Month: June 2005

Today, Azerbaijan
June 18 2005
Azeri vice speaker skeptical of NATO presence in occupied lands
17 June 2005 [10:00] – Today.Az
It is still early to speak about the positioning of NATO peacekeepers
in the area of Karabakh, which is under Armenian occupation as a
result of ethnic hostilities with Azeris.
Following the announcement, vice speaker Ziyafat Asgarov told Trend
that the issue “as far as I know is not a subject of talks” between
Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
“On June 17, Foreign Ministers Elmar Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan
and Vardan Oskanian of Armenia will continue to discuss ways of
peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict, in France. There is
a great possibility that the talks [between the ministers] would be
a follow-up in the run up to the upcoming meeting of Presidents of
Azerbaijan and Armenia.
It is well known that the presidents will discuss the withdrawal of
Armenian armed forces from seven occupied districts surrounding the
upper part of Karabakh. Discussion on other issues is possible after
a success of the meeting of presidents only,” Asgarov noted.
He added that the place and date of the upcoming meeting of presidents
depends on the results of talks between foreign ministers of the
sides of conflict.
URL:
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Ukrainian peacemakers can be sent to Sudan
ForUm, Ukraine
June 18 2005
The minister of Defence of Ukraine, Anatoly Gritsenko, declared that
Ukrainian peacemakers can be sent to Sudan soon.
According to him, such proposition has come from African Union and
is supported by European Union and NATO.
He also admitted that Ukraine can send its military-transport base
to Sudan. The USA and France are ready to finance the transference.
In response to the question about sending Ukrainian peacemakers to
Nagorny Karabakh and Dnestrian region, Gritsenko said that presently
Ukraine conducts corresponding consultations concerning these regions,
and also concerning Abkhazia.

‘Illegitimate’ polls
Kathimerini, Greece
June 18 2005
Turkey said yesterday that upcoming parliamentary polls in Nagorno
Karabakh, a breakaway enclave claimed both by its close ally
Azerbaijan and its arch-foe Armenia, were illegitimate and contrary
to international peace efforts in the region. “Turkey believes that
such unilateral initiatives… will not help efforts for a peaceful
settlement… and considers those elections as illegitimate,” Foreign
Ministry spokesman Namik Tan said.

Press-Enterprise (subscription), CA
June 18 2005
Pontiff visits, gives blessing
01:11 AM PDT on Saturday, June 18, 2005
By DAVID OLSON / The Press-Enterprise
RANCHO MIRAGE – Minutes after watching His Holiness Karekin II bless
what will one day be the church sanctuary where she’ll worship, Linda
Jones still had a look of wonderment on her face.
The Sky Valley woman never thought she’d see the pontiff of the
Armenian Apostolic Church in person.
“It’s an incredible feeling,” said Jones, 56. “You just know the Lord
is doing great things.”
AP photo
His Holiness Karekin II, the pontiff of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, visited the Armenian Apostolic Church of the Desert on
Friday.
Karekin II visited the Armenian Apostolic Church of the Desert on
Friday as part of a three-week visit to the United States from his
home in Armenia.
“His Holiness wanted to meet with the faithful, re-energize them and
inspire them to fulfill the motto of the visit: a renaissance of
faith,” said the Rev. Ktrij Devejian, the pontiff’s foreign press
secretary.
Following a 1,700-year tradition, the leader of the world’s 7 million
Armenian Christians used his right thumb to spread sanctified oil
from olives and flowers onto a cross carved in a adobe-like touf
stone, which is indigenous to Armenia. Several people wept as they
watched the pontiff say blessings in Armenian asking God for
protection and guidance.
The stone will be placed at the foot of the church’s altar, said the
Rev. Stepanos Dingilian, pastor of the church. The $1.2-million
sanctuary is scheduled to open in mid-2006.
“It has been an honor just to see him,” Steve Balian, 58, said at a
banquet in the church social hall.
“The Armenians here needed a church and a home to worship the Lord,”
said Balian, of Rancho Mirage, between bites of tabouli. “The church
is how we Armenians come together.”

Church news: Mission to armenia
Belfast Telegraph, UK
June 18 2005
SIX members of Elmwood Presbyterian Church, in Lisburn, will travel
to Nor Gekhi near the Armenian capital, Yerevan, in July to work
at a Scripture Union campsite. It is the third year in succession
for the Elmwood representatives to take part in the event, held in
conjunction with the Brotherhood of the Armenian Apostolic Church. In
previous years, they have helped with building work on the site and
participated in local Christian and church meetings.

Karabakh leader calls for meeting European standards in elections
Interfax
June 18 2005
STEPANAKERT. June 18 (Interfax) – President Arkady Gukasian of
the self-proclaimed republic of Nagorno-Karabakh has called on
its residents to observe European democratic standards during the
elections to the local parliament on June 19, which, he said, could
promote international recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh.
“The upcoming elections are of great international importance for
Nagorno-Karabakh,” Gukasian said in an address circulated on Saturday.
The people should demonstrate to the world that democratic reforms
in Nagorno-Karabakh are irreversible, Gukasian said.
“If the upcoming parliamentary elections fail to meet European
standards, the image of our state and its authority on the
international arena will be seriously damaged, which could negatively
influence the process of settlement of our conflict with Azerbaijan,”
he said.
The Nagorno-Karabakh leader regretted that certain actions taken during
the election campaign could split society and deal an irreparable
blow to Nagorno-Karabakh’s security.
“I am calling on all political forces and candidates to respect the
people’s choice and work together to build the state and seek its
international recognition,” Gukasian said.
From: Baghdasarian

Azerbaijan-Armenia talks started on resolving the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
Today, Azerbaijan
June 18 2005
18 June 2005 [10:01] – Today.Az
The next meeting is held between Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan
and Armenia Elmar Mammedyarov and Vardan Oskanyan in Paris, capital
of France.
According to the information given to APA from the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, discussions will be conducted between the Ministers
and co-chairmen of OSCE Minsk Group in private first, and then joint
talks will be held with the participation of the Ministers and the
co-chairmen.
It must be noted that, the Ministers have conducted talks with only
the co-chairmen since April, have not met with each other.
Yesterday’s meeting will be held in the previous format and this is
considered to be the continuation of the Prague process.
It should be noted that, that this the first meeting of the Ministers
after the meeting of Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Warsaw
on 15 May.
URL:

Today, Azerbaijan
June 18 2005
UNESCO recommended official Baku to appeal Armenia for stopping
archaeological excavations in Shusha
18 June 2005 [09:53] – Today.Az
The minister of culture Polad Bulbuloglu appealed to the several
international organizations including the general director of
UNESCO Koichiro Matsuura few time before in connection with stopping
archaeological excavations held by the Armenians in Shusha.
According to the information entered APA from the press-service of the
ministry, the deputy on culture of the general director of UNESCO Munir
Bushenaki has already sent a letter in reply to the culture minister.
It is informed in the letter that all information given by the
Secretariat of UNESCO was investigated in every detail: “I must inform
with the feeling of regret that the secretariat of UNESCO was warned
not to send any mission to the region in the frame in connection with
the work of other agencies of UNO. That is why the authorities of
the organization in rendering assistance on protecting the cultural
values are limited to the last extent at the present time”.
It was also noted in the response letter that the excavations violating
the Hague Convention were illegal: “As to this question, I would like
to inform that the Secretariat does not have such special authority as
elucidating its existence to the convention. Except the truce procedure
considered in the 22nd article of the convention, there is no special
mechanism for solving the conflicts related to its propositions and
commentary. Even this article can not also be applied in definite form
as the protector state was not appointed. If there is a need of urgent
interference in the territory damaged and occupied as the result of the
military operations for protecting such values located in the territory
and the authoritative national government of the occupied territory can
not provide it, the invader country is required to cooperate closely
with the government of the occupied territory in the direction of
realizing most urgent measures for protecting these values”.
M.Bushenaki informed with the feeling of regret in the end of the
letter that the Secretariat would not be able to help Shusha city to
enter the International Register of the Culture Values being under
Special Protection. He explained this step according to the 13(2)
article of the Execution Regulations of the Hague Convention such
inquiries had to be made by the country which had occupied the
territories where the culture values were situated.
/APA/
URL:

EU-Turkish official: EU plans initiatives to bring Turkey-Armenia
together
Anatolia news agency, Ankara
17 Jun 05
Hopa, 17 June: “We have some ideas to bring Armenia and Turkey
closer. We plan several initiatives (regarding this rapprochement) in
coming months,” Joost Lagendijk, the co-chairman of the Turkey-European
Union (EU) Joint Parliament Commission, said on Friday [17 June].
Visiting Mayor Yilmaz Topaloglu of Hopa town in northeastern city
of Artvin, Lagendijk said that it was important for him to closely
monitor Turkey’s situation and learn what (Turkish) people were
thinking about the EU.
Lagendijk noted that he would visit (eastern city of) Kars after
Artvin, and recalled that Kars was a city situated at Turkey’s border
with Armenia.
Stating that he would not visit Armenia this time, Lagendijk said that
they aimed to launch some initiatives to improve peace and dialogue
in this region and open the border (between Turkey and Armenia).
Lagendijk hoped that he could cross to Armenia next time he visited
this region (Kars and vicinity).

The New Anatolian, Turkey
June 18 2005
Erdogan rebukes Germans over Armenian decision
The New Anatolian / Ankara
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday criticized
the German Parliament’s decision this week urging Ankara to examine
its role in the so-called Armenian genocide. Accusing the German
Parliament of “sacrificing” this serious issue to “simple lobbyists,”
without making any meaningful investigation of it, Erdogan called
the decision “politically wrong and ugly.”
The German Parliament on Thursday urged Turkey to examine its role in
the so-called Armenian genocide, an issue that could thwart Ankara’s
hopes of joining the European Union. German lawmakers adopted a
cross-party resolution asking the Berlin government to press Turkey
to reexamine theso-called Armenian genocide.
“The word ‘genocide’ was not used in their decision,” Erdogan said,
speaking to reporters about the German Parliament’s decision on his
arrival to Turkey from Lebanon late Thursday. “They chose to use the
word massacre. But still, I think that it’s politically wrong and
ugly to make this decision without investigating or negotiating on
it. We opened our archives, but they showed no interest.”
Erdogan said that German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder’s “attitude is
opposite to this decision.” He continued, “We expected the chancellor
to move on this and try to persuade some deputies to voice their
reservations about the decision.”