Month: June 2005

Pan Armenian News
FRANCO FRATTINI: TURKEY-EU NEGOTIATIONS TO BE IRREGULAR
24.06.2005 03:21
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Vice President of the European Commission Franco Frattini
told Corriere della Sera Italian newspaper that the EU-Turkey negotiations
scheduled for autumn will bear irregular character. In his words, is Ankara
is rejected to the EU after long-term talks it might lead to extremely
negative consequences. Noting that the negotiations will start in October
Mr. Frattini said, `It will be a very sensitive transition and I am
convinced that the negotiation process will be rather complicated’, Yerkir
Online reported.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Pan Armenian News
ORHAN PAMUK- CONDEMNED IN TURKEY, AWARDED IN GERMANY
24.06.2005 03:49
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer commended Turkish
writer Orhan Pamuk, who acknowledged the Armenian Genocide, thus receiving
German award for consolidation and peace and indignation of the Turkish
elite, Yerkir Online reported with reference to Milliyet Turkish newspaper.
In Fischer’s words, Pamuk is a courageous and enlightened individuality and
a staunch European and his works will certainly affect the debate in Turkey.
The newspaper reminds that since 1978 once in three years the award is given
to `people with independent thinking and courageous position, to people, who
with their works inspire the historical and cultural originality of the
European society.’ To note, Orhan Pamuk has many times stated that the
Armenian Genocide really took place thus causing the extreme indignation in
Turkey.

PRESS RELEASE
“Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund
Government Building #3, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
Contact: karine Miletbashyan
Tel: 37410 520940
Fax: 37410 523795
E-mail: [email protected]
24 June, 2005

“Hayastan” Fund to Open a Local Committee in Russia
On June 13, Mrs. Naira Melkoumian, Executive Director of “Hayastan”
All-Armenian Fund embarked on a week-long visit to Moscow to arrange
for the establishment of “Hayastan’s” local committee in the Russian
capital. The new committee would allow for effective cooperation with
the local Armenian community.
The Executive Director had meetings with Ezras Nersisyan, Diocesan of
Russian and Nor Nakhijevan Armenians, Armen Smbatyan, Ambassador of
Armenia in Russia, Ara Abrahamyan, President of the Union of Armenians
of Russia, Levon Chakhmakhchyan, Vice-President of the
Russian-Armenian Business Cooperation Association, Modest Kolerov,
Head of Department on CIS Issues at the Administration of the RF
President, members of the Club of Armenian Businessmen and others.
Tentative agreements were reached on the future projects of the new
committee and many Armenian businessmen expressed their wishes to
become members of the committee’s board. Seiran Baghdasaryan will
coordinate the initial preparation work of the committee.
During these meetings, Mrs. Melkoumian commented that the Armenian
community in Moscow has great potential, but has not been effectively
leveraged. She expressed hope that the newly created local committee
would unite efforts of Russian Armenians and help push forward the
significant projects of the “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund.

Pan Armenian News
RA LEADER: WE NEED DEEPER INVOLVEMENT OF CSTO IN INTERNATIONAL STRUCTURES
24.06.2005 02:48
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian considers the current
composition of the Collective Security Treaty Organization to be optimal. To
remind, presently Armenia, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzsran and
Tajikistan serve on the Organization. Upon completion of the sitting of the
CSTO Collective Security Council (CSC) in Moscow the Armenian President
stated that the military constituent of the organization remains the most
important constituent of the CSTO activities. The Armenian leader expressed
assurance that the CSTO is a dynamically developing organization, but its
greater involvement into the international structures is needed. `We need a
deeper international integration. We have manifested ourselves, however
there is a strong necessity of more federated activities’, Robert Kocharian
noted adding that the issue has become the key subject of the discussion. He
also said there has already emerged the necessity of creating efficient
mechanisms for struggling against terror, drug traffic and other challenges,
IA Regnum reports.

A1plus
| 14:24:38 | 24-06-2005 | Social |
PEOPLE MUST NOT BE TORMENTED
According to Ombudsman Larissa Alaverdyan, her first annual report «gives
the outline of Armenia from the point of view of the defense of human
rights».
During today’s discussion organized in the hotel Congress, the Ombudsman
claimed that the facts represented in the report are not exaggerated, and
all the conclusions are made as a result of investigations. The ombudsman
informed the participants of the discussion organized by the «Cooperation
for Open Society» Initiative that even though there are not numerous
clear-cut examples in the report, a whole set of complaints have been
investigated.
According to her, if all the complaints were included into it, the report
«would overcome all the limits». The report refers to the violation of human
rights in different spheres. «The right of property has been continually
violated last year, and the right of fair trial has also been violated as
the court system of Armenia depends on the executive power», said the
Ombudsman.
Larissa Alaverdyan announced that despite the accusations in her address,
«She will spare no effort ad enthusiasm to eliminate torments from the field
of human rights». «Whatever crime a person may have committed, he ought not
to be tormented in humiliating way», she continued. She also mentioned that
after eliminating death penalty the legislation needs to be improved.
«It is difficult to consider the step (by the President – edit.) replacing
higher punishment by another higher one amnesty», said the Ombudsman. By the
way, many a time has she raised this problem, but there is no reference to
it by high-ranked officials yet.
President of the «Armenian Helsinki Committee» Avetiq Ishkhanyan represented
his considerations about the Ombudsman’s annual report. He confessed that
the report was a pleasant surprise for him, as in contrast to the reports of
the Human Rights Defense Committee attached to the President, it contains
analyses and reasons. But, according to him, it would be better to include
more clear-cut examples in it.
As for the critics of the report by the Justice Minister and the Attorney
General, according to Mr. Ishkhanyan, in means that the report is a good
one. «If the police answered the same way, the report would become better»,
concluded Avetiq Ishkhanyan.

VARDAN OSKANIAN: ARMENIA IS WILLING TO DEVELOP ITS RELATIONS WITH
PEACEFUL, UNITED AND DEMOCRATIC IRAQ
YEREVAN, June 24. /ARKA/. Armenia is willing to develop its relations
with peaceful, united and democratic Iraq. According to RA MFA Press
Service, RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian stated about
it at the international conference on Iraq in Brussels. “Only 200
miles separate the capitals of our states, and we are most interested
in cooperation”, he said. Oskanian highly appreciated the fact of
holding a conference, adding that it’s very important for Iraqi
people, which must be aware of consistent involvement of the
international community in restoration of Iraq. “This makes sides
interested to apply more efforts to restore the country”, he
said. Oskanian added that even such small countries with moderate
possibilities and symbolic participation like Armenia understand the
value of moral support by interested observers. “Being a Minister of
Foreign Affairs of the country, which undergoes difficult transition
period, I can assure that due to consistent economic support and
long-term investments, the society will begin to believe in prospects
of peace and democracy”, he said.
Speaking about Armenia’s presence in Iraq, he noted that “the country
is rich with natural resources”. According to him, they speak not only
about the resources under ground, but also wealth of the national
diversity. “Ancient and large in number Armenia community of Iraq is a
part of that variety, and we are aware that together with other Iraqi
people they hope to have their input in prospering and peaceful future
of the country”, he said.
Oskanian left for Brussels by the invitation of the US Secretary of
State Condoliza Rice and EU Council Secretary-General Javier
Solana. The conference on Iraq in Brussels was organized at the
initiative of the USA, EU and Iraq. Delegations from 85 countries of
the world and largest international organizations will take part in
it. A.H.-0-

“ORINATS YERKIR” HAS NO NEED TO JOIN ANY OTHER POLITICAL FORCE,
HEGHINE BISHARIAN ASSURES
YEREVAN, JUNE 23, NOYAN TAPAN. The “Orinats Yerkir” party (Country of
Law) is a powerful political force and has no need to cooperate with
any other force. Heghine Bisharian, the Secretary of the NA “Orinats
Yerkir” faction stated about this at the June 22 press-conference,
responding to a question about a possibility of cooperation with the
“Hanrapetutiun” (Republic) party during the next state elections.
According to her, there is still 1.5 year before the next elections,
and no such discussions are carried out in the party. Heghine
Bisharian mentioned that Artur Baghdasarian, the Chairman of the
“Orinats Yerkir” just thanked Aram Sargsian, the Chairman of the
Political Council of the “Hanrapetiun” party, in respond to the
positive estimations stated in his address by him. According to
Heghine Bisharian, the “Orinats Yerkir” can exist as a plitical party
on its own. As for the rulling coalition, it was created as there was
such a necessity, and how long it exists, the history will show.

Putin: ex-Soviet nations worried about terrorist bases in Afghanistan
By VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV
.c The Associated Press
MOSCOW (AP) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that
Russia and other ex-Soviet nations are concerned about terrorist
training bases in Afghanistan and that country’s booming drug trade.
Speaking after a meeting of leaders of six former Soviet nations, all
members of a Russia-dominated security grouping, Putin said terrorists
in Afghanistan enjoyed some foreign backing.
“We are seriously concerned about terrorists’ training bases
continuing to function on Afghan territory, some with direct
involvement of some secret services,” Putin said without
elaboration. “Afghanistan also has remained the source of increasing
drug trafficking.”
Members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which unites
Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Belarus and Armenia, long
have expressed their worries about drugs and instability spilling over
from Afghanistan.
Authorities in Uzbekistan, an ex-Soviet nation which isn’t member of
the Collective Security Treaty, said militants from Afghanistan helped
stage May’s uprising in the Uzbek city of Andijan.
At a separate meeting of security officials from former Soviet
nations, a senior Russian official said militants who underwent
training in international terrorist camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan
had used Iran and Central Asian nations for transit.
Yuri Sapunov, the head of the anti-terrorist department at Russia’s
Federal Security Service (FSB), the main KGB successor agency, also
said some of the militants fighting in Chechnya and other restive
Caucasus regions in Russia’s south had come from Western Europe.
“Channels for bringing terrorists to the North Caucasus begin in
Western European countries and run through Turkey, Azerbaijan and
Georgia,” Sapunov said, according to the Interfax and ITAR-Tass news
agencies.
Sapunov reaffirmed Moscow’s criticism of the United States and other
Western nations for their refusal to extradite Chechen rebel
leaders. He said FSB agents in Chechnya had killed 58 militants since
the year’s start.
During Thursday’s meeting of the Collective Security Treaty, its
members signed an agreement to foster cooperation in training military
personnel and set up a commission intended to promote closer ties
between their defense industries.
Putin said member states also were planning to develop a joint air
defense system and build up their collective rapid reaction forces.
These forces could be used for peacekeeping operations, Putin said.
Putin said after the talks that the group plans to establish contacts
with NATO.
06/23/05 10:16 EDT

Armenpress
IRANIAN NATIONALS IN ARMENIA LINE UP FOR PRESIDENTIAL RUNOFF
TEHRAN, JUNE 17, ARMENPRESS: Several hundred of Iranian nationals living
in Armenia are lining up in front of Iran’s embassy in Yerevan to cast their
ballots in a presidential runoff and to select between the Expediency
Council Chairman Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani or Tehran Mayor Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad, who emerged from the first round with most of votes.
Rafsanjani gained a total of 6,159,452 votes in the first round of the
presidential elections held on June 17 while 5,710,354 people voted in favor
of Ahmadinejad. The deputy Iranian ambassador to Armenia, Ali Akbar Jokra,
said the majority of Iranian nationals in Armenia, in the first round voted
in favor of Rafsanjani, who held the post between 1989 and 1997. He also
said the voter turnout was a little lower today than a week before,
explaining that the majority of Iranians here are students who left for
home. Ambassador Ali Reza Haghighyan reiterated today that regardless of who
is elected next president Iran’s relations with Armenia will not be affected
and they will go on to develop. Candidates require 50 percent of the votes
plus one, officially known as absolute majority to win outright.

Armenpress
KOCHARIAN MEETS ARMENIAN STUDENTS IN MOSCOW
MOSCOW, JUNE 24, ARMENPRESS: Armenian president Robert Kocharian met
yesterday in Moscow with a group of Armenian students majoring at Russian
universities. Some 5,000 ethnic Armenian students are believed to study at
Moscow-based higher education establishments, 15 percent of them are
Armenian citizens.
The meeting was organized by Armenian embassy in Russia and the
Association of Armenian Students of Moscow State University. The president
had a frank talk with students and answered their questions, focusing on the
Karabakh problem, Turkish-Armenian relations, domestic issues.
In response to a question about the advisability of building an
Iran-Armenia railway, Kocharian said there was no need for it as there is a
railway connecting Armenia with Iran through Azerbaijan’s exclave
Nakhichevan. “As soon as we resolve the dispute with Azerbaijan this road
will resume its operation,’ he said