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08/22/2006
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1. Azerbaijan Threatens To Halt Visitors to Karabakh
2. OSCE Chairman Against Military Resolution to Karabakh Conflict
3. Karabakh Announces 2005 Census Results
4. Education Minister Rules Out Unprofessional Approach In Admission
Commission’s Work
5. Turkey Bars Aircraft From Flying to Lebanon
1. Azerbaijan Threatens To Halt Visitors to Karabakh
BAKU (Armenpress)Azeri foreign ministry spokesman said in an interview Tuesday
that Azerbaijan will require all visitors to Nagorno-Karabakh to obtain
official permission from the Azeri government.
Evidently, Azerbaijan is concerned about upcoming celebrations for the 15th
anniversary of Armenia’s independence which are going to take place in Nagorno
Karabakh.
The Azeri foreign Ministry spokesperson Tayir Taghizade told the Echo
newspaper that "any person who visits Nagorno Karabakh must know that without
the permission of the Azerbaijan, visits to Azeri territories not
controlled by
the Azeri government may have the most serious consequences, including denial
of entrance visas to Azerbaijan."
At the same time he expressed "assurances" that the guests who are going to
participate in the events will be private citizens and not officials.
2. OSCE Chairman Against Military Resolution to Karabakh Conflict
YEREVAN (Armenpress)In an interview with Armenpress Tuesday, the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office Karel De Gucht said the organization’s Belgian
Chairmanship,
in co-operation with the co-chairmen of the Minsk group, will continue to do
the utmost to move the Karabakh conflict resolution process forward.
"There seemed to be a window of opportunity earlier this year for the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. However, the meetings of the presidents of Armenia
and Azerbaijan in Paris and Bucharest failed to confirm that opportunity. It
will take time and a lot of wisdom and courage on the parts of both presidents
to overcome them," Karel De Gucht said.
Speaking about a military resolution of the conflict, the OSCE Chairman said
"The international community, the OSCE and the co-chairs of the Minsk group,
all want a peaceful resolution of the issue. Statements that go against this
line and call for military solutions are not helpful. I hope parties realize
that a military scenario would be a disaster not only for the parties, but for
the population and especially for the region as a whole. The international
community will judge severely the party that resorts to violence."
Meanwhile in Karabakh, the OSCE conducted a routine monitoring of the
Azeri-Karabakh border Tuesday.
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Foreign Ministry press service told Armenpress
that the monitoring from the Karabakh side was conducted by the personal
representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk and his aide
Irzhi Aberlen. From the Azeri side the monitoring was carried out by aides
Gunter Folk and Peter Kin.
The monitoring has been conducted according to the planned schedule and no
violation of cease-fire regime has been registered.
3. Karabakh Announces 2005 Census Results
STEPANAKERT (Lragir)According to the October 2005 census, there are 137,737
people living in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, reported the Census Department
Tuesday when it publicized the final results.
Women comprise 51.7 percent of the population, while 48.9 percent of the
population are men.
According to the census, 70,512 people live in cities, while 67,225 live in
villages.
The regional composition of the population is as follows: Stepanakert:
49,986;
the Askeran Region: 16,979; Hadrut: 12,005; Mardakert: 18,963; Martuni:
23,157;
Shahumian: 2,560; Shoushi: 4,324; and Kashatagh: 9,763.
4. Education Minister Rules Out Unprofessional Approach In Admission
Commission’s Work
YEREVAN (RFE/RL)With higher school entrance examinations in Armenia over, the
education minister has praised the work of the admission commission, putting
down some complaints and dissatisfaction from applicants to its ‘strict
criteria rather than unprofessional approach.’
"Perhaps they were a bit strict in their criteria, but these criteria were
universal for all applicants," Levon Mkrtchian told reporters on Tuesday.
Entrance examinations to higher schools ended in Armenia this week, with many
teenage applicants and their parents feeling unhappy with the way they were
handled.
In particular, people complain that at certain examinations officials helped
hand-picked entrants with prompts, in other cases they put psychological
pressure and subjectively graded applicants, especially during oral exams.
Ruzanna Hovannisian is convinced that her daughter, Mariam Ohanian, was
treated unfairly at the oral English language examination.
"She had high marks from the two previous examinations and was subjected to
psychological pressure from the admission commission at her oral examination.
Perhaps her high marks annoyed some people," Hovannisian told RFE/RL, adding
that she had addressed a letter of complaint to the minister.
Minister Mkrtchian admits that it is difficult to find a means of effective
struggle against subjectivity in oral examinations.
"I feel that the parent is perhaps right, but we have no solution. The degree
of subjectivity in oral examinations is very high," he said.
As was expected, the threshold for entering an institute or university
faculty
has lowered a little this year as compared to the previous years, with the
exception of competitions for the law departments at the Yerevan State
University, Armenia’s biggest and most prestigious higher school.
To gather 57.5 points (out of 60) is likely to be enough for an applicant to
become a student at the University’s law department studying free of charge.
To be admitted to the paid section of the department one is likely to
score at
least 55 points.
The sufficient points for the free sections of the University’s English
language, economics and history departments are likely to be 58, 57.5, and 55,
respectively.
The highest score for the world economics department of the University of
Economics is expected to be 55. And for the Medical University’s therapy
department it is likely to be 36.5.
The minister expressed his concern over the dropping competition for some
departments of the Engineering University. Competition is particularly low for
natural sciences departments, where satisfactory marks from two examinations
are enough for admission.
"Sending their children to train as economists, lawyers or diplomats parents
in fact condemn them to future unemployment, as, for example, our small
country
hardly needs more than a hundred diplomats every year," Mkrtchian stressed.
The final results of the entrance examinations will become available on
August
24.
Earlier this month, the education minister met with President Robert
Kocharian
to discuss the entrance exam process.
5. Turkey Bars Aircraft From Flying to Lebanon
ANKARA (UPI)Five Iranian and one Syrian aircraft were barred from flying into
Lebanon by Turkey, which claimed they were ferrying arms for Hezbollah
militants.
The Turkish Hurriyet newspaper reported Monday the last flight diversion was
Thursday when an Iranian airlines Parsair flight was forced to land at
Diyarbakir military airport in eastern Turkey. The newspaper said US
intelligence reports indicated the plane carried three missile launchers and
containers with Chinese C-802 land-to-sea missiles, and it was ordered to turn
around.
Meanwhile in Damascus, Syria, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said
Tuesday that the recent war in Lebanon could help create the conditions for
Middle East peace.
"After this catastrophe there is an opportunity to achieve peace. Every one
must learn a lesson from the recent events," Gul said after meeting Syrian
President Bashar al-Assad.
Gul added that Assad shared his view.
The Syrian leader said last week that Israel must return all Arab land it has
been occupying since 1967 or face more hatred from the Arab populations
surrounding it.
NATO member Turkey, which hopes to play a larger role in the region, has good
ties with both Israel and with Syria, which is a key supporter of Lebanon’s
Hezbollah movement.
Last month, a Turkish envoy held talks in Damascus with members of the exiled
leadership of the Palestinian movement Hamas and Ankara is also mulling
whether
to send troops as part of an expanded UN peacekeeping force in south Lebanon.
"Turkey has not made a final decision regarding troops, but the Syrian side
welcomes such a decision if we take it," said Gul, who has also visited Israel
and Lebanon in recent days.
Turkey says it will not send any combat troops or take part in any operations
to disarm Hezbollah, which fought Israeli forces for over a month before a
truce took effect on Aug. 14.
Israel invaded south Lebanon after Hezbollah fighters captured two Israeli
soldiers and killed several others in a cross border operation on July 12.
The Istanbul-based Marmara Armenian newspaper reported that the Turkish
Security Council Monday has drafted clear guidelines regarding the troops that
might be sent to Lebanon. Per the decision, the Turkish troops will be
forbidden to engage with any grouping in Lebanon. The troops also cannot
engage
in disarming of Hezbollah forces.
According to the Security Council, the Turkish troops should also be involved
in providing assistance in reconstruction, relief, education and healthcare
efforts, as was the case in Bosnia and Kosovo.
Gul visited Israel Sunday and was in Lebanon last Wednesday where he
discussed
possible Turkish participation in an enhanced United Nations peacekeeping
force.
Gul was scheduled to brief Monday’s session of National Security Council.
It is reported that the Government will clarify its final decision on troop
deployment after Gul’s visits and the NCS meeting. However, Ministry of
Foreign
Affairs wishes the immediate announcement of the decision on the grounds that
it might help Turkish troops assume the task that Ankara prefers.
Israel wants Turkish troops to join the international peace force. Defense
Minister Peretz, who met with Gul, expressed the Israeli view, saying that "I
want Mr.. Gul to send Turkish troops to the region."
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