Month: June 2005

Russia already transferring hardware from base in Georgia to Armenia
The Messenger, Georgia
June 2 2005
A train carrying ammunition and military hardware from the 12th
Russian military base in Georgia’s Batumi left on Tuesday to deliver
the supplies to the 102nd Russian military base in Armenia’s Gyumri,
Interfax reported.
“This is extra ammunition and hardware, which is being transferred
to supply the 102nd base according to an earlier endorsed plan,”
the deputy commander of the Russian military contingent in the South
Caucasus Col. Vladimir Kuparadze told Interfax by telephone from
Batumi on Tuesday.

Separatist president accuses Russian forces of negligence
By Mary Makharashvili
The Messenger, Georgia
May 2 2005
Eduard Kokoiti visited Moscow on Wednesday, three days after the
death of four Ossetians and one Georgian in South Ossetia. Kokoiti,
the de-facto president of the unrecognized republic, partially blamed
Russian peacekeepers for failing to intervene prior to the gun battle
during his press conference on Wednesday, June 1.
According to his statement, the armed incident was planned in advance.
“I have information that Georgia is getting ready for a fight with us,
though I want you to know that we will not change our position since
we are an independent state,” he said.
“A minister of such a high level as Georgia’s Minister of Internal
Affairs must know what the situation is,” he said. He added that
this was a well prepared provocation against the Ossetian Emergency
Affairs Ministry.
He also stressed that Russian peacekeepers must fulfill the obligations
included in their mandate. He mentioned that the incident was close
to their post and they “had the full right to be involved in this
conflict and to avoid this bloodshed.”
“The Georgian policeman should not have been in this area and what
were they doing there?,” he added.
Kokoiti reported that he arrived in Moscow to discuss integration
issues, as well as the problems facing Russian citizens residing in
South Ossetia. He noted during his briefing that the majority of the
population in South Ossetia are Russian citizens.
There were no meeting with the Russian leadership scheduled during
his visit. “We are solving economic problems,” he said. He stressed
that the meeting was very important for the republics. “We want
to coordinate efforts and support each other in the formation of
states,” Kokoiti said. “We want to help each other be free, as the
democrats say.”
He added that a summit for the separatist leaders of Transdnestre,
Abkhazia, Karabakh and South Ossetia is planned to be held in a month.
Kokoiti also used the opportunity to declare he supports the withdraw
of Russian military bases from Georgian territory if this will assist
in strengthening the relations between Georgia and Russia.
Earlier this week the president of North Ossetia, Alexander Dzasokhov,
announced he would step down from the post later this year. Calls
for his resignation first came in the aftermath of the Beslan hostage
tragedy. Neither Georgian or South Ossetian officials have commented
on his resignation.

Russian arms from Georgia will be under Russian jurisdiction
Interfax
June 2 2005
BAKU. June 2 (Interfax) – Russian Charge d’Affaires in Azerbaijan Pyotr
Burdykin on Thursday handed over an official answer from the Russian
Foreign Ministry to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry to Baku’s note
expressing its concern about the redeployment of some weapons from
the Russian military bases in Georgia to Armenia.
“The [response] note reads that the matter can only imply the transfer
[of weapons] from one Russian military base to another rather than
their transfer to Armenia,” Burdykin said commenting on reports
alleging that Russian weapons could be passed to the Armenian armed
forces’ disposal.
“This is absolute invention, this is just impossible,” he said.

The Messenger, Georgia
June 2 2005
Mirtskhulava case enters appeal
Defense argues guilty verdict would put Georgia USD 6 million in debt
By Mary Makharashvili
David Mirtskhulava
During the first day of his appeal trial, former Minister of Fuel and
Energy Davit Mirtskhulava blasted prosecutors for carrying out an
investigation based on orders from higher-up.
He also questioned his imprisonment while other former officials walk
free. “I am the only government member still in prison. Have you ever
asked yourselves if I am the face of the government that you were
criticizing?,” he said.
On Wednesday Mirtskhulava’s appeal trial began at the District Court
of Tbilisi. His lawyers are demanding that the district court
overturn the ten year sentence handed down by the
Mtatsminda-Krtsanisi Regional Court on March 30.
During a speech to the court, Mirtskhulava accused the government of
pressuring him. He also accused the employees of the General
Prosecutor’s Office who, according to Mirtskhulava, admitted that he
is not guilty and that the investigation was based on a government
order.
According to the defense, there is no victim in the corruption case,
since Georgia has already paid its debt to the Armenia. They also
allege that if the verdict accusing Mirtskhulava is upheld, the
Armenian energy system will have a chance to demand anew the USD 6
million payment that is at the center of the government’s case.
Mirtskhulava’s defense also claims that the document authorizing this
payment was not signed by the former minister, but stamped “the
minister agreed” in his absence. According to the defense, he was not
in Georgia at the time.
Furthermore, Beselia told journalists on Tuesday that Mirtskhulava
was ordered to approve the repayment scheme, which was set up by
other agencies by a presidential decree.
She also pointed out that when Armenia first filed a case against the
Georgian state regarding the debt in 1999, Mirtskhulava was not a
minister and “Armenia lost the case both in Tbilisi District Court
and then in the Supreme Court of Georgia.”
The state claimed that in this case, the seal of a Georgian minister
did not mean that the state should pay this debt, since it was an
agreement between legal entities, Beselia stated. She added that in
bringing the current charges against Mirtskhulava, the prosecution
was admitting that the state was in fact responsible for the debt.
In her closing statements to the court earlier this year, Beselia
stated that Armenia has not requested the sum which was paid to an
intermediary but not transferred to Armenia. She also asked the court
why only her client was being charged.
“If this is a crime, where are the five people who signed this
agreement with Armenergo, including the former head of the Railway
Department Akaki Chkhaidze, the head of the Georgian Whole Sale
Electricity Market, the director of state owned Sakenergo or the
Marsh Corporation, which served as the intermediary,” she asked. “If
signing this agreement was a crime, grounds to jail a person and
demand a 12 year imprisonment, then why hasn’t the responsibility of
the others been raised?”
In his defense speech, Mirtskhulava said that there should have been
a more reasonable process. “I do not know when I will be free, but
when I gain freedom I will raise the issue of Judge Kharebava’s
responsibility as well as that of the prosecutor and everyone else
since they are really damaging the state. They are causing so much
damage they themselves cannot even calculate it,” he said.
“This is revenge justice. I am directly saying that today the quality
of your [the judge’s] independence is equal to nil. You will not be
independent while making a decision and no one can ask you to be a
hero,” the defendant said in an hour-long speech at the end of the
trial.
Addressing the media at the time, the prosecutor did not respond to
the remarks made in the defense’s three-hour address, saying only
“the defense is doing what it should do in such cases.”
Mirtskhulava was the first former high ranking official detained by
the General Prosecutor’s office following the Rose Revolution. After
a seven month investigation, the General Prosecutor’s Office charged
him with abuse of power, participating in a scheme to defraud the
state, and misappropriation of state documents. The crimes are
punishable by a 3-8 year term, a 5-10 year term and a prison term of
up to one year respectively.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS RELEASE
“Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund, Toronto
5005 Steeles Avenue East, Suite 208,
Toronto, Ontario, M1V 5K1, Canada
Contact : Migirdic Migirdicyan
Tel: (416) 332 0787
Fax: (416) 332 0736
e-mail : [email protected]
TORONTO ALL-ARMENIAN FUND IS BUILDING A SCHOOL IN MADAGHIS, ARTSAKH
June 2, 2005 Toronto, ON – Toronto, Hayastan All-Armenian Fund
Chapter had its annual banquet on Sunday, May 29, 2005. Over 300
Torontonians, as well as out of town guests, attended the fund-raising
dinner. Migirdic Migirdicyan, the chairman of the local chapter,
gave a detailed report about the three completed projects in 2004,
by Toronto. The first project was the school at the Shosh village in
Artsakh, for 120 to 150 students and 11 classrooms, which officially
opened on October 10, 2004. The second project was the gasification
of the Kantsasar Monastery. Toronto had already brought gas for
domestic use to the village of Vank. From the gas network in the
village 2.8 Km of gas pipelines were installed all the way up to
the monastery. The third project completed was the re-building and
renovation of the gymnasium, the auditorium and all the washroom
facilities of Nor Keghi school, just North of Yerevan. The Nor
Keghi school renovation was made possible by the donation given by
Brantford Armenian Charitable Association. Continuing his presentation
Migirdicyan announced that after bringing potable water to the Tumi
village in Artsakh, the Toronto chapter will build a new school for
the village of Madaghis. The exact engineering plans of the Shosh
village school will be used for the Madaghis construction as well. It
is expected that the construction will begin at the end of June.
After the presentation of the projects, Mr. Vartan Yaghsezian, Board
member of the All-Armenian Fund, who was especially invited from Los
Angeles as the key-note speaker of the evening, talked about how the
Fund started in 1992 and thoroughly explained its mission and the
accomplishments to-date. Mr. Yaghsezian mentioned that overall there
were some 250 projects realized of which Toronto had a respectable
position with some 20 plus projects of its own. Before the end of
the evening, some $75,000 were raised towards the school project
for Madaghis. Before leaving the function everybody present signed
a large wall-mounted poster of the Shosh school, turning it into a
unique and memorable memento commemorating the evening.
At the end of the banquet, the Toronto Fund’s Youth Group announced
that they had organized a 5Km walk-a-thon, on Sunday, June 5, at 1:30PM
starting from the Holy Trinity Armenian Church. All the proceeds will
go towards the building of the Madaghis school.
For additional information or a sample copy, please contact:
“Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund, Toronto
5005 Steeles Avenue East, Suite 208,
Toronto, Ontario, M1V 5K1, Canada
Contact : Migirdic Migirdicyan
Tel: (416) 332 0787
Fax: (416) 332 0736
e-mail : [email protected]
Hayastan Foundation Canada Inc. – “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund is a
charitable organization, realizing humanitarian projects in Armenia
and Artsakh. During the last twelve years, it has undertaken and
successfully completed numerous winter heating, water distribution,
gasification and school construction projects.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Genocide armenien : la democratie en question
By Marie-Michèle Martinet
Le Figaro, France
01 juin 2005
Murat Celikkan a la reputation de ne pas mâcher ses mots. Journaliste
au quotidien Radikal et connu pour son engagement de longue date en
faveur des droits de l’homme, il n’a pas hesite a reclamer la
demission du ministre de la Justice, Cemil Cicek, quelques jours
avant la mise en application du nouveau code penal. Ce jour-la,
Radikal faisait sa manchette sur ce titre : ” Tolerance zero pour la
liberte. ” Selon le journaliste, plusieurs recents derapages font
planer de lourdes menaces sur la democratie en Turquie. Dernier en
date : l’annulation d’une conference sur l’Armenie, organisee par la
prestigieuse universite stambouliote de Bogazici. Pendant trois
jours, des intellectuels turcs devaient engager un debat sur la
question armenienne qui, on l’a vu au mois d’avril, a l’occasion du
90 e anniversaire du genocide, demeure un sujet sensible, voire
tabou.
La reaction du ministre de la Justice, qui s’est empresse de
suspendre la conference, en est une nouvelle illustration. Il n’est
desormais plus question de designer les manipulations venues de
l’etranger ou le lobbying de la diaspora armenienne, puisque le debat
devait se tenir entre universitaires turcs. Cela n’a pas empeche
Cemil Cicek de menacer les participants de poursuites judiciaires.
Selon le ministre de la Justice, il s’agit d’un ” coup de couteau
dans le dos de la nation turque ” et les organisateurs sont coupables
de ” trahison “.
Pour Murat Celikkan, et de nombreux intellectuels et journalistes
turcs qui ont manifeste leur soutien aux organisateurs de la
conference, cet episode ” montre bien qu’il n’existe pas de culture
democratique dans ce pays “. Le nouveau code penal contiendrait a ce
titre de nombreuses menaces : ” La question est maintenant de savoir
comment les juges vont appliquer les nouveaux textes “, precise le
journaliste. Pour cette raison, les mois a venir devraient permettre
a la presse et aux intellectuels de mesurer les limites de leur
liberte.
–Boundary_(ID_kKMoWn93nVYW3u7r4Q4u4Q)–

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
31. Mai 2005
Der Kampf um den Kaukasus;
Die Vereinigten Staaten und Iran sind die wichtigsten Konkurrenten
Rainer Hermann
TEHERAN, Ende Mai
Der Kreis um Iran schließt sich. Amerikanische Soldaten stehen in
Ländern sudlich des Persischen Golfs, vor allem in Kuweit und Qatar,
im Irak sind sie präsent und in Afghanistan. Unauffällig hatte
Teheran in diesen beiden Ländern die Vereinigten Staaten unterstutzt,
beim Sturz Saddam Husseins und der Taliban. Doch die Islamische
Republik hat es nicht verstanden, diese Hilfe in politisches Kapital
umzumunzen. Nun setzen sich die Vereinigten Staaten militärisch auch
nordlich Irans, in Aserbaidschan, fest, nachdem sie seit 2001
Einheiten in Usbekistan stationiert hatten.
Nicht gefallen kann Iran ferner, daß sich drei Staaten des
Sudkaukasus, neben Aserbaidschan auch Georgien und Armenien, auf den
Westen zubewegen. Wirtschaftlich binden sie die zwei Pipelines von
Baku in die Turkei – fur Ol an den Mittelmeerhafen Ceyhan und fur Gas
nach Erzurum – enger an den Westen. Politisch hat am auffälligsten
die Revolution in Georgien die Orientierung nach Westen verstärkt.
Spuren hinterlassen hat aber auch der Sog der Revolutionen in der
Ukraine und in Kirgistan.
Teheran sieht nicht tatenlos zu, wie ihm die Kontrolle uber sein
Hinterland entgleitet. Iran will sich daher als Transportkorridor
zwischen dem Indischen Ozean und dem Gebiet der ehemaligen
Sowjetunion unentbehrlich machen. Im April wurde das letzte Teilstuck
zwischen dem Hafen Bandar Abbas und der Grenze zu Turkmenistan
geschlossen. Nun gibt Teheran 600 Millionen Dollar aus, um die Trasse
von Bandar Abbas uber Ghazwin an die Grenze zu Aserbaidschan zu
vollenden. Sowohl in Sarakhs als auch in Astara wurde Iran Anschluß
an das fruhere sowjetische Eisenbahnnetz erhalten. Iran will damit
zum Seeweg vom Indischen Ozean durch den Suezkanal nach Osteuropa
eine preiswerte Transportalternative anbieten.
Der Einfluß Rußlands an seiner sudlichen Flanke geht zuruck. Weder in
Georgien noch in der Ukraine konnte es den Sturz loyaler Regime
verhindern. Moskau scheint nicht mehr stark genug, um seinen Einfluß
abzusichern. Die Turkei hatte vergeblich versucht, in das entstehende
Vakuum vorzustoßen. Je geringer die Ruckendeckung aus Washington
wurde, das die Turkei zu einer aktiven Politik im Kaukasus und in
Zentralasien ermuntert hatte, desto unbedeutender wurden deren
Moglichkeiten. Nur beim besonders eng verwandten Turkvolk der
Aserbaidschaner hat die Turkei bis heute einen politischen
Verbundeten. Nach dem Ausscheiden der Turkei bleiben damit Iran und
die Vereinigten Staaten, um im Kaukasus und in Zentralasien um
Einfluß zu wetteifern. Die Vereinigten Staaten setzen dabei auf ihre
militärische Macht. Am 12. April 2005 besuchte der amerikanische
Verteidigungsminister Rumsfeld Aserbaidschan und vereinbarte die
Stationierung amerikanischer Soldaten. 300 Soldaten sollen schon
eingetroffen sein. Sie bilden etwa die aserbaidschanische Kustenwacht
auf dem Kaspischen Meer aus, an das auch Iran grenzt. In den
kommenden Monaten will Washington Tausende Soldaten auf drei
Luftwaffenstutzpunkte entsenden, auch fur eine schnelle
Eingreiftruppe auf der Halbinsel Apscheron vor Baku und fur den
Betrieb von Radarstationen. Moskau sieht damit langfristig seine
lebenswichtige Radarstation in Qabala, im Herzen Aserbaidschans, in
Gefahr.
Washington setzt sich in Aserbaidschan aus drei Grunden fest: Die
Kaukasusrepublik verfugt uber bedeutende Olvorkommen, uber ihr
Territorium verlaufen wichtige Pipelines, und von hier aus konnen
Iran sowie der nordliche Teil des Nahen Ostens kontrolliert werden.
Mit einer engen Anbindung will Washington zudem verhindern, daß
Aserbaidschan einer Pipeline zum Transport iranischen Ols durch den
Kaukasus nach Europa zustimmt. Sollte sich der aserbaidschanische
Autokrat Alijew nicht den Wunschen fugen, droht ihm, daß die
Vereinigten Staaten – wie bereits in der Ukraine und in Georgien –
die Opposition unterstutzen konnten. Im November finden in
Aserbaidschan Parlamentswahlen statt. Der in Unruhe versetzte Alijew
war zumindest nicht bereit gewesen, im April Rumsfeld zu empfangen.
Wie Rußland ist auch Iran nicht an einer Ausweitung des
amerikanischen Einflusses gelegen. Auf eine gemeinsame Politik
konnten sich Teheran und Moskau bislang aber nicht verständigen.
Wegen Meinungsverschiedenheiten zum volkerrechtlichen Status des
Kaspischen Meeres hat Putin Iran noch immer nicht besucht.
Andererseits hält Rußland das iranische Ansinnen, die
Urananreicherung wiederaufzunehmen, fur “legitim” und sieht im
iranischen Atomprogramm keine Bedrohung fur die Sicherheit. Vor einem
Monat hat Rußland zudem angekundigt, noch in diesem Jahr nuklearen
Brennstoff fur das vor der Fertigstellung stehende iranische
Atomkraftwerk Bushir zu liefern.
Um sich gegen die Gefahr aus Aserbaidschan abzusichern, hat Iran nur
einen Monat nach Rumsfelds Besuch mit Baku einen Nichtangriffspakt
unterzeichnet. Dabei verpflichten sich beide Staaten, daß sie ihr
Territorium nicht einem Dritten fur einen Angriff auf den anderen
Vertragsstaat bereitstellen. Unklar ist, was Iran Aserbaidschan dafur
geboten hat. Denn in der Vergangenheit hatte sich Baku ungehalten
uber die iranische Neutralität im Konflikt mit Armenien zur
umstrittenen Enklave Nagornyj Karabach gezeigt, auch uber die engen
wirtschaftlichen Kontakte Irans mit Armenien.
Iran unterhält in Eriwan bereits eine große Handelskolonie. Nun will
Armenien iranisches Gas beziehen, um seine Abhängigkeit vom
russischen Gas abzubauen. Iran ist bereit, aus Armenien Elektrizität
zu beziehen. Auch in Georgien wittert Iran Chancen. Georgien will
zwar Rußland fernhalten, seine zunehmend nationalistischen Tone
finden in Washington offenbar aber nicht nur Gefallen. Auch in
Georgien bietet sich Iran an, russisches durch eigenes Gas zu
ersetzen und moglicherweise von dort sogar nach Europa zu
transportieren.
Damit kann Iran aber noch nicht die zusätzliche Bedrohung
neutralisieren, die nun vom Norden und dem Kaspischen Meer ausgeht.
Iran hat daher die Produktion seiner Unterseeboote forciert und
versucht, am Kaspischen Meer eine Militärpräsenz aufzubauen, bevor
die Amerikaner so weit sind. Sicherheitsgarantien sind daher nicht
zufällig die wichtigste Forderung Irans in den Atomgesprächen mit der
EU. Einen wichtigen Rustungslieferanten hatte Iran mit der Revolution
in der Ukraine verloren. Von dort hatte Iran zuletzt Trägerraketen
bezogen, die sich auch fur atomare Sprengkopfe eignen. Die Zahl der
zuverlässigen außenpolitischen Partner war mit dem Machtwechsel in
Kiew kleiner geworden. Sollte sich der Kaukasus unter dem Einfluß der
Vereinigten Staaten und der EU tatsächlich weiter nach Westen
orientieren, bliebe Iran zu einer Ostorientierung keine Alternative.
Dort gelingen der Teheraner Ol- und Gasdiplomatie auch Erfolge. Mit
Pakistan und Indien erzielte Iran zum Bau einer vier Milliarden
Dollar teuren Gaspipeline einen Durchbruch, und das energiehungrige
China will sich mit Energieverträgen, die auf 25 Jahre angelegt sind,
langfristig an Iran binden. China ist in nur wenigen Jahren zu einem
der wichtigsten Handelspartner Irans aufgestiegen und so ein neuer
Akteur in der Region geworden.
–Boundary_(ID_Ykn2dm6ToL1pb8Qp5XDByQ)–

Le Figaro, France
01 juin 2005
En Turquie, le code penal ” europeen ” suscite la fronde;
Des risques pour la liberte d’expression
par Marie-Michèle Martinet
Le nouveau code penal turc, concu pour aligner la legislation sur les
normes europeennes et faciliter l’adhesion a l’UE, entre aujourd’hui
en application. Le texte suscite cependant de nombreuses inquietudes.
Il est accuse de mettre en cause la laïcite et la liberte
d’expression.
TEXTE-ARTICLE:
Le projet etait plus que louable. Nul ne doutait de la necessite de
refondre un code penal concu, il y a près de quatre-vingts ans, sur
le modèle du code fasciste mussolinien. Nul ne mettait en cause le
besoin d’assurer une plus grande independance des juges. Pourtant,
cette reforme en profondeur a eveille la mefiance quand, a quelques
semaines de sa mise en application, prevue le 1 er avril, les
journalistes s’etaient apercu des dangers qu’elle faisait peser sur
la liberte de la presse. Soudain mobilises contre le projet, ils
avaient obtenu un report de deux mois, qui devait permettre aux
deputes d’affiner les points litigieux.
Deux mois plus tard, le bilan est amer : ” Rien n’a vraiment change,
regrette le vice-president de l’Association des journalistes turcs,
Zafer Atay. Les associations de femmes nuancent ce propos sevère.
Elles considèrent, pour leur part, que leurs revendications ont ete
largement prises en compte. La tradition des crimes d’honneur, par
exemple, qui autorisait le mari ou le frère a executer une femme de
leur famille a la suite d’un adultère, un viol ou meme un regard de
travers, se heurtera desormais au risque d’une condamnation lourde.
Jusqu’a present, le criminel encourait de huit a seize ans de prison
; et sa peine etait souvent reduite a trois ou quatre ans, au
benefice de la ” bonne conduite “. Desormais, la peine sera la
perpetuite, avec minimum incompressible de trente ans.
Dans le domaine de la liberte d’expression, en revanche, les juristes
denoncent un texte flou : ” Des notions comme ” atteinte a l’interet
national ” ou ” attaque contre l’Etat ” sont vagues et peuvent etre
interpretees de diverses manières “, constate Akin Atalay, avocat du
quotidien Cumhuriyet.
Sur cette base mal definie, des journalistes s’inquiètent de ne plus
pouvoir aborder librement les sujets sensibles tels que le
stationnement de troupes turques a Chypre ou le genocide armenien
(lire ci-dessous). ” En clair, cela veut dire que la presse pourra
donner les faits bruts mais devra s’abstenir de tout commentaire qui
n’aille pas dans le sens commun “, precise Akin Atalay. Les
journalistes etrangers ne sont pas a l’abri des poursuites : celui
qui mettrait trop nettement en cause la position officielle de la
Turquie sur le genocide armenien pourrait s’exposer, par exemple, a
une peine de dix annees de prison.
Repressif quand il s’agit d’empecher la presse et les intellectuels
en general de s’exprimer librement, le nouveau code se montre a
l’inverse comprehensif dans le domaine des entorses faites a la
laïcite, qui constitue pourtant l’un des piliers de la Republique
turque construite par Ataturk. Un amendement, introduit a la dernière
minute, a provoque une levee de boucliers. Il concerne les cours
prives coraniques, soupconnes d’etre les courroies de transmission de
la propagande islamiste en Turquie. Leur ouverture illegale,
c’est-a-dire sans le feu vert prealable de la direction des Affaires
religieuses, exposait a une peine de trois ans de prison. Le nouveau
code prevoit de ramener cette peine a une simple amende. Pour le
Parti republicain du peuple (CHP), fer de lance de la laïcite, le
projet est inacceptable.
Face a la fronde, le chef de la diplomatie turque, Abdullah Gul, a
calme le jeu, en expliquant que les erreurs eventuelles peuvent
encore etre corrigees et que ” les exagerations sur de tels sujets
peuvent etre nuisibles a la Turquie “.
–Boundary_(ID_73o68OpapSWvkFYYQkb8sw)–

Iran gives priority to expansion of ties
IRNA, Iran
June 1, 2005 Wednesday 1:43 PM EST
with neighboring states Tabriz, East Azarbaijan prov, May 31, IRNA
Iran-Ties-Armenia Iran’s Ambassador to Yerevan Ali-Reza Haqiqian on
Tuesday referred to expansion of multifaceted relations with the
neighboring countries in line with the policy of promoting regional
peace, stability, balance, security and welfare in the region as one
of the basic principles of Iran.
Speaking at inaugural ceremony of a conference held by Iranian and
Armenian tradesmen, he added that given the historical commonalties
and peaceful communication between the two nations, the two countries
should further bolster cooperation.
“The economic potentials of the two states and the interests
associated with the privilege of being neighbors justify making
optimum use of the favorable conditions.
He hoped to witness the achievements of Iranian and Armenian
tradesmen after the necessary grounds are prepared by the officials
of both countries for such cooperation.
Stressing that bolstering mutual ties is one of the objectives of the
high-ranking officials of the two states, the Iranian diplomat said,
“Establishment of Aras Free Trade and Industrial Zone, joint
construction of Nowzar bridge and Armenia’s access to the remarkable
facilities of East Azarbaijan province will serve as a proper
infrastructure to strengthen collaboration between the two states.
He reiterated the need to hold similar conferences in Iran and
Armenia and noted that looking for new fields of cooperation and
struggling to use the available potentials requires close assistance
of the officials in charge.
The two-day conference is held at the premises of Tabriz Chamber of
Commerce, Industries and Mines.
During the seminar, the attending tradesmen and industrialist will
discuss trade cooperation between the two countries.

Train with mil hardware goes from RF base in Batumi to Armenia
By Tengiz Pachkoria
ITAR-TASS News Agency
June 1, 2005 Wednesday 2:55 AM Eastern Time
TBILISI, June 1 — A train with military hardware and ammunition
went from a Russian military base in Batumi to Armenia. The train
consisting of 15 wagons left Batumi on Tuesday evening, arrived in
Tbilisi at midnight and in Armenia on Wednesday, representatives of
the group of the Russian troops in the Transcaucasia told Itar-Tass.
“Military hardware and ammunition have been pulled out under the plan
of withdrawal of excessive ammunition and hardware from the Batumi base
outside Georgia that was drafted several months ago before the end of
Georgian-Russian talks on the terms of withdrawal of Russian military
bases from Batumi and Akhalkalaki,” representatives pointed out.
“The withdrawal of military hardware and ammunition from the Batumi
base outside Georgia is coordinated with the authorities of the
country,” they indicated. The train went to the Russian military
base deployed in the Armenian city of Gyumri. According to available
information, ammunition, chemical treatment vehicles and anti-aircraft
missiles were taken away.
Two trinas with excessive ammunition were brought from the Batumi
base to Russia in the end of March and the beginning of April.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress