Month: June 2005

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| 02:38:21 | 09-06-2005 | Sports |
ROMANIAN FOOTBALL TEAM DEFEATED ARMENIANS BY 0:3
Armenian national football team once again lost the match. The Romanians
beat our team by 0:3.

Pan Armenian News
ARMENIA AND JAPAN SIGNED AGREEMENT ON TECHNICAL COOPERATION
08.06.2005 08:25
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan and
representatives of the Japanese Government have signed an agreement on
technical cooperation, reported the Press Service of the Armenian
Government. The document provides for Japan assisting Armenia in retraining
and technical instruction of personnel, business trips of the necessary
staff to Armenia and other measures. During the meeting with his Japanese
counterpart Junichiro Koizumi Andranik Margaryan noted that organizing the
national day of Armenia within the EXPO-2005 evidences that in spite of the
geographic distance friendly relations are established between Armenia and
Japan. A. Margaryan assured that Armenia is consistent in development of
relations with countries of the Asian and Pacific regions. He also said he
was satisfied with the favorable development of the Armenian-Japanese
relations within international organizations. In his turn Junichiro Koizumi
thanked Armenia for the understanding of the situation available due to the
reform of the UN Security Council, as well as for support to Japan for
becoming the SC permanent member. A. Margaryan said he hoped that the
Japanese Government will further hold an impartial stand in regional
conflicts. Touching upon bilateral cooperation A. Margaryan noted the
importance of cooperation in seismology, where both Japanese and Armenian
scientists have been rather successful. The parties also noted the
importance of holding an Armenian-Japanese business forum June 24. At the
end of the meeting the Armenian PM invited his counterpart to visit Armenia
anytime convenient.

Pan Armenian News
RUSSIA CAN DO MUCH FOR KARABAKH SETTLEMENT
09.06.2005 05:05
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Former Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Vladimir
Kazimirovagrees with statements that Moscow has the key to solution of the
Nagorno Karabakh problem, Day.az reported. `Late Heydar Aliyev told it to
me, too. I told him then to give Moscow a chance to turn that key, but he
kept silent… It seems to me there are forces that do not wish Moscow to
solve the issue. However, I assure you that Russia can do much for
settlement of the Karabakh conflict,’ the Russian diplomat emphasized.

Pan Armenian News
KAZIMIROV: BAKU WILL HAVE TO AMEND STATEMENTS ON SOLUTION OF CONFLICT BY
FORCE
09.06.2005 04:59
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ One cannot even approach the stepwise settlement of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict Azerbaijan stands up for without reliable
commitments of the parties to resist the temptation of using force, stated
former Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Vladimir Kazimirov, Day.az reported.
In his words, only a large dose of naivete may allow any of the parties to
count at resumption of hostilities from more favorable positions. Both
material guarantees in the conflict zone (demilitarization of the regions
being liberated, etc.) and inclusion of weighty international guarantors.
`One should not think Armenia will return the 7 regions situated around
Nagorno Karabakh without serious guarantees by Azerbaijan, as well as
superpowers and international organizations. First of all Azerbaijan will
have to amend its public statements over deciding the issue by force. In
their turn Armenians should give up the attitude of `liberated territories’
that is based on power and is fallacious in its essence,’ Kazimirov summed
up.

Pan Armenian News
KAZIMIROV: ATKINSON REPORT LIMITED TO SUPERFICIAL PROBLEMS
09.06.2005 04:48
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ «I suppose that my criticism of the Council of Europe
rapporteur on Nagorno Karabakh David Atkinson was little, but he deserves
much,» stated former Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Vladimir Kazimirov,
Day.az reported. In his words, in his report Mr. Atkinson limited himself
merely to problems lying on the surface, i.e. occupation of a number of
Azeri regions and the hard destiny of the displaced persons. He did not wish
to go into the root of the problem. `Maybe he would better dig deeper and
there would have been many questions: how it all happened, why the
hostilities had not ceased for so long and the UN Security Council
resolutions were not fulfilled? There would have been no occupation and
outcomes if the conflict was solved within the legal framework by means of
political tools. The document is composed to provide a cause to Baku for
deciding the issue by force. As Armenians are either slier or more
constructive. All of these I view as incompetence of Mr. Atkinson, who did
not wish to go deeply into the essence of the conflict seriously,’ Kazimirov
emphasized. He added that one should not forget that the PACE decision is of
recommendation nature and the parties to conflict contrived not to fulfill
even UN SC compulsory resolutions. Moreover, due to a protracted
information, or rather disinformation war, the Karabakh settlement has
acquired a large number of myths, legends, false ides and new ones will
hardly change anything.

Pan Armenian News
BAKU AND YEREVAN DECEIVE THEMSELVES, FORMER OSCE MG CO-CHAIR SUPPOSES
09.06.2005 04:38
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be solved by the
parties involved in the conflict first of all, while the superpowers can
merely have an influence for them finding common points. Former Co-Chair of
the OSCE Minsk Group Vladimir Kazimirov stated it when answering a question
why the three superpowers: Russia, US and France have not managed to solve
the dispute of two small countries – Azerbaijan and Armenia, Day.az
reported. In his words, there are no serious talks without concessions.
However Presidents have not started making the society ready for these, just
the opposite – for many years they assured they will gain and not give.
`Armenians should understand they have to return the territories and
Azerbaijan should understand that it is necessary to solve the issue of the
status of Nagorno Karabakh. But the two countries are engaged not in what is
necessary, but in deceiving themselves. They should engage themselves is
strengthening the cease-fire regime and reconciling. Azerbaijan has to give
up militant terminology, while Armenia – from absurd ideas of `liberated’,
i.e. occupied territories of Azerbaijan. I have been stating for several
years already that participation of Nagorno Karabakh in the talks will only
benefit Azerbaijan. However, Baku agrees to it in no way. At the same time
considering that someone from the outside will put press and the problem
will solve automatically is naive,’ V. Kazimirov emphasized.

Karabakh election campaign democratic, Armenian presidential aide says
Hayots Ashkarh, Yerevan
8 Jun 05
Excerpt from Vaan Vardanyan’s report by Armenian newspaper Hayots
Ashkarh on 8 June headlined “Clashes and enmity are ruled out”
An interview with the Armenian president’s advisor on national
security issues, Garnik Isagulyan. He comments on the upcoming
parliamentary elections in the NKR [Nagornyy Karabakh Republic].
[Hayots Ashkarh correspondent] Mr Isagulyan, you have recently
returned from Karabakh, what is your impression of the election
campaign that has started there?
[Garnik Isagulyan] First of all, I should note that the NKR
parliamentary elections are of great importance from the regional
point of view, as well as from the point of view of the NKR’s
international image as an independent state. For this reason,
developing a civilized election process is very important.
On the whole, the election race is taking place within a civilized
framework, in line with all democratic norms. NKR state television has
provided equal airtime for election propaganda. There is also paid
airtime and there is no obstacle to using that. I would like to say
that for the first time 11 mandates of the NKR parliament will be
given to deputies elected under the proportional representation
system. For this reason, more parties will take part in this election
campaign than previously.
[Passage omitted: Isagulyan mentions the parties that will take part
in the elections]
[Correspondent] Will [NKR leader] Arkadiy Gukasyan support anybody?
[Isagulyan] At a meeting with the NKR president, he assured me that he
does not intend to meddle in the election campaign. He said that free
and fair elections are much more important since their international
and political price is much higher than local, narrow party or group
interests.
[Correspondent] Anyway, who is coming forward as a pro-government
party and who is in the opposition? How much of administrative
resources do they have?
[Isagulyan] On the whole, the National Democratic Party [NDP] appears
to be the pro-government party. On the contrary, the bloc of the
Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun [RFD] and Sharzhum [Movement]
88 represents the radical opposition. The Free Motherland Party may be
considered as a centrist party. As for the administrative resources, I
think the authorities support no-one. On the other hand, the NDP and
the opposition have such resources. While the former has strong
positions in the state administration, the leader of the Sharzhum-88
is the Stepanakert [Xankandi] mayor, several village governors are RFD
members, and it is clear that each will try to use their potential as
much as possible.
[Correspondent] Has a party of oligarchs been established in Karabakh?
[Isagulyan] Opponents try to define the Free Motherland Party in this
way. I do not agree because I had contacts with members of this
party. One or two of them are economists, but there are no
representatives of large businesses among them. Karabakh is different
from Armenia in this sense. First, the potential of the local plants
is very modest. Second, they have not made a habit of driving
foreign-made cars or having bodyguards, acquiring a special status and
emphasizing it, as some rich people do in Armenia.
[Correspondent] What forces will win?
[Isagulyan] Although in fact seven political forces are taking part in
the elections, the bloc of the RFD and Sharzhum-88 and the Free
Motherland Party are the obvious front-runners. To win one of the 11
seats under the proportional representation system, a party is to
overcome a 10-per-cent threshold, compared to 5 per cent in
Armenia. The remaining 22 mandates will be contested under the
first-past-the-post system.
[Passage omitted: minor comments]

Pan Armenian News
KOCHARIAN CONGRATULATED RUSSIAN EMBASSY STAFF ON DAY OF RUSSIA
09.06.2005 04:05
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Armenian President Robert Kocharian visited the
Russian Embassy in Yerevan on the occasion of the Day of Russia, reported
the Press Service of the Armenian leader. In his congratulation speech the
President said that he is sure the ties between the Armenian and Russian
peoples formed during centuries will further strengthen.

Pan Armenian News
ARMENIAN-JAPANESE INTERPARLIAMENTARY TIES NEED TO BE PROMOTED
08.06.2005 08:51
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan met with
Chairman of the lower chamber of the Japanese Parliament Chikage Ogi,
reported the Press Service of the Government of Armenia. In the course of
the meeting he noted that Armenia is interested in intensification of
cooperation with Japan and emphasized that all necessary components are
available to that end. Simultaneously the parties said they were concerned
over the Armenian-Japanese Working Parliamentary Groups formed a few years
ago being not efficient. The parties said they hoped that the current visit
of the Armenian delegation will facilitate establishing interparliamentary
relations. The interlocutors are confident that Armenia and Japan will
cooperation within international organizations in the future as well.
Touching upon the question of further cooperation of Armenia and Japan, the
parties noted the information technologies, chemical industry, food
processing, tourism and seismology were important spheres. Tomorrow the
Armenian PM is scheduled to meet with Vice President of the Japanese
International Cooperation Agency Azoushi Hatakenaka, to visit Panasonic
center, as well as to give an interview to Japan Broadcasting Corporation.

Azeri police foil protests against polls in breakaway Karabakh
ANS TV, Baku
8 Jun 05
[Presenter] Members of the Karabakh Liberation Organization [KLO] have
attempted to stage pickets outside the embassies of the countries
co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group in protest against the [19 June]
parliamentary polls in the self-styled Nagornyy Karabakh republic
[NKR].
[Correspondent over video of protesters and police officers] The KLO
started mass protests today. Its members attempted to stage
unsanctioned protests outside the embassies of Russia, France and the
USA – the countries co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group and demanded that
the parliamentary polls in the self-styled NKR be prevented. Despite
police resistance, the protesters managed to approach the French
embassy and chant their slogans.
The police detained and held [in a police car] KLO deputy chairman
Firudin Mammadov until the end of the protest.
They also tried to prevent KLO members from marching to the Russian
embassy. Only one protester was allowed to submit a resolution to a
member of the embassy. The resolution also carried their protest
against the relocation of Russian bases from Georgia to Armenia.
The KLO members failed to chant their slogans outside the US
embassy. The police waiting for them near the Dostluq [Friendship]
cinema allowed the protesters to submit their resolution to the
embassy. Despite all this, KLO deputy chairman Mammadov said that they
had achieved their goals.
[Mammadov] We said in our resolution that if the issues raised by the
KLO, that is the parliamentary polls [in Karabakh] and the removal of
Russia’s military units from Georgia to Armenia, are not taken
seriously in the near future, the KLO will stage more protests outside
these countries.
[Correspondent] Mammadov said that next actions would be more radical.
Vamiq Nasirov, Natavan Babayeva and Sadiq Mammadov, ANS.
[Video showed protesters chanting “Karabakh! Karabakh!”; Firudin
Mammadov in a police car, policemen etc]