RA FOREIGN MINISTER LEFT FOR NKR TO HOLD CONSULTATIONS
ArmRadio.am
27.04.2006 15:22
April 27 RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan left for the
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on a two-day visit to hold recurrent
consultations.
In Stepanakert the Minister’s meetings with NKR President, heads of
parliament and government and Foreign Minister are scheduled.
Vardan Oskanyan will deliver a report at Stepanakert University.
FRANK PALLONE: BUSH’S REMARKS FAILED TO PROPERLY CHARACTERIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
ArmRadio.am
27.04.2006 16:07
Representative Frank Pallone, Jr, co-chairman of the Congressional
Caucus on Armenian Issues, made the following statement after
President Bush’s proclamation on the 91st anniversary of the start of
the Armenian Genocide: “The President should have used today’s 91st
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide to promote a United States foreign
policy that reflects appropriate understanding and sensitivity to human
rights, ethnic cleansing and genocide. Instead, President Bush failed,
once again, to honor his pledge to properly characterize the Armenian
Genocide as “genocide” in his annual April 24th remarks. Despite a
plea by over 200 Members of Congress last week, he continues to avoid
any clear reference to the Armenian Genocide.”
“It’s time the U.S. government recognizes these actions as genocide
so that we can renew our commitment to prevent such atrocities from
occurring again.
By properly affirming the Armenian Genocide, we can also help to
ensure its legacy and rightfully honor its victims and survivors,”
Frank Pallone concluded.
LECTURE ON THE IMPACT OF MEDIA LEGISLATION ON FREEDOM OF SPEECH IN ARMENIA TO BE DELIVERED IN AUA
ArmRadio.am
27.04.2006 16:45
April 29 David Sandukhchyan, Head of the Legal Service of the Internews
Media Support NGO will deliver a lecture on the “Impact of current
media legislation on freedom of speech in Armenia” in the American
University of Armenia.
The lecture will focus on the level of legal protection of journalists
in Armenia, issues of proper regulation of Mass Media activities and
law enforcement, ensuring independence of TV and radio companies,
legislative guarantees of the Mass Media’s independence from state
authorities, imperfect legislation ensuring protection of media
professionals; inadequate application of current legislation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
AZERI SOLDIER WOUNDED IN ARMENIAN CEASE-FIRE VIOLATION
MPA news agency
27 Apr 06
Baku, 27 April: An Azerbaijani soldier was wounded last night (26
April) as a result of firing by Armenian troops on the positions
of the Azerbaijani armed forces in Tartar [District], the Defence
Ministry has told MPA. The soldier is Novruz Ismayilov, born in 1987.
His health condition is satisfactory now.
Armenian troops again violated the cease-fire in Agdam at 1135 [0635
gmt] today. They fired on the opposite positions of the Azerbaijani
army from positions in the village of Saricali.
RUSSIAN COMPANY TO BUY ARMENIAN TELECOM MONOPOLY – PAPER
Aykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
26 Apr 06
Text of Vaagn Hovakimyan report by Armenian newspaper Aykakan Zhamanak
on 26 April headlined “Who owns Sistema”
It’s already clear that one of the Russian telecom companies will
shortly buy [Greek company] OTE’s 90-per-cent share of ArmenTel.
Potential buyers themselves say that they will: in early April a
public relations official of Sistema Telecom, Anna Boyko, announced
that the company was going to buy the shares and even specified how
much it was ready to pay – 350m dollars. And this sum may well turn
out to be bigger. As far as we know, OTE expects to get between 400m
and 450m euros for ArmenTel.
Sistema Telecom is part of the Sistema financial corporation, a group
of several dozens of companies operating in various markets.
Systema’s total capital is about 11bn dollars. Sistema Telecom is a
kind of the head office for the group’s six other telecom companies,
three of which are mobile service operators. Officially, Sistema
Telecom has 40m subscribers. One of its member companies is MTS,
Russia’s biggest mobile service operator.
Obviously, the Russian wish to buy ArmenTel has political motives
too. Before Sistema Telecom made its bid public, ArmenTel had
named other Russian buyers. So why exactly Sistema Telecom? In
fact, the Sistema corporation is a network of companies of various
specialization, and the Russian government is also involved in it:
it holds shares in several telecom companies which are also owned by
the Sistema corporation. So, Sistema’s structure seems to be specially
designed to mislead as to who actually owns the shares of which of its
companies or, respectively, the shares of their daughter companies
and who is ultimately behind all this network of indirect ties. The
key point here is that the corporation is said to have close relations
with the Moscow authorities. That is probably why it won several big
contracts years ago and has grown strong enough ever since to buy
major stakes at various companies. The Russia mass media have widely
reported about these bizarre and mysterious contracts.
U.S. MAKES EVERY EFFORT FOR PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.04.2006 20:42 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. is a Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group and
makes every effort for peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans stated in an interview
with PanARMENIAN.Net. The head of the U.S. diplomatic mission referred
to the words of U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Ambassador Steven
Mann, who addressed this issue when he said, the way peace is best
served is by taking that first step towards an agreement in 2006. “I
think this is our year, and these are the months, to take that first
important step,” Mann said. “And I am absolutely convinced that in
the months ahead the two sides have the chance to greatly lower the
dangers of a new war,” the U.S. Co-Chair said.
OPPOSING RUSSIA TO EU UNACCEPTABLE TO ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.04.2006 21:30 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia’s urge to expand relations with the EU and
NATO is not aimed against Russia, Armenian Speaker Artur Baghdassaryan
said. “I am for us developing our relations with the EU intensively
and purposefully integrate in various European structures, including
the Council of Europe,” Baghdassaryan told journalists in Saint
Petersburg. At the same time, he emphasized, “this does not meeting
Armenia’s cooperation with the EU should worsen relations with Russia.”
“Opposing Russia, who is our best reliable partner, to the EU
is unacceptable to us,” he remarked. Touching upon NATO-Armenia
relations, he said, “we have the Individual Partnership Action Plan
(IPAP), however the matter concerns not only cooperation. The issue of
possibility of Armenia’s accession to the NATO is not on the foreign
policy agenda,” Artur Baghdassaryan said, reports Interfax.
FORGED DOCUMENT GROUP BUSTED IN RUSSIAN FAR EAST
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
27 Apr 06
Khabarovsk, 27 April: Members of a criminal group involved in the
production of forged documents for illegal immigrants have been
arrested by officers of the Federal Security Service’s directorate for
Khabarovsk Territory. Russian and Armenian nationals were among them,
the directorate’s press service told ITAR-TASS.
The operatives have found two underground printing shops.
Eighty-seven forged migration cards, over 30 Russian passports, several
police IDs, college graduation certificates, insurance policies and
letters of authority, as well as 250 forged stamps of various offices
and firms have been seized.
The security officials believe that “the forged documents have been
used to create channels for illegal immigration”. Criminal proceedings
into the case have been launched.
NKR DELEGATES MIGHT APPEAR AT PACE SOME DAY
Lragir.am
27 April 06
Economic cooperation between Karabakh and Armenia must improve, stated
Deputy Speaker of Armenia Tigran Torosyan in Stepanakert, after the
meeting of the Parliamentary Commission of Armenia and Karabakh in the
capital of NKR. He emphasized that this question would by all means
appear on the agenda of the commission. In answer to the question of
the Lragir why the question occurred now, Tigran Torosyan said there
are issues which require a solution.
Tigran Torosyan told about the activity of the Armenian delegation
to the PACE. In the beginning it was stated that the NKR members of
parliament cannot be included in the Armenian delegation to the PACE.
“They may dream of the day, of course, when they participate as a
separate delegation,” he said. The deputy speaker of Armenia said
the Karabakh issue is intensively discussed by European organizations
in the recent 1 or 2 years. In 2005 the PACE adopted the resolution
#1416 on the conflict over Karabakh, several days ago a resolution
on refugees was adopted and a document on missing persons is being
prepared. Even an ad-hoc committee has been established.
Tigran Torosyan emphasized that so far the Armenian delegation has
managed to insist on the necessity of recognition of the right for
self-determination of the Karabakh people. And it is accepted. For
the PACE resolution, the parties are called for stopping militaristic
statements and preventing another war. However, Tigran Torosyan says
the resolution does not provide for sanctions. Perhaps, the mandate
of the committee of Russell Johnston was prolonged to control the
fulfillment of the resolution.
Commenting on Aliev’s recent statement about a settlement based on
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, Tigran Torosyan said we honor
the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan but it has nothing to do with
the right of NKR for self-determination. The international community
already accepts this, however it finds that the will for fulfillment
of this right must be confirmed. “Nobody doubts the results of another
referendum if it is ever held,” said Tigran Torosyan.
For the Iran-United States relations, Tigran Torosyan said specific
events by all means have an impact on specific conflicts, however,
“the possible strike of America is not the question that should be
discussed during the meeting of a joint commission.” “I hope America
will not strike, and if it does, it will not affect the settlement
of the conflict,” said Tigran Torosyan.
The question of the Constitution of NKR was also discussed during
the meeting. NKR Deputy Speaker Rudik Hyusnunts announced that the
constitution will have been adopted by the end of this year.
Currently 2 out of 8 chapters are being worked out. In this context
Tigran Torosyan commended the fact that a large number of laws in
the NKR legislation comply with European standards.
Both the Armenian and Karabakh parties assessed the meeting of
the commission as practical. It was stated that the meetings of the
commission are to be held twice a year. Tigran Torosyan promised that
the schedule will be fixed, and another meeting will take place in
the fall. He noted that the level of the meeting with the parliament
of Karabakh is as high as that of meetings with other parliaments.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
POLICE AND NATIONAL SECURITY AGENTS IN NEW TIMES
Lragir.am
27 April 06
The announcement of the leader of the political party Nor Zhamanakner
(New Times) Aram Karapetyan, that there are 6 police and 8 national
security agents in his party, whose names and aliases will soon be
published, aroused great interest in political circles. The Democratic
Party suggested that Aram Karapetyan display his ability to unmask
agents. On April 27 at the Pastark Club Aram Karapetyan briefly
explained the technique of revealing agents, “One needs to have money,
not to take the money home. The struggle should be serious and one
needs to have their own network of agents.”
Aram Karapetyan says he learns about every decision made by force
agencies within an hour, sometimes without money. For instance, recent
information from the National Security Service. During the meeting
of the college of the National Security Service the chiefs of two
departments complained of law salaries. In answer the leadership told
them to live on whatever they can. Aram Karapetyan asks, “Imagine,
for instance, the department of reconnaissance lives on whatever
they can – catches a spy, extorts money and lets him go free.” Aram
Karapetyan assures that Robert Kocharyan watched the video of the
raid of the National Security Service and after the second watching
the president said, “Aram Karapetyan is a difficult case.” Whereas,
the force agencies are not supposed to become engaged in political
developments. On April 28 Aram Karapetyan invited to a rally and
a march; among other slogans the phrase “Gorik, go away” will be
chanted. Gorik is the chief of the National Security Service Gorik
Hakobyan.