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05/10/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Remembering Shushi Liberation with Calls for Peace 2) Government, Opposition Continue Negotiations 3) Kocharian to Steer Clear of NATO Summit in Istanbul 1) Remembering Shushi Liberation with Calls for Peace STEPANAKERT (Combined Sources)--Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) celebrated the 1992 liberation of Shushi on May 9, also the Russian holiday Victory Day, which observes the end of World War II. In a statement, President Kocharian celebrated the "day of victory and peace," saying that the day has taken on new meaning since the liberation of Shushi. "The day symbolizes the adamant will of the people to protect their rights, guarantee their security, and freedom to develop." Kocharian said that the days also correspond to the 10th anniversary of a ceasefire in Karabagh. "The fruits of this peaceful decade are unmistakable," he said, pledging his resolve to settle the conflict peacefully. MKR President Arkady Ghukasian said that the Shushi operation literally saved the people of Artsakh from physical elimination, by opening the "road to life" and to Armenia. Talking about Shushi's Liberation and Victory Day, Ghukasian pointed to the strength of successive generations. "The current generation continues with the glorious military traditions of their grandfathers and fathers who demonstrated courage and fearlessness on the battlefield of the World War II. The current generation defended the freedom and independence of Mountainous Karabagh even when the enemy outnumbered physically, and outweighed with their military hardware." He stressed that while MKR's defense forces remain the most reliable guarantor of security, vigilance must be maintained at a time when Azerbaijan tries to reverse history, cherishing hopes for a forcible settlement of the Karabagh problem. "We should maintain the rate of military construction, equip our army with up-to-date weapons, and seek to improve fighting skills." Ghukasian emphasized, however, that Karabagh's army is one of peace, with the fundamental goal of defending MKR and its people against external aggression. "Be confident; our army is ready at any moment to repulse the enemy if it dares to breach our peaceful life and infringe on our independence," he added. "May the memory of those who were killed for Artsakh's happy future, live forever. The duty of those living is not to allow the blood shed by them be in vain. Long live our military veterans!" Ghukasian said. Recollecting that a cease-fire agreement was signed 10 year ago, Ghukasian said that Azerbaijan was forced to recognize Mountainous Karabagh as a party to the conflict and sign the truce--exclusively because of the successes of the Karabagh army. "Precisely for this reason, our army is also one of the effective guarantors of maintaining a peaceful settlement with Azerbaijan. I would like to assure you that, as before, MKR's leadership is committed to a peaceful settlement of the Karabagh conflict. There is no alternative." 2) Government, Opposition Continue Negotiations YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--Senior representatives of the Armenian government and the opposition held another meeting on Monday, without substantive discussions, but agreeing instead on a new format of their talks. The two sides seem to have discarded a 30-point agenda of their talks tentatively approved by their leaders last week, instead deciding to upgrade the status to "negotiations" after the parliamentary leaders of the three parties of the coalition informed the opposition that they have been authorized by President Robert Kocharian to discuss possible solutions to Armenia's political crisis. The negotiations between the coalition parties and the Artarutyun (Justice) and the National Unity Party (AMK) are due to formally get underway on Thursday, the day before the next opposition rally in Yerevan. The two sides have to finalize their agenda in the next two days. Artarutyun and the AMK announced on Tuesday a 10-day suspension of their campaign of street times to give the authorities time to address those demands. One of their leaders, Albert Bazeyan, was skeptical on Sunday about chances of ending the standoff through negotiations. "The Council of Europe expected the opposition to freeze some processes so that we could organize discussions with government bodies on ways of bringing the country out of crisis," Bazeyan said. "But we see no reciprocal steps by the authorities and our rallies and marches will most probably resume on May 14 with much greater vigor." 3) Kocharian to Steer Clear of NATO Summit in Istanbul YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--President Robert Kocharian will not attend a NATO summit in Istanbul next month due to the persisting strained relations between Armenia and Turkey, his chief spokesman said on Monday. "That has nothing to do with the Armenia-NATO relationship which is currently on the rise," the presidential press secretary, Ashot Kocharian, told reporters, citing Yerevan's growing involvement in the US-led alliance's Partnership for Peace program. "The president's non-participation in the work of the summit has more to do with the current state of Turkish-Armenian relations," he said. He added that there has been no "considerable progress" in the US-backed efforts to improve them in the past year. President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and French President Jacques Chirac are among dozens of Western leaders due to attend the summit in Turkey's largest city on June 28-29. The leaders of neighboring Azerbaijan and Georgia, which view NATO membership as a long-term foreign policy goal, will also attend. Armenia and Turkey have no diplomatic relations, the establishment of which Ankara links to a resolution of the Karabagh conflict. Senior officials from either country have made rare visits to the other over the past decade only to take part in high-level international meetings. Kocharian, for example, attended the November 1999 summit in Istanbul of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Turkey signaled last year its readiness to reopen its border with Armenia before a Karabagh settlement--a move which would please the United States and the European Union but would jeopardize its close ties with Azerbaijan. Some Armenian sources involved in contacts with Turkish officials said earlier this year that the decision to lift the 11-year blockade might be announced during the NATO summit; however, Kocharian's decision not to travel to Istanbul suggests that the reopening of the Turkish-Armenian border is still not on the cards. Turkish leaders reportedly assured Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev last month that they will continue to link the normalization of relations with Armenia to a pro-Azeri solution to the Karabagh dispute. "It is out of the question for now to reopen the Turkish-Armenian border," Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said afterward. Gul also called for a trilateral meeting on Karabagh of the Armenian, Azeri, and Turkish foreign ministers. Turkish diplomatic sources were quoted as saying that the meeting could take place on the sidelines of the Istanbul summit. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. 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