Month: June 2005

Zaman Online, Turkey
June 21 2005
Armenian Lobby Takes Media Under Close Scrutiny
By Foreign News Desk
Published: Tuesday 21, 2005
zaman.com
One of the prominent “radical” organizations among Armenian lobby
groups in the US, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
has reacted with a seven article action plan to “protest genocide
denial” by Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The plan wholly foresees using the US media to protest against the
administration of those who deny the genocide and for sending
bombardments of thanks to those who support them. Time magazine
apparently “ignored” the so-called genocide by distributing DVDs with
this months publication and was protested against by the lobby group
as the Washington Post, which accepted an advertisement denying the
“genocide”, will also be protested. The Armenian lobby plans to thank
The New York Times for publishing their advertisements. NBC TV was
harshly reacted to due to the manner of its objection relating to the
issue. The ANCA also plans to protest US President George W. Bush
“since he has not called on them to help end the ignorance regarding
the genocide” along with the US Secretary Department for not reacting
to the cancellation of the “genocide” conference that was due to be
held in Istanbul. The organization also called for support to the
so-called genocide draft that will be presented to the House of
Representatives.

Zaman Online, Turkey
June 21 2005
Erdogan Revisits the US on July 5
By Zaman
Published: Tuesday 21, 2005
zaman.com
The Turkish Prime Minister will re-visit the US after a month break.
He will travel to the States for the “Sun Valley Conference” on July
5 and invited the controlling bodies of 250 corporations to invest in
Turkey.
The Prime Minister will offer a brief outline of the Turkish economy
during the conference, which is organized by the North America
Commerce International in Idaho. He will also have a number of
contacts; however, by not meeting with California Governor Arnold
Schwarzenegger, Erdogan will protest the Governor’s declaration of
April 24 as the Armenian Genocide Day.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
June 21 2005
Turkey Opens Borders, Except Armenian One
Jan SOYKOK – Turkey adds two more border gates. First Turkish and
Iraqi PMs decided to open a new border gate between Turkey and Iraq.
Two days ago Turkish and Bulgarian leaders opened the second
bordergate between Turkey and Bulgaria. Turkey’s border gates with
Syria and Greece also need expansions. However border with Armenia
remained the exception.
Nilgun Gulcan from ISRO says `Turkey’s borders are open, and most of
them are over limitations. Turkey has border gates with Greece,
Bulgaria, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan and Georgia. It also has sea
port gates. And it has no problem with any neighbor except Armenia’.
According to Dr. Gulcan, the problematic side is Armenia:
`Turkey has no problem with other neighbors, but Armenia has serious
problems with its neighbors. The borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan
are closed. Georgia and Armenian relations have been problematic
since the beginning. The Armenian extremists does not recognize
Georgia’s borders and Armenian officials have secretly supported the
Armenian separatism in Georgia. The only neighboring country Armenia
has relatively good relations is Iran. If you do not recognize
existence of your neighbor, you cannot expect respect. Armenia does
not recognize Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s national borders. If there is
no border, there will be no border gate. It is simple.’

The Messenger, Georgia
June 21 2005
Negotiations open on renewal of Abkhaz railway
The Georgian government has suggested recently that it supports the
reopening of the Tbilisi-Sochi railway through Abkhazia, though it is
unclear on what terms Tbilisi would be prepared to agree to the rail
link.
The decision was made at Georgian-Abkhaz talks in Moscow last week
that representatives of Georgia, Russia and Abkhazia will discuss the
issue on July 1. The meeting will be held in Gali, in the office of
the UN special representative.
Speaking before the 46th CIS Railways Council last week, Prime
Minister Zurab Noghaideli stated that although “for a long period of
time the Georgian government had a negative attitude towards
reopening the railway via Abkhazia, recently this position has
changed.” The PM added, however, that the restoration of the railway
was connected with several factors, including, first and foremost,
the safe return of Georgian IDPs to Gali.
Although Noghaideli points to a change of attitude regarding the
railway, his connecting its renewal with the return of refugees is
nothing new: according to the 2003 Sochi agreement signed by Vladimir
Putin and Eduard Shevardnadze, restoration of the railway and the
return of refugees should happen in parallel. Nevertheless, the
government’s language is undoubtedly more constructive, and it looks
increasingly likely that an agreement will be reached. Chairman of
Georgian Railways Davit Onoprishvili acknowledged as much last week
when he stated that the rail link would be reopened “sooner or
later.”
This is good news for Russia and Abkhazia, as well as for Armenia,
which is largely dependent on imports from Russia. Although there are
many in Georgia who argue that the railway should not be reopened, as
it will help improve the Abkhaz economy and thus strengthen the
separatist regime, for a country whose greatest asset is arguably its
strategic location, the railway is also good news for Georgia, at
least in economic terms.
Of course, the railway is an important bargaining chip for Tbilisi,
and it should not pass up the opportunity of negotiations on the
issue to press for the opening of a UN Human rights Bureau in Gali
and greater guarantees for Georgian refugees returning to the region.
On the other hand, however, the railway offers a chance for Georgians
and Abkhaz to work together on a project of mutual economic benefit.
If Georgia is to finally restore its territorial integrity, and
Abkhazia is to return to the Georgian fold, it will be because the
two sides have learnt to trust each other; and the railway provides
an opportunity for the development of such trust.
There is a widespread belief in Georgia that the government should
not do anything, such as agree to the restoration of the railway,
that will improve the lot of Abkhaz separatists. The argument for
this is twofold. Firstly, it is believed that for the government to
pursue such policies while so many refugees live in poverty is to
snub those Georgians who lost their homes, and family members, in the
Georgian-Abkhaz conflict. Secondly, the argument runs that a rich,
happy Abkhazia will have no need to reintegrate into Georgia.
Although there is perhaps some logic to the second argument, it
should be noted that the Georgian economy should also benefit from
the reconstruction of the railway, as well as the Abkhaz. As for the
first, such an argument is based on the belief that the Abkhaz are to
blame for the 1990s conflict, and that no Georgian government should
take a “soft” line on an Abkhaz regime responsible for the suffering
of so many Georgians. While such feelings are understandable, such an
attitude is never going to lead to the reintegration of Abkhazia into
Georgia, and if the government’s primary aim is to restore
territorial identity, it must be prepared to be constructive and make
compromises in order to develop better relations with Sokhumi.
There are a number of technical issues that need to be addressed
before an agreement can be reached on the restoration of the railway,
including where Georgian and Russian customs offices are to be
located, who will pay the cost of restoration, who will be
responsible for the railway’s security, and so on. The government
should press ahead in addressing these issues, however, as the
renewal of rail communications is a good thing for everyone: the
Georgian administration’s apparent change of heart on the issue is
encouraging.

American University of Armenia
Public Relations Office
PRESS RELEASE
June 15, 2005
American University of Armenia
40 Marshal Baghramian
Yerevan 375019 ARMENIA
Telephone: (37410) 512-522
Fax: (37410) 270-859; 512-512
Contact: Diana Manukyan
E-mail: [email protected]
AUA Graduate Selected as 2005 Yale World Fellow
Yerevan – Yale University President Richard Levin announced that Lusine
Abovyan, who is a graduate of the American University of Armenia’s Law
Department and who is currently an adjunct member of its law faculty, was
selected from among hundreds of qualified candidates to become one of 18
Yale World Fellows in 2005.
Yale World Fellows are selected from outside the US at an early mid-career
point, and come from a range of fields and disciplines, including
government, business, media, non-governmental organizations, the military,
religion and the arts.
Abovyan is a lawyer and journalist, and currently serves as a constitutional
law specialist for the Armenia Legislative Strengthening Program, an
organization charged with reforming the Armenian constitution. She earned
her Master of Laws (LL.M.) from AUA in 1999 and she has been an adjunct
member of the AUA law faculty since 2001, where she teaches Media Law and
Intellectual Property Law.
Matthew Karanian, the Associate Dean of the University’s law school, said
that Abovyan is a `shining star for Armenia, for AUA, and for the law
program,’ where she studied and now teaches. `We’re proud of her
accomplishment, and are pleased to know that someone who we have long
recognized as a leader in legal scholarship is now also being recognized by
Yale.’
Abovyan received her first degree in 1995 from Progress University of
Economy and Law in Gyumri, Armenia. She has also earned an LLM from Tulane
University in New
Orleans, LA, as a recipient of the Edmund Muskie/Freedom Support Act
Graduate Fellowship CEP SCOUT Fellow. Abovyan is a member of International
Media Lawyers Association, AUA Alumni Association, and American Graduates
Association.
—————————————-
The American University of Armenia is registered as a non-profit educational
organization in both Armenia and the United States and is affiliated with
the Regents of the University of California. Receiving major support from
the AGBU, AUA offers instruction leading to the Masters Degree in eight
graduate programs. For more information about AUA, visit

Armenian leader signs law on building depot for spent nuclear fuel
Arminfo
20 Jun 05
Yerevan, 20 June: Armenian President Robert Kocharyan signed a law on
18 June allowing the Armenian Nuclear Power Plant to build a depot for
spent nuclear fuel, the presidential press office has reported.
The depot is designed to store spent nuclear fuel for 50 years, then
the depot will be inspected. Used nuclear fuel loses 70 per cent of
its radioactivity in the first few years, but fully only over 130
years. The construction is expected to cost 10m euros.
[Passage omitted: other known details]

Azeri opposition leader, Turkish foreign minister discuss ties, regional
policy
Azadliq, Baku
21 Jun 05

Excerpt from unattributed report by Azerbaijani newspaper Azadliq on
21 June headlined “Ali Karimli met Abdullah Gul in Turkey”
The chairman of the PFAP [People’s Front of Azerbaijan Party], MP Ali
Karimli, who is visiting Turkey, met this country’s foreign minister
Abdullah Gul in Istanbul yesterday [20 June]. Journalists were not
allowed to attend the meeting.
The meeting focused on Turkish-Azerbaijani relations and Ankara’s
participation in regional democratic processes, Ali Karimli told
journalists after the meeting.
Karimli said that he had open and fruitful discussions with the
Turkish foreign minister whom he has known for a long time.
“I knew Abdullah bay [form of address] as an active politician with
democratic views even before the AKP [Justice and Development Party]
came to power. I knew in advance that he would assist us in developing
Azerbaijani-Turkish relations and democratizing Azerbaijan.
“The meeting first of all focused on relations between our
countries. We talked about the further development of these relations
and the necessity of the two countries’ work in co-ordination with
each other maintaining similar positions on the Karabakh issue, the
‘Armenian genocide’, integration into Europe and problems in the
Middle East,” Karimli said.
Karimli said that he had also briefed the Turkish foreign minister on
the struggle of the PFAP and its allies for restoring democracy in
Azerbaijan. The PFAP chairman drew Gul’s attention to the fact that
the November parliamentary elections was a chance for Azerbaijan.
“We do not want to miss this chance. I also told esteemed Gul that we
wanted Turkey to be actively involved in this process and in general,
Ankara should develop its Caucasus policy.
“In turn, Gul promised to closely watch the Azerbaijani parliamentary
elections to ensure that they are democratic and develop Turkey’s
policy on Azerbaijan,” Karimli said.
[Passage omitted: Karimli and Gul to meet again in Ankara in a week,
the former to deliver a speech on the situation and prospects for
democracy in Azerbaijan at a conference in Istanbul]

Foreign ministers’ meeting `beneficial’, says Deputy FM
Baku, June 20, AssA-Irada
The talks between Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers Elmar
Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanian held in Paris on Friday were
`comprehensive, serious and beneficial’, Azeri officials have said.
The parties discussed several details – covering areas from freeing
the occupied territories to political issues.
`Although these details were discussed in separate, they are closely
inter-related. The sides therefore intend to coordinate all the
elements jointly and solve these issues according to the
initially-outlined schedule’, said Araz Azimov, Deputy Foreign
Minister and the President’s envoy on the Upper Garabagh conflict.
`The return of occupied territories is a pivotal issue for Azerbaijan.
This however, does not mean settling the conflict yet, as a number of
other problems will remain to be resolved’, he told journalists on
Monday.
Azimov noted that to achieve a conflict resolution, the contempt
between the two nations should be done away with, while Azerbaijan and
Armenia should start cooperating.
Among other key issues discussed in Paris was the co-existence of the
Azerbaijani and Armenian communities in Upper Garabagh. The issue of
granting Garabagh the status of self-administration is currently not
being discussed, he said.
`The status of the region should be determined with the involvementof
all people living here. For this to be possible, all refugees must
return home.’
Armenian Minister Oskanian told Radio Liberty prior to the Paris
meeting that no major results should be expected from the
discussions. He said the talks are aimed at shaping up and reflecting
on paper the agreements reached previously by the two countries’
Presidents in Warsaw.*

Mediating countries not to send peacekeepers to Garabagh
Baku, June 20, AssA-Irada
Peacekeeping forces will be stationed in the conflict zone after
Azerbaijan and Armenia reach an accord on settling the Upper Garabagh
conflict, officials said.
`It has been agreed that co-chairing countries [France, United States
and Russia] will not be included in these forces’, according to Deputy
Foreign Minister Araz Azimov.
Azimov said the agreement on the issue was reached a while ago and
Russia agreed to this proposal. `The precise make-up of peacekeepers
will be determined as results are achieved in peace talks’, he said.*

Russia says it `eased tensions over arms transfer’ to Armenia
Baku, June 20, AssA-Irada
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov has said that he `eased the
tensions’ with Azerbaijan over this country’s recent arms transfer to
Armenia, in his meeting with President Ilham Aliyev.
`We will withdraw a part of the property and machinery from our base
in Akhalkalaki, Georgia not to Armenia, but to the territory of the
Russian base in Gumri. This is what we tried to explain to our Azeri
friends. There will beno changes in the balance of forces’, Lavrov
told `Vesti Nedeli’ (News of the Week) program on Sunday.
Russia earlier closed down its base in Georgia and moved a bulk of its
weaponry to Armenia, which drew fire from Azerbaijan.*