Month: October 2005

IF ABKHAZ RAIL IS LAUNCHED PROGRESS IN OPENING ARMENIAN BORDER POSSIBLE

Pan Armenian
18.10.2005 20:05 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Secretary of the National Security Council at the
President of Armenia, Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan has answered
affirmatively to a question on possible progress in lifting the
blockade of the Armenian-Turkish border and launching traffic via
Kars-Gyumri route in case of resumption of the functioning of the
Abkhaz part of the Transcaucasian railway. Being asked whether the
Armenian and Turkish parties could make use of the same model,
which is worked over to restore the rail communication through
Abkhazia, S. Sargsyan said, “if Armenia and Turkey had formed an
intergovernmental commission, these issues would be possible to
solve. Unless there is a structure like that I find it hard to speak
about it.” It should be noted that a tripartite group of specialists
from Abkhazia, Georgia and Russia works over restoration of the
Abkhaz railway.

The parties have agreed not to link the issue of restoration of
communications with complex political issues, including the return
of refugees, reported IA Regnum.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS TO MEET IN WASHINGTON

Pan Armenian
18.10.2005 19:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group are expected to
meet in Washington this weekend or early next week, reported OSCE MG
Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov. In his words, the US, French and
Russian Ambassadors need to hold consultations and discuss the current
stage of the Nagorno Karabakh peace process. Merzlyakov has denied
the opportunity for the Co-Chairs to visit the region in October. The
arrangement of the MG Co-Chairs’ meeting with Azeri and Armenian FMs
in Ljubljana has not been finally adjusted yet, he also remarked. Only
after the Ljubljana meeting of the diplomats the further plans and
actions of the OSCE MG may be spoken about, reported IA Regnum.

ARMENIAN FM TO MEET WITH NATO SEC. GEN. AND EU TOP OFFICIALS IN BRUSSELS

Pan Armenian
18.10.2005 19:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ October 19 Armenian President Robert Kocharian will
leave for Belgium on a working visit. There he will have meetings with
representatives of European structures, reported the Press Service
of the Armenian leader. The delegation will include Parliament
Vice-Speaker Tigran Torosyan, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian,
Minister of Trade and Economic Development Karen Chshmarityan, the
Armenian Ambassador to Belgium and other officials. R. Kocharian will
meet with Belgian Premier Guy Verhofstadt, Senate head Anne-Marie
Lizin and Parliament President German de Croo.

Besides, the President is scheduled to meet with European
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, EU High Representative
for EU Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana, European
Parliament President Josep Borrell Fontelles, EU Energy Commissioner
Andris Piebalgs, as well as NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop
Scheffer. Robert Kocharian and Belgian Senate head Anne-Marie
Lizin will lay a wreath to the memorial of victims of the Armenian
Genocide. The Armenian President will take part in the opening ceremony
of the Armenian Embassy in Belgium will meet with representatives
of the local Armenian community. He will also visit Made in Belgium
exhibition. The Armenian delegation headed by the President will
return to Yerevan October 22.

AZERIS OF EUROPE AGAINST ARMENIAN PRESIDENT VISIT TO BELGIUM

Pan Armenian
18.10.2005 19:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Benelux” Coordination Council of Azeri Organizations
has released a statement protesting against Armenian President
Robert Kocharian’s visit to Belgium October 19. “We – the former
citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan, who now live in Europe:
Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Talishs, Russians, Jews and representatives
of other nationalities – address the UN, EU, International
Criminal Court (Hague), European judicial structures and all
international organizations demanding to put an end to the double
standards policy,” the Council document says. It further urges
the aforementioned international organizations to provide a legal
and political evaluation of the “crimes” of the Armenian military,
who are responsible for “their crimes against humanity in Azerbaijan
and call them to account.” It should be reminded that an Armenian
delegation lead by President Kocharian is arriving in Brussels on a
three-day working visit to commence October 19. The delegation will
meet with Belgian leaders, EU top officials and the NATO SecGen.

OSKANIAN INFORMED LITHUANIAN LEADER ON ARMENIA COOPERATION WITH EU AND NATO

Pan Armenian
18.10.2005 18:46 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian yesterday met with
Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, reported the Press Service of
the MFA of Armenia.

In the course of the meeting the parties underscored the need
for further development of bilateral relations. The Armenian FM
highlighted Lithuania’s support to provide for Armenia’s greater
involvement in European Neighborhood Policy, as well as Lithuania’s
experience of European integration. The parties agreed to continue
cooperation between Armenia and Lithuania within international
organizations. V. Oskanian appreciated Lithuania’s role in establishing
cooperation between the Baltic states and the Caucasus. The Minister
also presented the programs being implemented within the framework
of Armenia’s cooperation with the European Union and NATO, as well
as questions referring to Armenia-Turkey relations. The parties
also discussed regional issues, specifically ways of settlements
of conflicts available. V. Oskanian acquainted the Lithuanian
leader with the current stage of settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict. Last evening the Armenian FM met with representatives of
the Armenian community of Lithuania. Today Vartan Oskanian will meet
with Lithuanian FM Antanas Valionis, will visit Lithuanian Genocide
Museum and will make a statement at the Institute of International
Relations and Political Science of Vilnius.

SHAHGELDYAN: WE AIM AT MAKING IMPORTANCE OF CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS COMPREHENSIBLE TO SOCIETY

Pan Armenian
17.10.2005 23:38 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Coordinator of the Coordination Council for arranging
for the referendum on constitutional changes Mher Shahgeldyan stated
the propaganda campaign aims at presenting the need for constitutional
changes to the society in a manner that is easy to understand. “Our
goal is to inform the society on the changes, present the importance
of those changes for further development of our country in a simple
and easy-to-understand manner, while making efforts to hold a fair and
transparent referendum,” he stated. Working groups are formed within
the Coordination Council: propaganda, press and technical ones. As of
political positions, constitutional changes are necessary to Armenia to
strengthen democracy and develop the political structure, Shahgeldyan
remarked. In his words, the international community – the Council of
Europe, OSCE, EU and US – have positively assessed these changes.

“Today Armenia needs to come to a common consensus. Over 20 political
parties, 100 NGOs, intelligentsia have expressed positive opinions over
the draft changes,” Shahgeldyan reported. When answering a question,
whether the opportunities for cooperation with the opposition are used
up and whether the Council is ready to opposition anti-propaganda,
Mr. Shahgeldyan said the work of the Coordination Council is aimed
at the positive outcome of the referendum and not against a political
force. Just owing to that any political force can have its political
stand over the draft constitutional changes and present the its stance
to the society.

ORHAN PAMUK: I DID NOT USE TERM “GENOCIDE”

Pan Armenian
17.10.2005 23:30 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Turkish writer Orhan Pamuk abandoned his statements
characterizing the carnages of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in
1915 as Genocide. Pamuk said his words were wrongly interpreted. “I
did not use term “genocide” and I announced the number of victims
spontaneously,” he stated.

To note, the court session on Orhan Pamuk’s case is to be held
late this year. To remind, February 2005 during an interview with
a Swiss newspaper Pamuk stated that “1 million Armenians and 30
thousand Kurds were slaughtered in Turkey.” Then he was threatened
with persecution and even savage punishment. It should be also noted
that the Istanbul court recently sentenced editor-in-Chief of Akos
newspaper Hrant Dink to 6 months of conditional imprisonment for
“outraging national identity of Turks.” Last year Dink called upon
Armenians not to poison their blood with hatred towards Turks. In
Dink’s opinion, the court interpreted his words as “poisonous blood
of Turks”. Dink is going to appeal the verdict and in case of failure
to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, reported IA Regnum.

WE’LL DO OUR BEST TO CORRECT THE ELECTORAL ROLLS

Panorama.am
18:33 17/10/05

The Coordinator of Coordinating Council Mher Shahgeldyan had a meeting
with journalists in the National Academy of Science.

Concerning the upcoming referendum he mainly focused on the electoral
rolls.

“I would not say that the situation is hopeless or vice versa. But
there are many problems to solve. The important one is to correct
the electoral rolls.

The Department of Visa and Passport must deal with that question,
as we had serious problems during the previous elections”, – said
M. Shahgeldyan and added, “There is also the president’s recommendation
to the chief of the police concerning that problem”. /Panorama.am/

THE ELECTORAL PROCESS IS SATISFACTORY

Panorama.am
17:55 17/10/05

“The local elections were generally in keeping with the Council of
Europe’s electoral standards. The electoral process was generally
satisfactory”, – said today a delegation of the Congress of Local
and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe who arrived
to observe local elections in Yerevan and in various towns and
villages in the Tavoush, Lori and Armavir regions. To the question
“Have you heard about illegalities and kidnapping in Etchmiadzin?”,
head of the delegation Sean 0’Brien answered, “Of course, I heard
about such actions, but we cannot say something exactly”, and added,
“For example, we were present during the ballots counting in one of
the polling station in Etchmiadzin, everything was normal”.

The members only said that there were some little irregularities,
like somebody didn’t find her/his name in the electoral rolls or
there were some persons’ names who died long time ago etc. “We’ll
inform the authorities about these, as we are sure that they will,
by all means, correct these mistakes”, – said the member of the
delegation Christopher Newbury.

David Lloyd-Williams told that during their visit in Vanadzor they saw
150-200 angry people opposite the headquarter of one of the candidates.

People came with their passports to get bribes. But inside the
headquarter they found out that it was only nonsense. “And we left
the area”,- claimed Mr. Lloyd-Williams. /Panorama.am/

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BIRD FLU LESS PROBABLE IN ARMENIA
By Nana Petrosian

AZG Armenian Daily #187
18/10/2005

Healthcare

No Cases Registered Till Today

This is the time of the year that birds leave Armenia for warmer
countries thus diminishing the probability of bird flu in the
republic. Yet, Vartan Ayvazyan, ecology minister of Armenia, warned
the hunters to give up their hobby for a while.

Healthcare minister Norayr Davidian informed that the Ministry
receives weekly information on the bird flu for the ire region and
takes measures to suppress any case of the flu. The officials in the
Ministry are trying to acquire appropriate vaccines.

The minister said that there was an epidemic of bird flu back in 1918
that took the life of 50 million people.