9.30

1. Opening of the meeting by President Di Stasi (Italie, R, SOC)

9.40

2. Adoption of the draft agenda

9.45

3. Introduction of the participants: ‘tour de table’

10.00

4. Overview of the Congress’ activities in South Caucasus

10.05

5. Development of local and regional democracy: the role of National Associations of Local Authorities in the South Caucasus

5.1. Creation of the National Association of Local Authorities of Georgia “NALAG” (Tbilisi, December 2004) and recent developments

- Statement by President Di Stasi (Italie, R, SOC)

- Statement by Mr Mamuka Abuladze (Georgia, L, ILDG), President of NALAG

- Statement by Mr David Melua, Executive Director of NALAG

5.2. The recent developments in Armenia (legislation, referendum, etc.)

- Statement by the Secretariat

- Statement by Mr Emin Yeritsyan (Armenia, L, EPP/CD), Head of the Armenian delegation to the Congress, board coordinator of the Armenian Association of communities

- Statement by Mrs Natalya Lapauri, Secretary of the Armenian delegation

[Press release]

[Newsletter]

11.00

Break

11.15

5.3. The joint project Congress-KS to favour the creation of a National Association of Local Authorities in Azerbaijan

- Introduction by the Secretariat

- Statement by Mr Ilgar Aliyev (Azerbaijan, L, EPP/CD)

- Statement by Mr Fikret Rzayev, Rapporteur of the Steering Group, coordinator of the NGO ‘For the Sake of Civil Society’

- Comments by Mr Owen Masters, former member of the Congress, Moderator of the Steering Group

[Summary of the project]

[Agenda of the 1^st Steering Group]

12.00

Discussion: the role of National Associations of Local Authorities in the South Caucasus with regards to local and regional democracy

12.30

Lunch break

14.30

6. Presentation of ENTO’s activities on “Transcaucasian cooperation: Training for local and regional elected representatives”

6.1. Introduction by Mr Ulrich Bohner, Chief Executive of the Congress

6.2 Exchange of views on the seminar in Alanya (Turkey), May 2005, and the 18^th annual general meeting of ENTO, Yerevan (Armenia), October 2005

- Mr Yavuz Mildon (Turkey, R, EPP/CD), President of Chamber of Regions

- Mr Emin Yeritsyan (Armenia, L, EPP/CD), Head of the Armenian delegation to the Congress

- Mr Anatoly Saltykov (Russian Federation, R, SOC), Vice-President of the Congress, member of the Russian delegation

- Mrs Gulnaz Salamova (Azerbaijan, L, ILDG)

- Mr David Melua, Executive Director of NALAG

[Agendas of the meetings]

[final declaration]

15.00

7. Other activities of the Council of Europe on local and regional democracy in the South Caucasus

7.1. Capacity-Building and Legal expertise – DG I

Presentation by Mr Roberto Fasino, Directorate General of Legal Affairs – Direction of Cooperation for Local and Regional Democracy

7.2. Council of Europe field offices – DGAP

Statement by the Directorate of Political Affairs

7.3. Council of Europe Joint Projects

Statement by the Directorate of Strategic Planning

7.4. Discussion: Needs in terms of training and in other fields of activity

16.00

8. Future activities of the Congress concerning South Caucasus

8.1 Introduction by President Di Stasi

8.2 Statutory Committees

Statements by Mrs Helene Lund (Denmark, L, SOC), Chair of of the Culture and Education Committee of the Chamber of Local Authorities, Mr Viacheslav Rogov (Russian Federation, L, ILDG), Chair of the Committee on Social Cohesion of the Chamber of Local Authorities, the Secretariat

[terms of reference of the Statutory Committees]

8.3 Election observations:

Statement by the Secretariat

Discussion

16.45

9. Other business

17.00

10. End of the meeting