Month: June 2005

Thousands Gather in Baku, Calling for Free Elections
By VOA News
19 June 2005
Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Azerbaijan’s capital Sunday,
demanding free and fair parliamentary elections in November and
President Ilham Aliyev’s resignation.
The former Soviet republic’s three main opposition parties organized
the rally in Baku – the second mass protest allowed by the government
in the past two weeks.
Inspired by Ukraine’s peaceful “orange revolution” democracy
movement, an estimated 20,000 Azeri demonstrators chanted slogans
in the capital’s main square. Many wore orange clothing and waved
orange banners.
President Aliyev came to power in 2003 in an election after the death
of his father, long-time ruler Heydar Aliyev. Opponents contend the
election was rigged.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan’s ethnic Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh region is
holding elections today to fill all 33 seats in a regional legislature.

Zaman, Turkey
June 19 2005
‘Turkey Will Continue on Its Way’
By Ali Akkus, Celil Sagir
Published: Sunday 19, 2005
zaman.com
Although the European Union (EU) is experiencing the deepest crisis
in its history, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, watching the
developments closely, stressed that Turkey is determined to continue
its reform process.
Commenting on the EU crisis to Zaman, Gul said: “We are looking
to our own business. The EU is the spurfor Turkey’s transformation
process. Turkey has not achieved this on its own in 80 years so it
is doing this with the support of an external political power.” Gul
also spoke against attempts to produce scenarios of disaster from
the EU crisis. Reminding that Turkish people still have the right
to say “no” to the membership process after the negotiations start,
the Foreign Minister referred to the case of Norway. Touching upon
the headscarf scandals at graduation ceremonies in Turkey, Gul noted:
“It is like making the water flow uphill to implement a ban, which
exists nowhere in the world, at Turkish universities.”
Describing the German Parliament’s decision on the Armenian genocide
allegations as “unacceptable”, Gul expressed that Germans themselves
feel guilty of cruelties towards Jewish people. “They are in a
psychological search for a partner for themselves. If you ask them
‘What is Armenian issue?’ they cannot give an answer. There are three
million Turks in Germany and this is a decision that would cause strong
animosity against them,” Gul assessed. Gul also evaluated Turkish
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer’s veto of bureaucrats appointed by the
Justice and Development Party (AKP) government and remarked that
if definitive appointments are not approved then they will continue
with proxies.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Gul said Turkey would
not step back from its reform program despite the deep crisis within
the EU. “We are looking to our own business,” he added. Minister Gul
made crucials statement to Zaman on a series of issues, from the EU
to the Extended Middle East Project and Armenian issue to headscarf
and appointments.
There are interpretations that Turkey will be affected negatively from
the collapse of the EU summit. Do you have any concerns about this?
It is sure that what has happened in the EU will have some effects,
but we have to look at the broader picture. There is confusion in
main countries of the EU regarding the enlargement. Europe is in a
great trouble. We have to accept this as normal.
Surveys show that people have concerns regarding their future. They
feel unsafe and worried about their economic and social problems. If
you check European economic performances, there are indicators that
confirm this. These should be acknowledged. The EU leaders are facing
these but there are promises that they have given. There are both
conjectural problems and strategic targets and realities. How would
they balance these? Negotiations with Turkey will start on October
3rd. One cannot ignore the troubles within Europe. Criteria, standards
and thresholds will be increased during the negotiation process. In
fact, opportunities that were missed should be thought of. Those,
who criticized us on December 17th, are an example of lack of vision.
Aren’t those who criticized your policy at that time, such as
Republican People’s Party leader Deniz Baykal, continuing their
criticisms more strongly right now?
Of course they continue but that just confirms their lack of vision.
If you listened to them, Turkey would become an introverted country
with no connections to the outside world and always fighting with
imaginary internal problems. That’s why they are also split into two
within their party. There are people who have vision in their party
as well, but of course, I have no right to interfere in their internal
relations within the party.
There is a feeling in Turkey ready to accept a privileged
partnership. What is your comment on this?
We have no time to listen to these. First, it is important to
grasp what the EU is. The EU is the spur for Turkey’s transformation
process. Turkey has not achieved this on its own in 80 years so it is
doing this with the support of an external political power. We should
judge this for whether it will benefit or damage Turkey. Because these
overlap with our own program, we see them as benefiting Turkish people
and Turkey. We basically believe that more democracy, more freedom,
more liberty mean more benefits to Turkey and to Turkish people. If the
Copenhagen Criteria were against Turkey, we would never have complied
with them. This is exactly what we meant when we said ‘If for any
reason the EU process breaks off, we would continue with the reforms’.
Has the negative wind blowing from Europe led to calls for early
elections?
No, no. Is Turkey getting worse? Are the interest rates rising again,
is inflation rising, are shops and factories closing, is the export
rates decreasing, are new bans starting to appear against Turkey,
are freedoms being restricted? Under these conditions, the opposition
gets to call for early elections. But are any of these things happening
in Turkey?
I do not understand why everybody has set their hearts on the
EU issue. I have not set my heart on it. When Turkey finishes the
negotiation process, the Turkish public, the British public, the French
public will decide at that time whether Turkey will be a full member
or not. We are just dealing with our own business. We will continue
until the end. Perhaps, the French public will need Turkey more in
10 years time. Perhaps, the Turkish public will say ‘no’.
Didn’t the Norwegians act in this way? I just think about how I can
realize my economic development, social development, and cultural
development in this process. As a government, we just think about this.
Do you agree with the idea that the cost of EU crisis will be paid
by Turkey?
They are experiencing a big earthquake. Will they come and make
statements about Turkey? Their making a statement about Turkey means
a worse effect in the eyes of their public. Turkey’s flag was not
there. We didn’t go, we were not invited. Other countries in the
same situation as us weren’t there either. The EU has entered the
most violent dispute in its history and ended in a fight which they
could not make up. Was I going to go there to wait in the hotel for
two days? Their meeting finished towards morning, and then they called
us to tell us what happened inside.
Even French leader Chirac who is in the worst situation says the
negotiations will start on October 3. What more can he do? Will he
speak like the Turkish Prime Minister? We will work day and night,
our friends are mobilized, and we do our best. If the French had said,
‘we will stop enlarging’. Would that be end of the world for us?
Is this the nightmare scenario?
Of course, anything could happen. If such a thing occurs, will we say
we sank? We will run our own reform process ourselves. Under such a
hard period, they confirmed the December 17 decisions. We cannot just
sit tight and wait. When they have a discussion among themselves,
I will concentrate on my own business. When I increase the life
standards of Turkish public, then everybody can decide what to do.
‘I called for reforms before Bush’
Most of the meetings in the US were much like the one about the
Extended Middle East Project. Is there any consensus at issue?
Our government never does anything in which it does not believe, either
by pressure or by giving concessions. Before the US President Bush
made statements about the strengthening of democratic reforms in the
region, I made an important speech about this issue in the OIC meeting
in Tehran. I told all the Muslim countries that we should tidy our
own houses, if we do not do this, our own public will suffer. Tidying
our houses means more democracy, transparency and a better style of
administration. It means the administrators giving account of their
actions. It means more equality between men and women. These are not
unfamiliar to us. They are a part of our belief.
As Turkey, we give great support for these. Those who do not understand
us make comments according to their own understandings, but we do
not give any credit to them.
You brought the anti-Islamism to the agenda by putting it in a written
document. Are new steps taken about this issue?
Due to exaggerations after September 11, there are disturbing practices
taking place against Muslims in the world. Muslims should not remain
silent. They should struggle in a civil and brave way. Our government
has raised these issues bravely in Paris, London and Washington. An
ambassador was charged for this issue for the first time in the level
of Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). The
ambassador is Turkish. Non-governmental organizations should support
this.
‘Germans look for partners for their genocide guilt’
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul also showed a severe reaction towards
the German Parliament for its approval of a draft bill relating
to the alleged Armenian genocide. “In Germany, Parliament took an
unacceptable decision. The Germans bear the guilt of the tortures
they made on the Jews. They are trying to find partners for their
guilt. If you ask them, what the Armenian issue is, they cannot even
say a few words. The decision is full of mistakes. They talk about
the declaration of the United Nations (UN) about this issue. There are
no declarations of international organizations on this issue. We want
them to show their evidence, they cannot show anything. There are no
court decisions or anything like this. While Erdogan’s letter to the
Armenian leader Kocharyan was passed over lightly, the speech Justice
Minister Cemil Cicek made in Parliament and the postponed conference
were given a large place. Our reaction was great. Our relations with
Germany are certain. There are three million Turkish people living
there. The biggest issue is to provide the integration of Turks. This
is a decision, which will encourage hostility towards Turks. The
present government of German Chancellor Schroeder is against these,”
Gul explained.
‘Imposing a ban on headscarf is like making water flow uphill’
When asked about the sacrifice of a mother who was not allowed into
the graduation ceremony of her child in Erzurum due to the headscarf,
Gul said, ‘this is embarrassing’. Saying that the headscarf is
the belief of public, Gul said: “This issue will be solved in a
way leaving the least abuse possible. Let me speak openly. The
Erzurum case is something, which reveals the shame. The headscarf
is something coming from inside our society, not a superficial thing
taken from outside. It is a part of our own belief and culture. The
headscarf is an outcome of Turkish conservatism and modernization. It
is meaningless to show Turkey as a country, which restricts basic
rights and principles. Imposing the headscarf ban in Turkey, which
is not implemented anywhere in the world is like making water flow
uphill. There is no such a ban in Paris, I say Paris, no ban in Moscow,
no ban in Brussels, Washington and Cairo and there is such a ban in
Turkey. This is something, which cannot happen.”
Gul also finds the debates over early elections and presidential
elections meaningless. “I just laugh before this kind of debate,
opened by people who have nothing to do with it. When the time comes,
we can sit and talk about these. If Turkey starts to deteriorate,
if everything goes wrong, if black clouds appear, then these kinds
of things can be mentioned.
‘If definitive appointments are not approved, we can go on with
deputies’
Evaluating the veto of bureaucrats appointed by the government by the
president Ahmet Necdet Sezer, Gul has called everybody to look into
this. “We have many general managers whose definitive appointments
were not approved, but we should consider their success. This should
be questioned. You just look at our general managers who carry out
their jobs with definitive appointment. Those in the past just made
Turkey go downhill. This should be questioned. We came to power not
with the approval of 4 or 5 politicians but with the votes of public.
We have to work. So, we want to work with people we trust and
believe. This is our right. If definitive appointments are not
approved, we will continue to contest this,” Gul said.

Lowell Sun, MA –
June 19 2005
In Stone, a Tribute to So Many Lost
Armenians dedicate memorial on 90th anniversary of genocide
By JENNIFER AMY MYERS, Sun Staff
Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, center, primate of the Diocese of
the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), leads the blessing of
the Armenian Martyrs Memorial at St. Vartanantz Armenian Church
yesterday. With him, from left, are Deacons Bruce Kayajanian, Ara
Jeknavoirian and Richard Juknavorian. SUN / HOWARD MARTIN
CHELMSFORD — Thomas Magarian was born into a family of 10. Before he
reached preschool age, only he, his brother and two sisters remained.
His parents and other siblings were among the 1.5 million Armenians
systematically massacred by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire between
1915 and 1923.
“I was only about 3 or 4 years old and I remember that we were made
to march the complete area of the camp,” said Magarian, now 91 and
the only living survivor of the Armenian genocide in the area. “The
older children took care of the younger in the orphanage in Beirut
where we were.”
Magarian was among more than 200 parishioners who gathered at St.
Vartanantz Armenian Church yesterday for the dedication of the
Armenian Martyrs Memorial, in conjunction with the 90th anniversary
of the genocide.
The funds to build the granite monument, which honors those killed
during the genocide, were donated by William Hausrath of Wakefield,
in honor of his late wife, Agnes Manoogian Hausrath.
The red, brick groundwork that leads up to and surrounds the monument
is in the shape of a cross. The monument itself consists of three
granite slabs: one tall and dark gray, symbolizing the men killed
in the genocide, a smaller rose-colored stone in honor of the women
killed, and a small, light-gray slab in honor of the children killed.
Eight granite benches ring the monument, seven of them donated by
families of survivors, their family names prominently displayed on the
front of each bench. The eighth bench is reserved for the “unknown:
those known only to God.”
“I’m not Armenian myself, but I knew from what I heard from her and
her family that the genocide was the most significant event of their
lifetime and for generations afterward,” Hausrath said.
“This is something that I’ve wanted to see here for years,” George
Simonian, chairman of the Memorials Committee, said. “All I needed
was a godfather like Bill Hausrath to come along.”
“This has really been a labor of love, a great deal of my family
members perished in the genocide, and this is a fitting memorial,”
he said.
Simonian said he is angry that the Turkish government, to this day,
refuses to acknowledge that the Armenian genocide took place.
“For 90 years these people have been in a state of denial,” he said.
“My mother saw her grandparents thrown overboard by Turkish soldiers.
How do you define “alleged” to her? She knew it happened — she
saw it.”
The parish was honored to have Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, primate of
the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), in attendance.
Barsamian, born in Arapkir, Turkey, presides over St. Vartan Armenian
Cathedral in New York City. He said his life was greatly influenced
by his grandmother, a survivor of the genocide.
“She was 18 years old and a newly married bride and she was three
months pregnant,” he said. “One night, Turkish soldiers came and
took all of the men of the family, leaving her with her mother and
mother-in-law.”
“There she was, this young bride with hope for the future, when
suddenly the world was black,” Barsamian said. “But, she went ahead
and gave birth to my father, who never knew his father.”
He added that he was amazed by his grandmother’s strength and faith,
and the fact that she did not hold any ill feelings towards the Turks.
“She was an amazing woman, so strong,” he recalled. “I never saw any
bitterness in her, even when she spoke about what happened and she
never held any bad feelings against the Turks.”
Barsamian said he believes the Turkish government has failed to
recognize the genocide for two reasons.
“First of all, it is difficult, psychologically, for the Turks to
admit that their grandfathers were killers,” he said. “Secondly,
they are worried that the Armenians will want more than recognition
and may make a claim on their land.”
However, he does see hope in the region, as the topic, once forbidden
to be spoken about in Turkey, is being discussed on television
and radio.
“In order to resolve the problems, we need to put the issues on the
table, even if it is difficult,” he said.
Following the elaborate dedication and blessing of the monument,
parishioners stepped up to the large, granite structure, placing on
it red and white carnations in memory of their fallen ancestors.

Toronto Star, Ontario, Canada
June 19 2005
A `Golden Age’ of intolerance
Anna Morgan says Muslims fuelling rise in anti-Semitism in Europe
At a recent conference on anti-Semitism in Cordoba, Spain, the Armenian
delegate made an emphatic speech in which he pointed out that Cordoba
was not only the medieval centre of coexistence between Judaism,
Islam and Christianity, it was also the place where interfaith
relations degenerated into some of the greatest crimes of history –
expulsion and inquisition. Remarkably, he was the only speaker that
noticed this paradox.
In his speech, the host of the event, Spain’s Foreign Minister
Miguel Moratinos, urged an end to all forms of discrimination,
including both anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. In the process, he
warned the delegates not to let the war in the Middle East be used
as an excuse for anti-Semitism. Given the climate that prevails
at many international institutions, it was a fitting start to this
year’s Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe meeting
on anti-Semitism and other forms of intolerance.
Within a couple of hours of Moratinos’s speech, however, it became
clear that some states are as interested in redirecting attention
away from anti-Semitism as they are in resolving it.
The most blatant example was the representative of the Arab League,
who confidently asserted that anti-Semitism will not end until the
Israeli-Arab conflict is resolved. This after hearing numerous speakers
assure the audience that there is no place for anti-Muslim sentiments
in western countries and that the various unresolved conflicts in
the Middle East provide no excuse. It seems that what was good for
the goose was not good for the gander.
Although the Arab League’s prejudicial analysis of anti-Semitism met
with polite applause, it was at that point that many delegates seemed
to realize that a condemnation of intolerance is worthless without
at least some introspection.
The conference was the second time the 55 OSCE member states,
including the Europeans, NATO, the former Soviet bloc, and several
Middle Eastern states as observers, met to address the rising number
of anti-Semitic incidents worldwide.
The first meeting was held last year in Berlin, Germany, the scene of
the most tragic anti-Semitic period in modern history. This year’s
meeting in Cordoba was meant to symbolize a return to a period of
interfaith harmony.
And while Spain is justifiably proud of the so-called Golden Age of
coexistence between the 9th and 11th centuries, it took the outspoken
Armenian ambassador to point out that states must not only pay lip
service to the principles of non-discrimination, they must also take
responsibility for their failures. Otherwise, nothing can be done to
address the attitudes that caused the breakdown.
For its part, Canada initially questioned the need for any special
response to anti-Semitism, claiming that there should be no
“hierarchies of discrimination.”
Arguing from its multicultural perspective, the Canadian ambassador
noted that all racism is equally deplorable and that in singling out
one form of intolerance we may inadvertently denigrate another. While
this might reflect the Canadian context, it does not address the
anti-Semitic heritage that accounts for so much of European history.
As sensitive as the issue is, it must also be acknowledged that
anti-Semitism in Western Europe today is a socially distinctive
phenomenon emanating not so much from the European elites but from
the Muslim neighbourhoods of Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.
The fire of discontent in those communities is actually being
fueled by economic troubles, but is being excused by the Arab-Israeli
conflict. The spreading problem calls for both short-term and long-term
solutions.
Much still needs to be done to reduce all forms of discrimination,
including anti-Semitism and Islamophobia. Effective education programs
and anti-racism policies need to be developed and implemented in
Europe, the Arab world, and everywhere else, including Canada.
With unemployment and poverty increasing among Middle Eastern and North
African immigrants in Europe, it seems unlikely that the anti-Israel
and anti-Semitic rhetoric being spread in those communities, with
its resulting violence, will decline anytime soon.
But as the Armenian representative noted, it is impossible to figure
out how to fix the problem if we don’t first ask why it is happening.

Karabakh holds disputed elections
BBC
19 June 05
Parliamentary elections are being held in the disputed south Caucasus
enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which seceded from Azerbaijan in 1991.
Around 106 candidates from seven parties are contesting 33 seats.
While Azerbaijan called the vote illegitimate, the territory’s
president says he hopes it will boost its bid for international
recognition.
Nagorno-Karabakh’s independence struggle has claimed up to 30,000
lives and displaced one million people.
‘Disputed territory’
Karabakh President Arkadiy Gukasyan promised an honest and transparent
vote and warned against any actions which could harm the province’s
image.
“All attempts at violations, whoever the author, will be denounced
and initiators punished with the full severity of the law,” he said.
Neighbouring Armenia is the only country to recognise Nagorno-Karabakh,
which has a mainly ethnic-Armenian population, as an independent state.
Azerbaijan still claims sovereignty over the territory but was beaten
back by Armenian forces in the war, which ended with a ceasefire
in 1994.
Turkey, one of Azerbaijan’s staunchest allies, has also declared
Sunday’s vote illegitimate.
Two thirds of the parliament’s 33 seats are to be elected directly
and the remaining 11, under a proportional system.
Results of the poll, which is being monitored by around 100
non-governmental observers, are expected late on Monday or early
Tuesday.
For the elections to be declared valid, at least 25% of the 89,000
people eligible to vote must turn out.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY ARMENIA
Aygestan 8th str, h5
Yerevan-070
Armenia
Contact :
Zaruhi Tonapetyan
Resource Development Coordinator for HFH Armenia
(374 10)556-114
[email protected]
Cell (404) 242-8804
Cell (310) 430-3527
[email protected] [email protected]
Armenian Church forges ties with Habitat for Humanity; Armenian
delegation joins the Jimmy Carter Work Project
Head of the Armenian Orthodox Church, the Catholicos, to meet President
Carter in Michigan; His Holiness to announce plans to help combat
poverty housing with Habitat for Humanity
DETROIT, Mich. (June 17) – On Tuesday, June 21, Habitat for Humanity
and the Armenian Church will announce details of a new partnership
to combat poverty housing both in the United States and worldwide.
The announcement, at a 10:30 a.m., press conference at the Masco
Corp. headquarters at 21001 Van Born Road, Taylor, Michigan, comes
on the heels of a breakfast hosted by Masco Corp. to honor the head
of the Armenian church: The Catholicos and Supreme Patriarch of
All Armenians, His Holiness Karekin II. The Primates of the Eastern
and Western Dioceses of the Armenian Church of America and Canada,
a representative from the office of Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm,
the Armenian ambassador to the United States, and a delegation from
Habitat for Humanity-Armenia also will attend the breakfast.
The goal of the partnership between Habitat and the Armenian Church is
to provide homes to 100 families over the next three years, primarily
in Armenia, but also throughout the world. Since it was established
in 2000, Habitat in Armenia has built homes for 600 people in need.
“We are delighted about our blossoming friendship with the Armenian
Church,” said Rick Beech, director of church relations for Habitat
for Humanity International. “The relationship is evolving into a
partnership that will not only strengthen community ties but also
enable us to serve more families in need.”
Masco Corp. is a longtime supporter of Habitat for Humanity,
locally and around the globe, including in Armenia. The Catholicos’
visit takes place during the 22nd annual Jimmy Carter Work Project,
a blitz build in which President Jimmy Carter, his wife, Rosalynn,
and thousands of volunteers will complete 230 homes by June 24 in the
host cities of Benton Harbor and Detroit, and in more than 60 other
communities in the region as well as in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.
Volunteers from more than 50 churches will sponsor and build more
than 40 homes.
About Habitat for Humanity International
Habitat for Humanity International, based in Americus, Ga., is
an ecumenical Christian ministry dedicated to eliminating poverty
housing. By the end of 2005, Habitat will have built its 200,000th
house and more than one million people will be living in Habitat homes
they helped build and are buying through no-profit, zero-interest
mortgages.

Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh enclave holds parliamentary elections
AP Worldstream; Jun 19, 2005
The Armenian-controlled enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh held parliamentary
elections on Sunday, with the ruling party and an opposition group
expected to win the most seats.
Candidates and parties are contesting 33 seats in the legislature of
the region, which has been in the hands of ethnic Armenians since a
war against Azerbaijani forces ended with a 1994 cease-fire.
No political settlement has been reached despite international efforts,
and the threat of a new armed conflict persists.
Observers believe the ruling Democratic Party of Artsakh and the
Dashnaktsutyun-Movement 88 bloc have the best chances in the election.
The bloc says the enclave’s leadership is not tough enough on asserting
its self-proclaimed independence and claims it is too willing to
consider ceding Azerbaijani territory it controls outside the borders
of the region.

NKR politician wants Karabakh’s international recognition
Arminfo, Yerevan
17 Jun 05
Stepanakert, 17 June: The chairman of the board of the Movement 88
Party, Eduard Agabekyan, does not see any pro-opposition moods in
Nagornyy Karabakh society.
“We do not criticize for the sake of criticism. We analyse the
situation, reveal shortcomings and propose ways of resolving them. I
think that the people and those elected by them will make the right
choice,” he says.
Agabekyan believes that the world community cannot endlessly ignore
the right of the people of the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic to elect
its authorities and should recognize this right one day.
“It is not by chance that not a single international organization
has said that the upcoming 19 June parliamentary elections are
illegitimate, although elections in Karabakh used to be accompanied by
such statements every time. I think that a lot has changed since the
2004 municipal elections when the world saw for itself the ability
of the Karabakh people to decide their fate on their own. I see the
settlement of the Karabakh problem in the recognition of the rights
of the people,” Eduard Agabekyan noted.

AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENT CALLS ON EUROPEAN COUNTRIES TO IGNORE ELECTIONS
IN NKR
YEREVAN, JUNE 18. ARMINFO. The Milli Mejlis of Azerbaijan made an
appeal to the parliaments of European countries in connection with the
parliamentary elections in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. To remind,
the elections in NKR will be held Sunday.
As Day.az informs, the authors of the appeal mention that “to
conduct elections in conditions of territorial seizure contradicts
the principles of the international law and the Constitution of
Azerbaijan”. “That’s why these elections does not have any legal
force”, said in the appeal. The information about the participation
of deputies of the parliaments of a number of EU countries in the
elections as observers arouse anxiety, Azerbaijani MPs think. In this
connection the parliament of Azerbaijan calls on the parliaments
of European countries not to permit the participation of their
representatives in the elections in NKR.

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN DISCUSS ELEMENTS OF
NEGOTIATIONS ON SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT
YEREVAN, JUNE 18. ARMINFO. During the Saturday negotiations the
foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan discussed important
elements within the framework of the Prague process, necessary for
signing peace agreement. As Baku’s Echo newspaper reports, Deputy
Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Araz Azimov informed on the results
of the meeting. To remind, the meeting of Vardan Oskanian and Elmar
Mamedyarov was held in Paris. The cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group on
settlement of the Karabakh conflict were also present at the meeting.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress