 1990s that killed some 30,000. Its independence is not recognised by any country.

Azerbaijan wants Nagorno-Karabakh back, if necessary by force. More than 15 years of mediation have failed to produce a final peace deal and the threat of war is never far away in a key energy transit region to the West.

Turkey, Azerbaijan’s energy trading partner in the region, closed the border with Armenia in 1993 in solidarity with a close Muslim ally in its losing battle with Armenian-backed fighters in Karabakh.

The breakaway region has seen an increase in tension since Armenia and Turkey announced their rapprochement last year. Azerbaijan feared its interest in Nagorno-Karabakh would be sacrificed as part of a strategic deal.

The accord crumbled last month, when Armenia suspended its ratification following Turkish demands that it first reach terms over Nagorno-Karabakh — a condition Turkey set to appease Azerbaijan, an oil and gas producer which hosts oil majors including BP (BP.L), ExxonMobil (XOM.N) and Chevron (CVX.N).

“Democracy is one of the most important values for us,” Nagorno-Karabakh leader Bako Sahakyan told reporters after voting, urging the next parliament to take further steps towards independence.

Polls closed at 8 p.m. and an election commission spokesman said the result would not be clear until Monday morning.

Parties, which include pro-government Free Motherland, Democratic Party of Artsakh and Dashnaktsutiun as well as opposition, but not popular Communist Party, will need to clear a six-percent threshold to get into the parliament.

Azerbaijan condemned the poll.

“The ‘new election farce’ in the occupied territories violates Azerbaijan’s constitution and the norms of international law,” Azerbaijan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) said in a statement.

Azerbaijan has warned observers against monitoring the poll. “Nagorno-Karabakh is Azeri territory and anyone visiting it without permission from the Azeri side will be declared persona non grata and will not be able to visit Azerbaijan,” said Elkhan Polukhov, a foreign ministry spokesman. (Additional reporting by Afet Mehtiyeva in Baku; Writing by Margarita Antidze; Editing by Maria Golovnina)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 24 (UPI) — European officials arrived Monday to survey a cease-fire along the Azeri border with Armenia following elections in a breakaway region, Azeri officials said.

The Azerbaijan Defense Ministry said a monitoring group from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe arrived Monday in the region.

Azerbaijan and Armenia have complained of violations to a 1994 cease-fire agreement related to conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, an area of dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Nagorno-Karabakh, which declared independence in 1991, lies inside Azerbaijan but has a population that is predominantly ethnic Armenian.

The United States, Russia and France have been trying to mediate the territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia that has resulted in the deaths of some 30,000 people.

The last OSCE monitoring May 13 found no cease-fire violations, Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti reports.

The breakaway region, meanwhile, had elections for its 33-seat Parliament during the weekend.

More than 70 international observers monitored the election.