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The Russian leader said the Caucasus region had a high potential for conflicts, and it was important to prevent further military-political rivalry and to eliminate possible obstacles hindering regional cooperation. President Putin said the Caucasian Four format involving Secretaries of national Security Councils was quite promising and deserved every support.

President Putin said he was worried about escalating tensions in the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict zone, and that a regional settlement could be attained with the help of an agreement, drafted by the UN Special Envoy, on dividing authorities between Tbilisi and Sukhumi. He said Russia, which could not remain indifferent to the plight of the 50,000 Russian citizens living in Abkhazia, would do everything possible in order to care for the refugees.

Vladimir Putin expressed hope that Armenia and Azerbaijan would continue to negotiate the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He said both Presidents were displaying goodwill, the main pre-requisite for defusing the conflict, and that, although this was a complicated and painful issue, a compromise did seem possible.

President Putin noted the need for consistent, long-term and multi-faceted efforts to combat international terrorism, to deprive terrorist cells of financial support and to wage an ideological struggle in this sphere.

Vladimir Putin said counter-terrorist operations, as well as mutual information exchanges, must be open and transparent, and that the meeting with the Secretaries of Security Councils of the Caucasian Four helped accomplish such objectives.