HOVHANNES HOVHANNISIAN: “ARMENIA CONSTANTLY HAS REGRESS IN KARABAKH
SETTLEMENT”
YEREVAN, August 23 (Noyan Tapan). “In the issue of Karabakh settlement
Armenia is subject to serious pressures, which are rather active and
strong. Declaring this at the August 21 press conference Hovhannes
Hovhannisian, the Chairman of the Liberal Progressive Party of
Armenia, mentioned that Armenia constantly has regress in this
issue. H.Hovhannisian mentioned that during the recent visit to Baku
Mohammad Khatami, the President of Iran, declared in the parliament of
Azerbaijan that Iran protects Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and
sees the solution of Karabakh problem in this context. And Igor
Lavrov, the RF Foreign Minister, made an analogous statement during
the visit of Elmar Mamediarov, his Azeri counterpart, to Moscow. “So,
our two strategic partners more or less supporting us in the Karabakh
issue in the previous month expressed their final viewpoints to us,
according to which they see the solution of the issue in the context
of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, H.Hovhannisian mentioned.
According to the head of the Liberal Progressive Party of Armenia,
Armenia has nothing to oppose to the pressures exerted upon it for the
purpose of solving the Karabakh problem in favor of itself. “Armenia
could undertake the way of democratization, become a democratic
country, which would be estimated by the international community and
the Karabakh problem would be solved in favor of Armenia, but Armenia
didn’t undertake this way,” he concluded.

US WILL CONTRIBUTE TO ECONOMIC PROSPERITY AND STRENGTHENING OF
DEMOCRACY IN ARMENIA, AMBASSADOR JOHN EVANS DECLARES
YEREVAN, August 23 (Noyan Tapan). Vardan Oskanian, RA Foreign
Minister, is sure that John Evans, the newly-appointed US Ambassador
to Armenia, with his activity will strengthen the good traditions of
the relations established between Armenia and the US, which are
important for Armenia and the whole region. V.Oskanian declared this
at the August 23 meeting on the occasion of handing of the copy of the
Ambassador’s credentials. In his turn J.Evans assured that with joint
efforts the US will contribute to provision of stability and security
of the region, as well as strengthening of democracy. According to the
Information Department of RA Foreign Ministry, during the conversation
the sides exchanged opinions about the current process of Nagorno
Karabakh settlement, Armenian-Turkish relations, as well as a number
of other international issues.

IN JAVAKHK GEORGIAN STUDENTS TRY TO PRESENT ARMENIAN CHURCH AS
GEORGIAN
AKHALKALAKI, August 23 (Noyan Tapan). Students of a number of higher
schools of Tbilisi visit Javakhk with a “Parvana” expedition for the
fifth time in succession. It is initiated and headed by monk Nikoloz,
Head of the so-called Gumburdo and Akhalkalak Diocese of the Georgian
Orthodox Church. According to the “A-Info” Agency, if last year the
expedition was mainly engaged in collecting stones from Abul mount for
the wall of the monastic complex of Poka, this year it decided to
travel over Javakhk. The 50-member group visited different areas of
Javakhk. The “pilgrimage” of the students started from the Armenian
village of Poka, in the vicinity of which the newly established
Georgian monastic complex is situated, and finished at the same
place. This time the local population also expressed dissatisfaction
in connection with the visit of the Georgian students: the reason was
scornful attitude towards the Armenian holy things, history,
traditions. There was espectially great dissatisfaction in the
villages of Gumburgo and Poka. So, Gumburdo was discontent that the
guests tried to present the Armenian church as Georgian. Poka was
discontent, because the Georgian students spread drugs among the youth
of the village, etc..

MINISTER OF CULTURE MENTIONS THAT ARMENIA SHOULD RECOGNIZE DIASPORAN
ARMENIAN CELEBRITIES
YEREVAN, August 23 (Noyan Tapan). “My wish is that Armenia should
recognize sculptor Arto Chakhmakhchian, Hasmik Papian and other
Diasporan Armenian celebrities.” RA Minister of Culture and Youth
Affairs Hovik Hoveyan said about it during the August 20 meeting with
Diasporan Armenian art workers. The latter arrived in Armenia at the
invitation of the RA Minister on the occasion of “One Nation, One
Culture” Pan-Armenian first cultural festival. According to poetess
Sona Vani, the festival gave numerous Diasporan Armenian art workers
an opportunity to be present at the cultural events taking place in
Armenia.
According to her, if the festival held for the first time has only
romantic importance, i.e. “art workers mark the revival of the
Armenian culture just through banquets and feast”, it would be better
if the festival had also practical continuation. Sona Vani doesn’t
agree with the title of “One Nation, One Culture” festival, because
according to her, there can’t be art of the Diaspora or the
Homeland. “If it is one nation, naturally, it has one culture.” The
poetess thinks that the festival should have been called “Pan-Armenian
Cultural Festival”. Sculptor Arto Chakhmakhchian expressed
dissatisfaction in connection with the monuments erected in
Yerevan. “I was surprised when I saw the tasteless monuments erected
in Yerevan. Could it be that there are no gifted sculptors in Armenia,
whose works should have been erected in the streets of the capital?”
mentioned the sculptor.

KfW CONDUCTS STUDY OF MORTGAGE MARKET OF ARMENIA
YEREVAN, August 23 (Noyan Tapan). The prospects of assistance of KfW
to implementation of the mortgage crediting program in Armenia were
discussed at the August 23 meeting of Aram Haroutiunian, RA Minister
of Urban Construction, and Raymond Strike, the Head of the advisers’
group of the KfW German bank. A.Haroutiunian mentioned that for the
purpose of regulation of the corresponding legislative field the
experience of European countries in this sphere is being studied at
present. According to the Minister, KfW may render assistance to both
families with average incomes for the purpose of buying an apartment
and to condominiums for the purpose of solving the problems of
buildings’ repair up to the problems of local heating.
The Press Service of RA Ministry of Urban Construction informed Noyan
Tapan that at present KfW conducts study of the mortgage market of
Armenia and the issues that were discussed will be submitted to the
leadership of the bank.

SOON CONDITIONS AND TERMS OF INTERNATIONAL TENDER ON “ALAVERDI-2”
SUBSTATION RELAUNCHING TO BE DECIDED
YEREVAN, August 23 (Noyan Tapan). The conditions and terms of the
international tender to carry out the relaunching of the high-voltage
“Alaverdi-2” substation will be decided during this week. Sahak
Abrahamian, Director of the “High-Voltage Electric Networks” company,
told NT correspondent the delay of the tender, which was initially
scheduled for May, will not affect the terms of the program
implementation. It should be noted that the KfW Bank (Germany)
provided Armenia with the loan of 4.7 mln euros with the purpose of
implementing “Regional System of Electrical Energy Transference
between Armenia and Georgia” (Alaverdi-2) program. 4.2 mln euros saved
from the loan provided by the same bank in 2001 for the reconstruction
of “Vanadzor” and “Kamo-2” high-voltage substations will also be
allocated to repair the “Alaverdi-2” substation.

Azeri foreign minister to meet Armenian counterpart in Prague on 30
August
Turan news agency
23 Aug 04

BAKU
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov today confirmed that
his meeting with Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan would take
place in Prague on 30 August.
[Passage omitted: Mammadyarov declined to speak about issues on
agenda]

The Communist Party will not allow anti-Russian sentiments to develop
Hayots Ashkharh, Yerevan
20 Aug 04
by Vahan Vardanyan
The Communist Party of Armenia [CPA] yesterday made a statement saying
that it intends to deal a final counterblow to any possible
anti-Russian sentiments. To find out the motives for such a
statement, the newspaper interviews the first secretary of the CPA
Central Committee, Ruben Tovmasyan.
[Hayots Ashkharh correspondent] Mr. Tovmasyan, how should one
understand such an unexpected statement by the CPA? What kind of
anti-Russian sentiments do you see as a subject of counteraction by
the party?
[Ruben Tovmasyan] Recently, various parties and politicians started
making statements concerning Armenian-Russian relations, calling them
exhausted. It means that the country’s foreign policy must be changed
towards the West and that only Western states, specifically the USA,
will help us build a prosperous country. Others point out the need for
Armenia’s integration into European structures and NATO.
However, the CPA is categorically against this position. We are sure
that only the deepening of relations with Russia can keep Armenia away
from disastrous developments in the future. The Communist Party of
Armenia believes that attempts to deepen anti-Russian sentiments will
affect only our country. Our relations with Russia over the last 300
years have stood a serious test and have done the Armenian people only
good.
[Correspondent] Who and which parties do you think support
anti-Russian sentiments?
[Tovmasyan] Unfortunately, their number has considerably increased of
late. Everyone who is allowed to speak on TV or in the press seems to
feel obliged to make anti-Russian statements, even saying that they
[the Russians] have prejudice against our people. Various parties, the
“remainder” of the [former ruling] Armenian Pan-National Movement,
initiators of various round table discussions and clubs have become
demonstrators of the “damage” caused by Armenian-Russian relations.
[Correspondent] Do you admit that such forces exist within the
Armenian opposition as well?
[Tovmasyan] Why not? But it is also unacceptable to us. A big question
mark is hanging over Russian-Armenian relations and the country’s
military orientation today, not over those who oppose the
authorities. Although the CPA is in radical opposition to the current
regime, it will not allow anti-Russian sentiments to develop,
irrespective of whether their initiators are in opposition or
government.
[Correspondent] However, the policy of the Armenian authorities is not
anti-Russian. In this context, your concern is exaggerated.
[Tovmasyan] No, it is not. As regards the authorities, I would mention
the circumstance that they do not make any radical statements and do
not declare pro-Russian orientation Armenia’s only and decisive
choice. There are some signs of it, but it does not mean that the
country’s orientation is pro-Russian, and it is mentioned in our
statement as well.
[Correspondent] Does the CPA still think that the only prospect is in
a union with Russia?
[Tovmasyan] Yes, we must ally ourselves with Russia on all
issues. Only this union will allow Armenia to solve its problems and
tasks.
[Correspondent] But which status should Armenia have in such a union?
[Tovmasyan] In my opinion, Armenia must maintain its statehood. But
we, the communists, consider it to be a key issue not to allow our
country to be sidelined from the developments in the former Soviet
Union. There is the Union of Russia and Belarus which is developing in
spite of minor obstacles. Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan
are stressing more and more the idea of restoring the common economic
area. These are the signs of Russia’s serious influence. Armenia must
actively participate in these processes.
[Correspondent] There are many predictions that Western influence will
gradually prevail in our region. How can we ally ourselves only with
Russia if we have no common border?
[Tovmasyan] This does not mean that Armenia must follow the example of
Azerbaijan and Georgia which have really pro-Western orientation. Our
country’s role in Western programmes is too modest and nominal. The
CPA will never agree with this.
We must have a pro-Russian orientation, and maybe only this will
influence Georgia and Azerbaijan and make them change their
orientation, and it is not we who must follow them. The West will take
into account our opinion when it sees us in a union with Russia, not
when we accept all their demands.

Armenian opposition leader unhappy about foreign policy
Arminfo
21 Aug 04
YEREVAN
If Armenia does not integrate into global political processes by 2009,
then by 2010, it will turn into a territory populated only by people
speaking Armenian, the chairman of the new Liberal Progressive Party
(LPP), Ovanes Ovanesyan, said at the Azdak discussion club today.
He said that Armenia has lost flexibility in its foreign policy and as
a result, has become a marginal country isolated from all the regional
communication, economic and political processes.
As an example, Ovanesyan said that Armenia was sidelined from the
European Union’s TRACECA [Transportation Corridor
Europe-Caucasus-Asia] and INOGATE [Interstate Oil and Gas Transport to
Europe], as well as from the North-South railway corridor projects.
Ovanesyan believes that the construction of the Iran-Armenia gas
pipeline is also in question as constructing a gas pipeline, which
will be 77mm in diameter, will not do Armenia and Iran any good.
Ovanesyan said that Armenia’s one-sided pro-Russian orientation has
put Armenia in quite a sensitive position. “In the eyes of the
international community, Armenia has turned into Russia’s vassal,
which has made Europe, the USA and NATO turn away from Armenia,” he
said.
Russia highly values Armenia as all its other satellites have gone out
of hand. However, this did not stop Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov from stating that Moscow recognizes Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity and sees the settlement to the Karabakh conflict on the
basis of this principle. Ovanesyan thinks the fact that the Iranian
speaker, who represents another partner of Armenia, Iran, recently
issued a similar statement in Baku proves that Yerevan’s foreign
policy is destructive.
According to him, today the international community is forcing the
Armenian side to accept “the option for settling the Karabakh conflict
which is against its interests”.
Ovanesyan also spoke out against Armenia’s membership of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization since the country has no
common border with any of its members. “The Collective Security Treaty
Organization will not ensure Armenia’s security,” he noted, adding
that Armenia’s neighbours, Georgia and Azerbaijan, are doing their
best to join NATO, which can take place in 2007. In that case, Armenia
will find itself in total isolation, as if need be, the member
countries of the Collective Security Treaty Organization will not be
able to render operational assistance to Armenia through its
neighbours which will already be NATO members.

RIA OREANDA, Russia
Economic News
Russian President Putin Looks Forward to More Active Trade and
Economic Ties with Armenia
Sochi. Late last week, President Vladimir Putin of Russia and Robert
Kocharian of Armenia discussed the two countries bilateral relations.
Vladimir Putin pins great hopes on more active trade and economic
relations in connection with the Russo-Armenian Intergovernmental
Commission, which is to begin work in the near future. Transport
Minister Igor Levitin will chair the Russian section of the
commission.
President Putin reminded that formerly Moscow and Yerevan managed to
resolve the problem of Armenias debts to Russia, when the Armenian
government allowed Russian investors to buy a number of Armenian
enterprises. In the case of double-purpose enterprises, the decision
is up to business people and in part to the government, Putin said.