Month: October 2006

PRESIDENT GHUKASSIAN MET WITH ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER

Azat Artsakh, Reublic of Nagorno Karabakh
Oct 20 2006

AA

On October 15 NKR President Ghukassian met with the foreign minister
of Armenia Vardan Oskanian visiting Stepanakert. They discussed the
current stage of the process of settlement of the Karabakh conflict
and the prospect of a resolution. They also discussed the results
of the OSCE mission, which monitored the state of environment of the
areas along the Nagorno-Karabakh – Azerbaijani border.

VARDAN OSKANYAN: FALSIFICATIONS AND VIOLATIONS IN COMING
PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS ARE INADMISSIBLE

ARMINFO News Agency
October 19, 2006 Thursday

Falsifications and violations in the coming 2007 Parliamentary
elections in Armenia are inadmissible, RA Foreign Minister, Vardan
Oskanyan, said in an interview to the "Haikakan Zhamanak" newspaper.

According to him, he would be satisfied if the information field,
with the beginning of the election campaign, was equally presented by
all the political forces, participating in elections, in accordance
with the Law. "Taking into account the fact that democracy is being
built step by step, sometimes with a step forward and two back, I
will be satisfied if an absolutely equal information and legal field
is created for all the election participants within the pre-election
month", V. Oskanyan said.

He emphasized that the people must become a master of its rights since
every elections are a historical chance for the country, however, the
coming 2007 parliamentary elections and 2008 Presidential elections
are of special importance. "If we cannot make a right choice and set
the tasks before the political forces for them to make them key and
urgent in their programs and be able to solve them, the political
forces will not have a moral right to be elected.

A damage, caused by falsified elections, will be also material and
the guilty will have to answer before the people", RA FM outlined.

RA FM INTENDS TO LEAVE POST OF FOREIGN MINISTER ON THE EVE OF
ELECTIONS

ARMINFO News Agency
October 19, 2006 Thursday

RA FM, Vardan Oskanyan, intends to leave the post of Foreign Minister
on the eve of elections in the Republic, he said in a interview to the
"Haikakan Zhamanak" newspaper.

According to him, it is 10 years on the eve of elections since he
takes up the post of the Minister and it would be incorrect for him
to hold it within the next 5 years. "A person, heading the FM, is to
be changed", V. Oskanyan emphasized. He does not agree with rumors,
according to which the RA FM intends to stand for the President
post in 2008. "I have no decided yet what I will do after I leave
the Minister post, but I know for sure that I want to see Armenia,
where I and my children live, a normal country", V. Oskanyan said.

He reminded that he was mainly engaged in a foreign policy in view
of his position and he has started talking of internal problems very
recently since "elections are coming and I see serious problems",
among which he called the necessity to form a political field,
to eliminate the barrier between the authorities and the society,
the authorities and the people.

SITUATION IN SOUTH CAUCASUS IS BECOMING EXPLOSIVE: LEADER OF
NON-PARLIAMENTARY OPPOSITION PARTY

ARMINFO News Agency
October 19, 2006 Thursday

"The situation in the region is becoming explosive due to changes of
geopolitical trends," said Hovhanness Hovhannissyan, Leader of the
non-parliamentary Liberal-Progressive Party, at the Discussion Club
"Pastark," Thursday.

Maintenance of status-quo in the region is impossible. The geopolitical
situation requires specific decisions by all the players. The tension
of the Russian-Georgian relations is connected with the attempt of
Tbilisi authorities to wage independent domestic and foreign policy,
which aroused an inadequate response of Russia, he thinks. Azerbaijan
displays serious progress in the state building. As regards Russia,
the political elite in that country is encouraged with the inflow of
oil dollars. However, they use these funds quite irrationally. Another
characteristic feature of Russia as a country is intolerance to
representatives of other ethnic groups.

At the same time, our co- called strategic partner has faced such
big problems as demographic crisis, drug addiction and alcoholism, H.

Hovhannissyan said.

The oppositionist thinks that the present situation requires Armenia
to refuse from its complementary policy and to declare exact foreign
political guide- lines. He is sure that reason of such an unfavorable
geopolitical situation for Armenia is its full dependence on Russia
"due to the support of the illegitimate authorities of Armenia by
Vladimir Putin."

HEAD OF OSCE YEREVAN OFFICE ASKS SPEAKER OF ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT TO
INVITE INTERNATIONAL OBSERVERS TO PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN ARMENIA

ARMINFO News Agency
October 19, 2006 Thursday

Today the speaker of the Armenian parliament Tigran Torossyan and the
head of the OSCE Yerevan Office Vladimir Pryakhin discussed the course
of preparations for the coming parliamentary elections in Armenia.

The press service of the Armenian parliament reports the sides to focus
on the amendments to the electoral code. Pryakhin asked Torossyan to
tell him about the electoral reforms, particularly, about the changes
to the law on TV and radio. Torossyan said that in the summer in the
parliament considered the remarks of the experts and in the autumn met
with them personally. During the forthcoming session the parliament
will consider the first reading of the new electoral code and in Dec
the second reading with the final expert resolution. Torossyan noted
that everything must be finished before the elections.

Pryakhin confirmed the OSCE’s commitment to support the electoral
reforms in Armenia and was glad to know that this process will be
finished by the end of this year. He asked Torossyan to invite
international experts to observe the parliamentary elections in
Armenia.

Famiano Crucianelli: Italy ready to assist Armenia on its way to European integration
19.10.2006 10:36

Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 19 2006

RA Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan received the delegation headed by
Deputy Foreign Minister of Italy Famiano Crucianelli. At the start of
the meeting Mr. Crucianelli stressed the willingness of the Italian
side to assist Armenia on its way to European integration. He expressed
concern over the fact that Turkey, aspiring to the European Union, has
closed borders with Armenia. Turning to the issue of settlement of the
Karabakh issue, Serge Sargsyan said "the question should be resolved
only in a peaceful way and through mutual concessions. Speaking about
regional security issues, Serge Sargsyan noted, "We are located in a
complex geopolitical region and Armenia, being interested in regional
stability, makes its modest contribution to the processes of assuring
international security."

FRENCH AMBASSADOR: REGIONAL SITUATION IS NOT VERY MUCH FAVORABLE FOR ARMENIA

ARMINFO News Agency
October 19, 2006 Thursday

Armenia is geographic crossroads, French Ambassador to Armenia
Henry Cuny said today during a meeting with students of Yerevan
State University.

History shows that Armenians are good tradesmen, but trade implies
open borders. "When I came here, I very much hoped that during my
stay here I would see progress in two very important directions:
the Karabakh peace process and the opening of border with Turkey."

At times, the hope grew stronger: the OSCE MG co-chairs have done much
in the matter. Several high-ranking Turkish officials have visited
Armenia and were probably surprised to see that it is not as hostile
as they believed it to be. Simply, Armenia has memory and this is a
different story. However, recently these hope has grown weaker. Today,
the situation in the region is not very much favorable for Armenia. The
Georgian-Russian crisis has resulted in problems in the north, the
world-Iran confrontation may lead to problems in the south.

The two unsolved problems – the Karabakh conflict and the closed
border with Turkey – prevent Armenia from using its whole potential.

However, these obstacles are just anachronisms and anachronisms
disappear sooner or later, Cuny said.

ARMENIAN INDEPENDENT MP CALLED ARRESTED GEORGIAN CITIZEN A POLITICAL PRISONER

ARMINFO News Agency
October 19, 2006 Thursday

Amayak Hovhannisyan, independent MP of National Assembly of Armenia
(NAA), said at the meeting with journalists that Vahagn Chakhalyan,
member of presidium of Georgian democratic bloc ‘United Javahkh’,
is a political prisoner and not an executive of somebody’s orders.

A. Hovhannisyan said that he was denied meeting with the imprisoned
even after interference of Tigran Torosyan, speaker of NAA. Vahagn
Chakhalyan is kept in the Erevan-Center penitentiary. V. Chakhalyan
said that he would claim resignation of David Harutyunyan, Minister
of Justice of RA, because it was he who ordered the denial of the
meeting with A. Hovhannisyan.

Later, 15 MPs of NAA predominantly from ‘Justice’ party in opposition
signed a statement demanding law enforcement bodies to investigate
the Oct 10 attack on activists of the democratic bloc ‘United
Javahkh’. They also demand that either Vahagn Chakhalyan be released
or his preventive punishment be amended. Apart from the opposition
MPs, the document was also signed by – Armen Ashotyan, MP of the
‘Republican’ party of the governing coalition, as well as Raffic
Petrosyan, Head of the NAA Commission on State-Legislative Issues.

The Gazette (Montreal)
October 19, 2006 Thursday
Final Edition

Armenian lauds Canada’s stance

OTTAWA

Countries such as Canada and France are standing up to Turkey’s
political "blackmail" through their recent decisions to recognize the
genocide of the Armenian people, Armenia’s foreign minister said
yesterday.

Vartan Oskanian also said if Turkey has any hope of attaining its
goal of joining the European Union, it too would have to acknowledge
the past violence of Ottoman Turks.

Oskanian offered that provocative assessment yesterday in an
interview before his meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Peter
MacKay in Ottawa.

The meeting was the first high-level interaction between Armenia and
Canada since the Harper government recognized as genocide the deaths
of 1.5 million Armenians in 1915 during the bloody demise of the
Ottoman Empire, a decision that has angered Turkey.

Turkey’s Canadian embassy decided not to talk about Oskanian’s visit.

Canada’s Foreign Affairs Department would not confirm last week he
was to meet with MacKay even though details of the visit – his stay
at Rideau Gate, the official government guest house, a lunch with
three dozen parliamentarians and his meeting with MacKay – were
disclosed by the Armenian Embassy.

Turkish UN troops due in Lebanon
by Charlie Onians

Agence France Presse — English
October 20, 2006 Friday 1:36 AM GMT

The main contingent of 261 Turkish military engineers is due to land
in Lebanon on Friday to join the enlarged UN peacekeeping operation
policing a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Turkey is the first Muslim country to contribute troops to the UN
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and their arrival comes despite
vocal opposition from the war-ravaged nation’s Armenian community
which accuses the Turks’ Ottoman ancestors of genocide.

A total of 95 personnel will arrive by sea, with the remaining members
due to fly into the Lebanese capital. Muslim nations Bangladesh,
Indonesia, Malaysia and Qatar have also pledged soldiers to the
planned 15,000-strong force, but they have yet to arrive.

The Turkish contingent, which includes 237 soldiers and 24 civilians,
will be stationed at a small village lying seven-and-a-half kilometers
(nearly five miles) southeast of the southern port city of Tyre.

A small initial batch of the engineers, who are due to work mostly
on the reconstruction of roads and bridges, arrived on October 10
but Turkey is not expected to contribute any more ground troops for
the UN force.

Overriding widespread opposition, the Turkish parliament approved
a government motion on September 5 to contribute troops to UNIFIL
following a ceasefire that ended 34 days of fighting in Lebanon.

The Turkish government has said it will contribute a total of 681
troops.

A Turkish frigate is already serving in the German-led naval task
force patrolling the Lebanese coast to prevent arms being smuggled
to the Hezbollah militia, and the navy has said it will also send
two corvettes.

Ankara says participating in UNIFIL will enhance the regional influence
of Turkey. The mainly Muslim state, which has a secular government,
has good ties with Israel and the Arab states.

Parliament authorized the government to send a naval force to patrol
the eastern Mediterranean, deploy land troops for non-combat missions,
help train the Lebanese army and support allied countries in naval
and air transport.

Members of Lebanon’s 140,000-strong Armenian community have staged
several demonstrations in protest at the troop deployment because
Turkey refuses to recognise the 1915-1917 massacres of Armenians by
the Ottomans as genocide.

Turkey says 300,000 Armenians, and at least as many Turks, died in
civil strife when Armenians took up arms for independence and sided
with invading Russian troops as the Ottoman Empire fell apart during
World War I.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their ancestors were slaughtered
in orchestrated killings, which they maintain can only be seen as
genocide.