Month: June 2005

VAHAN HOVHANNISIAN: CONCEPTION OF REPORT ON KARABAKH PROBLEM TO BE SUBMITTED TO OSCE PA IS VERY SENSIBLE AND BALANCED
YEREVAN, JUNE 29, NOYAN TAPAN. On July 1-5, the annual session of the
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly will be convened in Washington, at the
end of which a final resolution will be adopted. A delegation headed
by RA NA Vice-Speaker Vahan Hovhannisian will participate in the
session, as well as in the work of Assembly’s standing committees in
this period. Artashes Geghamian, Head of the National Unity faction,
and Samvel Nikoyan, member of the RPA faction, are also members of
the delegation. The report of Goran Lenmarker, special representative
on Karabakh issue, is among the issues already fixed in the initial
variant of Assembly’s agenda. The report is the result of almost
2-year study of the problem. “In spite of some clauses that from
force of habit pass from one document to another, in particular,
displaced persons, occupied territories and others, the report’s
conception is right, sensible and balanced,” Vahan Hovhannisian, head
of the Armenian delegation in OSCE PA, mentioned in his interview
to Noyan Tapan’s correspondent. G.Lenmarker mentions in his report
that the problem’s solution is European integration. “I would highly
estimate the report in two respects. Firstly, in difference to similar
reports voiced earlier, G.Lenmarker also presents Nagorno Karabakh’s
viewpoint, i.e for him the conflict isn’t on the Armenia-Azerbaijan
plane but he recognizes Nagorno Karabakh as a conflict party
presenting the latter’s viewpoints and expectations concerning the
conflict’s settlement. Secondly, the reporter also considers Nagorno
Karabakh’s joining with Armenia as a possible variant of settlement
of the conflict,” V.Hovhannisian emphasized. NA Vice-Speaker also
attached importance to the reporter’s affirmation that the main
problem of the conflict is Nagorno Karabakh’s status. According
to him, G.Lenmarker “understood very well that issues on refugees,
occupied territories raised by Azerbaijan are derivative.” By the way,
Lenmarker is against Nagorno Karabakh’s status of an independent state,
he also questions the latter’s becoming subordinate to Azerbaijan,
considering this an “unbearable burden” for Azerbaijan. According to
the reporter, the international community isn’t ready to recognize
the possible independence of numerous unions with small population
making part of the South Caucasus considering the consequences
of region’s division to be dangerous. Analysing the anxiety of
conflict parties, Goran Lenmarker mentions the national security
for the Armenian party. According to him, as a result of the painful
historic experience of the the Ottoman and Russian empires and Soviet
period the sense of being endangered, defenceless took a deep root in
Armenians. The main anxiety of Azeri party is unfairness, the country’s
considerable part is occupied and there are 1 mln displaced persons. As
a result, the sense of being the victim of aggression took root in
Azerbaijan. Lenmarker suggests 2 parties creating a joint committee
of truth and reconciliation that will try to find solutions mutually
satisfying the parties.. The reporter lays an exact claim to open
all borders, including those with third countries, to start mutual
integration without risking the parties’ security, to provide a high
degree of democracy, as well as citizens’ free movement and economic
integration. According to Vahan Hovhannisian, the above-mentioned
report caused dissatisfaction among the Azeri party and Sattar Safarov,
head of the Azeri delegation in OSCE PA, “seeing no way out” submitted
an additional draft resolution on Karabakh conflict. It can be put
on the agenda in case of getting positive conclusion by the general
standing committee consisting of heads of all national delegations
in the Assembly and subject standing committee to be appointed a
profile. By the way, our neighbor Georgia submitted an additional
issue on Abkhazia to the Assembly. According to Vahan Hovhannisian, the
Armenian delegation is inclined not to participate in the discussion
of any draft resolution not favorable for Armenia in general outline,
declaring that this will have no legal consequences for it.

Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR] elects new speaker
Mediamax news agency
30 Jun 05
Yerevan, 30 June: The chairman of the Artsakh Democratic Party,
Ashot Gulyan, 39, was today elected chairman of the Nagornyy Karabakh
Republic [NKR] National Assembly, a Mediamax special correspondent
reported from Stepanakert.
Thirty out of the 33 deputies voted for Ashot Gulyan.
[Passage omitted: Ashor Gulyan was the foreign minister of the NKR
from October 2002 to December 2004, other biographical data]
MP Rudik Usnunts, from the Free Motherland Party was elected deputy
speaker of the National Assembly.

TURKISH DIPLOMAT MADE PUBLIC REPORT ON VISIT TO ARMENIA
Pan Armenian News
30.06.2005 05:01
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Member of the Justice and Development Party headed
by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Turhan Comez has made
public the report on his two-day visit to Armenia. As reported by
NTV Turkish channel, the report notes that a working group including
MPs of Armenia and Turkey needs to be formed to settle bilateral
issues. Simultaneously Ankara has to support development of commercial
relations with Yerevan, specifically shuttle business. The document
indicates that Armenian Diaspora representatives send $1 billion
to Armenia annually. In the opinion of the Turkish MP, the Soros
Foundation and the US Government influence grow in Armenia today and
this is first of all due to the preparation of deployment of American
military bases in the South Caucasus region.

BELIEVERS CARRY ON STRUGGLING
A1plus
| 15:38:37 | 30-06-2005 | Social |
The sitting strike is going on without any result. Gathering at the
government building Khachik Stamboltsyan, believers and pensioners
for the fourth day already are demanding their pensioner be paid
without social cards.
No one except Hranush Kharatyan received the strikers and the latest
meeting also proved useless. Yesterday Khachik Stamboltsyan met with
Minister of Social Welfare Araik Petrosyan, however they failed to
reach agreement.
The strikers, aged 45-90 will carry on the strike until their demands
are heard.

New Iranian leader might improve ties with Azerbaijan – TV
ANS TV, Baku
26 Jun 05
Former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani was confident that
he would win the elections. But the election results proved surprising.
[Passage omitted: minor details]
The Iranian elections were carefully observed in Azerbaijan due to
the new leader’s attitude towards Azeris. The new president is said
to be of Azeri descent. His wife is Azeri. He used to be governor of
Ardabil and helped Azerbaijani citizens who came to Iran during the
Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict to settle in. He also provided aid to
[Azerbaijani] refugee camps. It is not known whether Iran’s attitude
towards Azerbaijan will change now.
Even though relations between the two countries have recently improved,
they cannot be considered as perfect due to the dispute over the status
of the Caspian Sea and Iran’s relations with Armenia. Relations with
Azerbaijan are also important for Iran. Due to increasing pressure
from the USA, Iran is trying to boost ties with neighbouring countries,
including Azerbaijan.
Incidentally, the replacement of the president is a perfect chance
to make fundamental changes to relations with Azerbaijan, if Iran is
really interested in this in view of the aforesaid.
Ceyhun Asgarov, ANS.

RUSSIA AND UKRAINE ARMENIAN BRANDY MAIN MARKETS
Pan Armenian News
30.06.2005 04:18
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Pernod Ricard company activities in Armenia are
rather successful. We are satisfied with the outcomes of our work
and are proud to present high quality Armenian trademark abroad,”
stated Director General and President of Pernod Ricard Europe company
Tierry Billot at a meeting with Armenian President Robert Kocharian
today, reported the Armenian leader’s Press Service. In his words,
his goal after the privatization of the Yerevan Brandy Company was
to improve the production quality. He said as compared with 1990
the export and brandy trade volume today has increased 10 times,
over 90% of the production is exported and Russia and Ukraine are
main markets. T. Billot added that simultaneous to the increase
of the volume of the brandy production the purchase of grapes will
also grow. Last year the enterprise has received grapes totaling 3
billion drams and the indicator is planned to be increased 20% this
year. The company also intends to take part in the founding of new
grape gardens. In Mr. Billot’s words, improvement of the quality of
brandy is a priority task. He also added that much work is being done
to form more favorable social security conditions for the company
officers. In his turn, R. Kocharian noted Armenia has important
partners like Pernod Ricard and no one today doubts privatization of
the Yerevan Brandy Company was a correct move.

OSKANIAN AND SYRIAN DEPUTY FM DISCUSSED BILATERAL RELATIONS
Pan Armenian News
30.06.2005 04:04
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Foreign Minister (FM) Vartan Oskanian
yesterday met with Syrian Deputy FM Ahmad Arnous, reported the
Press Service of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). In
the course of the meeting the parties discussed a wide range of
matters referring to bilateral relations, problems of the Near East
and the South Caucasus, as well as UN reforms. The interlocutors
specially pointed to the importance of Armenia-Syria cooperation
within international organizations. It should be noted that A.
Arnous heads the Syrian MFA and Ministry of Finance delegation that
is in Armenia June 28-30 to hold recurrent political consultations
and sign an agreement between the governments of Armenia and Syria
on avoidance of double taxation.

INTERNET PRICES COME DOWN IN ARMENIA
Pan Armenian News
29.06.2005 09:44
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Along with the reduction of cellular communication
prices ArmenTel telephone company will also reduce prices for
providing Internet channels, company Press Service head Hasmik
Chutinyan stated in a conversation with a reporter of the .am edition
of the PanARMENIAN.Net. In her words, the provided fiber optic line
that has 2Mb power will be reduced 24% (from $21 thousand to a bit
less than $16 thousand). H. Chutinyan considers the initiative of the
company will result in reduction of Internet prices for its ultimate
users. The new prices will come into effect July 1, 2005. In his
turn Arminco Internet provider company Technical Director Grigori
Saghyan remarked that based on the ArmenTel new tariff Arminco is
going to reduce dial-up and radio modem communication prices some 25%.
However, he noted that even given the “ArmenTel descent”, the prices
are not enough reduced. In his words, the prices of the satellite
communication channels for provider “covering” Armenia and adjacent
states makes some 6-8 thousand US dollars. Thereupon, shadow economy
develops in Armenia and the providing of illegal access to the Internet
by rather “modest” prices is available, Saghyan informed. “If ArmenTel
company reduces the tariff for the provided fiber optic channel to
$10 thousand, the illegal organizations will have to come out of
the shadow,” he supposed, adding Internet will become accessible to
everyone in Armenia.

US AID TO ARMENIA MAY MAKE $75 MILLION IN 2006
Pan Armenian News
30.06.2005 05:56
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Senate State, Foreign Operations Appropriations
Subcommittee today approved $75 million in assistance to Armenia
for Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 – an increase of $20 million over the
Administration’s request and nearly $8 million more than the House
request, reported the Armenian Assembly of America. In addition, the
overall funding level for the former Soviet states was increased to
$565 million, up from the Administration’s request of $482 million
and the House allocation of $477 million. Today’s action also
allocated $5 million in Foreign Military Financing and $750,000
for International Military Education and Training to Armenia as
requested by the Administration. Armenia’s neighbors, Georgia and
Azerbaijan, are slated to receive $70.5 million and $38 million
respectively. The spending measure will be considered later this
week by full Senate Appropriations Committee. It should be noted that
the House bill provides $67.5 million for Armenia and an additional
$5 million for Nagorno Karabakh and maintains military assistance
parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan with $5.75 million allocated
to each country. Once the Senate completes action on their version
of the bill, a joint House-Senate Conference Committee will reconcile
the differences.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IRANIAN AND ARMENIAN PROVINCES COOPERATION OPPORTUNITIES DISCUSSED
Pan Armenian News
30.06.2005 05:07
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Prospects of development of cooperation between
Iranian and Armenian provinces were discussed at the meeting of
Vice-Governor of Iranian Eastern Azerbaijan province Mohammad-Taki
Pakzad and Governor of Armenian Syunik region Suren Khachatryan. The
parties also discussed matters of holding a meeting of the Joint
Committee for Cooperation of border provinces of the two countries. In
the course of the meeting S. Khachatryan indicated the important role
of the Iranian province of Eastern Azerbaijan in development of the
bilateral cooperation and said he was for expansion of contacts
between representatives of private sectors of the Armenian and
Iranian economies. In his turn Mr. Pakzad remarked the importance
of further development of cooperation between the two countries in
cargo transportation, industry, trade and tourism. He also said it was
necessary to alleviate the regime of movement of Iranian and Armenian
citizens in the territories of the two countries, Irna reported.