Month: June 2005

Pan Armenian News
ARMENIA AND ESTONIA TO SIGN MEMORANDUM ON MILITARY COOPERATION
09.06.2005 09:28
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian government approved the proposal on signing
the Memorandum on Military Cooperation between the Defense Ministries of the
Republic of Armenia and Republic of Estonia. The decision was taken during
the sitting of the Armenian government held by RA President Robert Kocharian
on May 9, IA Regnum reported.

Pan Armenian News
GRECO EXPERTS DISCONTENT WITH ARMENIAN JUDICIAL SYSTEM
09.06.2005 08:56
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The expert commission of the Group of States against
Corruption (GRECO) will present the results of a monitoring held in Armenia
May 28 – June 3 in the course of a close plenary session in October-November
2005. It was reported by Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia, head of the
GRECO Armenian delegation Ashot Galoyan. In his words, recommendations will
be provided to Armenia and they have to be realized within a year and a
half. As noted by Galoyan, last year Armenia presented a 180-page document
that included approaches to struggle against corruption, evaluation of
anti-corruption programs. In their turn European anti-corruption experts
said that they wish to arrive and acquaint with the situation in person. In
Galoyan’s words, in the near future results of monitoring Germany will be
presented, while Georgia has passed the evaluation stage. He also remarked
that all countries of the region, except Iraq, are GRECO members. Certain
problems were outlined resulting from meetings the experts had at the
Ministry of Justice, Police, Prosecutor’s Office, the judicial system, Civil
Service Council, State Purchase Agency, the Commercial and Industrial
Chamber and the Parliament. Thus, in Galoyan’s words, the parties noted that
the judicial system is far from being satisfactory and certain reforms are
necessary. In his words, it is also necessary to regulate at the state level
whether an official has the right to receive presents. «This concept was
alien to the European experts,» the Deputy FM said. According to him such
questions as whether a juridical person can be punished for corruption
activities or how to struggle corruption, if there is no institute of
protection of witness rights in Armenia appeared. Answering journalists’
question whether GRECO experts know which of the Armenian officials is
engaged in business, what buildings are owned by them, etc. Mr. Galoyan
answered «they have come to assess the situation, not an individual person.»
In the completion the GRECO Armenian delegation leader said Armenian
Ambassador to the UN has signed the Europe Criminal Law Convention on
Corruption, which is soon to be submitted to the National Assembly of
Armenia.

Pan Armenian News
ARMENIA PARTICIPATION IN IPAP WILL ALLOW CREATING PLAN OF LONG-TERM
PARTNERSHIP WITH NATO
09.06.2005 06:06
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia’s participation in the Individual Partnership
Action Plan (IPAP) will form the basis for strategic cooperation with the
Alliance, stated Mher Shahgeldyan, the head of the Commission on Defense,
National Security and Internal Affairs of the Armenian Parliament, Deputy
Chairman of Orinats Yerkir party that is part of the ruling coalition,
reported Regnum news agency. `It is a very important document that refers to
security, defense issues, as well as human rights, struggle against
corruption, democratization, specifically public and parliamentary control
over security,’ the Armenian MP said. In his words, the document presented
by the Armenian party was appreciated and characterized as a `pragmatic’
one. The participation in the IPAP provides an opportunity to form a
long-term strategic plan of partnership with the NATO, Mr. Shahgeldyan
summed up. It should be noted that earlier Deputy Minister of Defense of
Armenia, lieutenant general Artur Aghabekyan presented the main defense
reforms suggested in the document and planned to be implemented within the
IPAP, as well as mechanisms of cooperation with the NATO in order to
implement the reforms. These include `periodical consultations with the NATO
over regional security issues, working out security strategy, a military
doctrine, enhancement of the defense and budgetary planning, providing
interaction with NATO forces at an operative level, enhancement of military
education and the legal framework and others.’ At the same time, as
Aghabekyan noted, within the IPAP framework Armenia plans to get
`exclusively consultative assistance’ from the NATO member countries. He
also said the working out of the security strategy, its further public
discussion and consideration by the Parliament of 2007 convocation will form
the core of the reforms. He also emphasized that the IPAP allows reforming
the defense system gradually and under the conditions of unsettled
conflicts. In his words, the reforms to be implemented within the IPAP will
allow forming an army by 2015 that is adequate to challenges of the 21st
century: able of withstand new challenges, fully secure the state and
participate in regional and non-regional conflict settlement. Aghabekyan
also noted that reforms will be implemented taking into account four
principles `realism, stepwise principle, flexibility and profound analysis’
and will be held within the context of the overall reform of the state
system.

Pan Armenian News
TURKISH TRADE MINISTER PROTESTED AGAINST ACCUSATION OF HISTORIAN OF ARMENIAN
GENOCIDE DENIAL
10.06.2005 05:35
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish Minister of Trade Kursat Tuamen refused to visit
Switzerland thus protesting against the criminal investigation launched
against a Turkish historian, RFE/RL reported. Kursat Tuzmen was expected to
take part in the Turkish-Swiss business forum scheduled for June 22-24.
However his visit was postponed for an uncertain period due to the ongoing
investigation against Chairman of the Association of Turkish Historians
Yusuf Halachogly, who is suspected of violating the Swiss anti-racist law.
To remind, last year the historian in his speech failed to recognize the
Armenian Genocide of 1915. Let us also note that after one of Swiss cantons
recognized the Armenian Genocide Turkey refused to receive Swiss Foreign
Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey.

Pan Armenian News
MEETING OF PACE SUBCOMMITTEE ON KARABAKH SCHEDULED FOR JUNE
10.06.2005 05:02
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The first meeting of the Subcommittee on the Nagorno
Karabakh issue will take place during the PACE Summer Session June 20-24,
Samed Seidov, head of the Azeri delegation to the PACE said, Yerkir Online
reports. Lord Russell Johnston will preside over the meeting. The session
agenda, which will be finally ratified during the sitting on June 20, also
includes the issue of the constitutional reforms in Armenia as well as
Azerbaijan’s commitments.

Armenpress
OSKANIAN DISCUSSES KARABAKH, ARMENIA-TURKEY PROSPECTS IN WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON, JUNE 10, ARMENPRESS: Armenian foreign ministry said minister
Oskanian had several meetings in Washington on the first day of his two-day
visit. It said Oskanian met with president Bush’s national security advisor
Stephen Hadley to discuss Karabakh problem and prospects for normalization
of Turkish-Armenian relations.
The ministry said Hadley was interested in ongoing democracy reforms in
Armenia, and the process of constitutional and election reforms. Oskanian
also had meetings with members of US Congress caucus on Armenian issues and
briefed them on recent developments concerning Karabakh peaceful process and
Turkish-Armenian relations normalization and thanked Congressmen for their
continued support to Armenia.
Oskanian also met with representatives of the Armenian National Committee
of America (ANCA) and the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) to discuss
US-Armenian ties. This is the first visit by Oskanian to USA after
reelection of Bush. Today he is scheduled to meet Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenpress
FIRST-EVER GREEK-ARMENIAN MEDICAL CONFERENCE STARTS IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, JUNE 10, ARMENPRESS: Sixty Greek and 30 Armenian doctors, heads
of hospitals and medical researchers are participating in a three-day
first-ever Greek-Armenian medical conference that launched on June 9 in
Yerevan Congress Hotel. The conference is part of a series of International
Medical Conferences and the third one that is focused on health and care
problems of so-called third and forth age people. The previous two were held
in Rome, Italy and Odessa, Ukraine.
Titled as Peculiarities, Necessities and Obligations in the Care of
Elderly People, the conference was welcomed by Armenian education and
science minister Sergo Yeritsian, Armenian deputy health minister Tatul
Hakobian and the ambassador of Greece to Armenia, Mr. Antonios Vlavianos.
The Greek embassy in Yerevan told Armenpress the conference is organized
by Yerevan State Medical University, the European Center for the Quality of
Life, the Greek-Italian Forum for the Health Promotion under the auspices of
the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Greek Ministry of Health and
Welfare.

Pan Armenian News
RA FM AND US PRESIDENT ADVISOR DISCUSSED KARABAKH PROBLEM
10.06.2005 03:43
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On the first day of his 2-day working visit to Washington
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian met with US National Security
Advisor Stephen Hadley, RA MFA press center reported. The parties discussed
the prospects of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict peaceful settlement and the
Armenian-Turkish relations. Mr. Hadley showed special interest in
democratic, constitutional and legislative reform process in Armenia. Vartan
Oskanian also met with the members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian
Issues to discuss the Armenia-US relations, latest developments in the
process of the Karabakh conflict settlement, the Armenian-Turkish relations
as well as the issues likely to be included in the agenda of the
Armenian-American Commission on Economic Cooperation. Vartan Oskanian
thanked the Congressmen for consistent assistance rendered to Armenia. The
RA FM also held a meeting with the representatives of the Armenian National
Committee of America and the Armenian Assembly of America.

Pan Armenian News
ARMENIAN SERVICEMEN TO PARTICIPATE NATO CBE 2005 IN UKRAINE
10.06.2005 03:32
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ June 15 Armenian contingent headed by Commander Mher
Shirinian will depart for Lviv to take part in the exercise of the command
composition within Partnership for Peace NATO program June 15-17, RA Defense
Minister’s Press Secretary Seyran Shahsuvarian reported. Besides, the
Armenian servicemen will participate in the Cooperative Best Effort 2005
NATO exercise scheduled for June 19-30.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MP proposes law banning visits by `undesirable’ persons
Baku, June 9, AssA-Irada
Visits by `undesirable’ people to Azerbaijan should be prevented and a
relevant law passed, said chairman of Yurddash Party, MP Mais Safarli.
`Visits by undesirable people, such as Vladimir Kazimirov [former Russian
co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group mediating the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Upper Garabagh], should be prevented. But this is currently not regulated by
the legislation. I will raise the issue at the next session of the parliament.’
Safarli said that inviting Kazimirov to the country was aimed at subversion.
`Everything could happen at the event he attended. He could have been beaten,
killed or thrown out of the window.’
The MP added that Armenia could have used possible incidents to disrupt the
ongoing peace talks.
Kazimirov visited Baku to attend the seminar on `The geo-strategic importance
of Azerbaijan’ organized by NGOs. His anti-Azerbaijan statements infuriated
the Garabagh Liberation Organization members attending the event.*