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05/10/2005
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Erdogan Conveys Turkey's Regret to Russian and Polish Leaders 2) Gul Comments on Possible Erdogan-Kocharian Meeting 3) Oskanian, Minsk Group Co-chair Meeting ahead of Council of Europe Summit 4) Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Officials in Armenia 5) Tragic Fate for Northern Cyprus Armenian Monastery 6) Bush Calls Georgia 'Beacon of Liberty' 1) Erdogan Conveys Turkey's Regret to Russian and Polish Leaders MOSCOW (AA)--Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is currently in Moscow attending "Victory in Europe Day" ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany, held talks with various leaders on Monday at a lunch hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin. During his talks with President Putin and Poland's President Alexander Kwasniewski, Erdogan conveyed Turkey's regret over their countries' official recognition of the Armenian genocide. Russia's State Duma, the lower house of Russian parliament, and the Polish parliament recently approved resolutions recognizing the Armenian genocide. Prime Minister Erdogan and President Putin also evaluated bilateral relations between Turkey and Russia, and efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group aiming to resolve the dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Karabagh. During the lunch, Erdogan also held talks with President George W. Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkanende of the Netherlands, Prime Minister Silvio Berlisconi of Italy, Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg, and European Commission President Jose Manuel Durao Barosso. Erdogan is scheduled to visit Washington, DC in June to meet with President Bush. 2) Gul Comments on Possible Erdogan-Kocharian Meeting ANKARA (Zaman)--Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul noted that the possibility of a meeting between Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Robert Kocharian may take place in Moscow or Warsaw, though there are no definite plans. The two leaders, who are in Moscow participating in the celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the World War II Victory, will take part in the European Council Summit, May 15-16, in Poland. US State Department Assistant Secretary for European & Eurasian Affairs Laura Kennedy commented that the US welcomes a possibility of talks. Mentioning recent resolutions in some European countries, which officially recognizing the Armenian genocide, Gul called those attempts contrary to Europe's basic rights. When asked whether he would have a meeting with President Kocharian, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, "There is not a scheduled meeting now. There is not such a demand...however, I see no reason why we shouldn't meet in the future." "As you know, Turkey is one of countries which recognized Armenia after disintegration of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. But there are no diplomatic relations between the two countries. If Armenia fulfills its duties, Turkey will do what is required for a fair and lasting solution in terms of balances in the region," Erdogan said. Indicating that Turkey opened its air space to Armenia, he said, "We have a positive attitude towards Armenian citizens in the country. We expect Armenia to overcome its problems with Azerbaijan." 3) Oskanian, Minsk Group Co-chair Meeting ahead of Council of Europe Summit YEREVAN (Armenpress)--OSCE Minsk group co-chairmen from Russia, US, and France will meet with Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian on May 14, a day before the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan are rumored to meet in Warsaw, on the sidelines of a Council of Europe summit. Oskanian said on Monday that he could not say with certainty whether the meeting of the presidents would take place, but added that is a preliminary agreement to that effect. "Though we have not established direct contacts with the Azeri side, the meeting is very likely to take place," he said. Oskanian also voiced disapproval at Azeri president Ilham Aliyev's decision to not attend a CIS summit that took place Moscow on May 8, where he was expected to meet with Kocharian. "Just a few days ahead of the Warsaw meeting, when both sides hold hopes for progress for the stalled talks, the Azeri leader's decision reveals Baku's reluctance to move forward in regulating the conflict," Oskanian said. 4) Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Officials in Armenia YEREVAN (PanARMENIAN.Net)--Two rapporteurs from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) arrived in Armenia on Tuesday to hold a series of meetings with foreign and local officials. PACE Monitoring Committee Rapporteurs Jerzy Jaskiernia and Georges Colombier, as well as Committee co-secretary Bonnie Theophilova-Permaul, will meet with ambassadors of the EU countries to Armenia, the head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, as well as representatives of international and non-governmental organizations, and representatives of national minorities of Armenia. Meetings are also planned with President Robert Kocharian, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian, Parliament Speaker Artur Baghdasarian, members of the Temporary Commission for Integration into European Structures, the parliamentary delegation to PACE, as well as Armenia's prime minister, and ministers of defense and justice. 5) Tragic Fate for Northern Cyprus Armenian Monastery YEREVAN (Combined Sources)--Citing an April 17 story in Yeniduzen newspaper, published in Northern Cyprus, the Armenian foreign ministry said the Armenian Saint Makar monastery, which was previously turned into a cafe, will now become a hotel, according to its new owner Dervish Sonmezler. Situated in the mountain range of Pentadaktylos and well-known for its monastic order, the 10th century monastery is considered to be one of the holiest shrines of the Armenian people. Before the Turkish occupation of the Northern Cyprus, the monastery was one of the favorite destinations for local Armenians, but now inaccessible to Christians. All manuscripts and other relics kept there were plundered and sold. Further destruction of the monastery was prevented after intervention by the Republic of Cyprus, the Armenian Church, and international organizations. Following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and the occupation of 37 per cent of its northern territory, the regime denied access to Armenians to the monastery, now partly destroyed. On April 27, 1998, the joint parliamentary committee Cyprus-European Union protested to UNESCO a decision by the Turkish Cypriot regime to convert the monastery in into a hotel. In a letter addressed to UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor, Chairman of the delegation to Parliamentary Committee, Philippe Monfils said the conversion of the Saint Makar monastery into a hotel alienates "an ancient Armenian religious site from its spiritual purpose." Monfils said in his letter to Mayor, the conversion of Saint Makar into a hotel "is a violation of the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and the Declaration of the Principles of International Cultural Cooperation, adopted by the General Conference of UNESCO." 6) Bush Calls Georgia 'Beacon of Liberty' TBILISI (Reuters)--President Bush on Tuesday saluted Georgia's fledgling democracy as a "beacon of liberty" and backed efforts by the ex-Soviet republic to regain sovereignty peacefully over two pro-Moscow separatist regions. But during a 19-hour visit in which he was acclaimed by cheering crowds, Bush significantly avoided open backing for his host, President Mikhail Saakashvili, in his demand for the speedy closure of two Russian bases on Georgia soil. "The path of freedom you have chosen is not easy. But you will not travel it alone," Bush told at least 60,000 people at Freedom Square, focus of a "Rose Revolution" that installed Saakashvili's pro-Western government almost 18 months ago. The crowd, squeezed into the square and flowing beyond it, responded enthusiastically to the first visit by a sitting US president to the mountainous Caucasus state. Groups of people sat behind the podium wearing red, white and blue outfits to form the US flag and the red-and-white Georgian banner as Bush recalled Georgia's long independence struggle that led to its "people's power" revolution. "You gathered here armed with nothing but roses and the power of your convictions, and you claimed your liberty. And because you acted, Georgia is today both sovereign and free and a beacon of liberty for this region and the world," Bush said. He said Washington encouraged Georgia's closer cooperation with NATO, something Russia finds uncomfortable for a country in its own backyard and which it once ruled. And, in what appeared to be a swipe at Kremlin support for the two rebel Georgian regions, Bush said: "The territory and sovereignty of Georgia must be respected by all nations." Saakashvili has made the return to Tbilisi's control of separatist South Ossetia and Abkhazia central to his government's program to lift Georgia out of years of decline. Introducing Bush, the US-educated Saakashvili hailed "the history of a small but unbreakable nation's fight for freedom" and thanked the United States for standing up for Georgia. The Caucasus is home to a string of local conflicts arising from the collapse of the Soviet Union. Georgia borders Russia's troubled Chechnya region and is on the route for a US-backed pipeline linking Caspian Sea oilfields to world markets. "PHONE ANY TIME" Bush told a joint news conference with Saakashvili the Georgian leader could phone him any time to seek his help on the disputes but suggested he also work with international bodies such as the United Nations to resolve the issue peacefully. "The (Georgian) president has put a way forward that encourages autonomy and self government but does not encourage dividing up this great country. This seems to me...to be a very reasonable proposition," Bush said. He said the disputes should be resolved between the Georgian government and the separatist regions. "The United States cannot impose a solution nor would you want us to." At the news conference, Bush avoided support for Georgia in its dispute with the Kremlin over the Russian bases on its soil, which Saakashvili has likened to an occupation. Bush said he had discussed the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had replied that his government was working to fulfill its obligations under an earlier agreement. "I think...that is an important commitment for the people of Georgia to hear," Bush said in remarks likely to disappoint Saakashvili. Bush arrived in Georgia on a four-nation European tour that also took in Latvia, the Netherlands and Russia, where on Monday he joined Putin and over 50 other world leaders to mark the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany. Saakashvili snubbed Moscow's lavish World War II anniversary party in protest over Russia's failure to agree on withdrawal of its bases, which house some 3,000 troops. In his speech in bright sunshine at Freedom Square, formerly known as Lenin Square, Bush said Georgia's freedom struggle had inspired peoples ranging from Ukraine to Iraq and Kyrgyzstan. The crowd reacted ecstatically, waving banners including "Mr. George W. Bush, you can save Georgia." "It is great that the president of a superpower has come to visit us," said Nana Razmadze, a 54-year-old teacher. "We hope that things will get better for us and we can move forward. I think that from now on the world will look on us differently." "This is a visit that should go down in history," said 46-year-old Merab Getsadze. "It's been 200 years since Georgia was visited by such a high-ranking person. We hope we will be able to solve a lot of problems after this visit," he said. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2005 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.