Month: October 2006

‘FRANCE WILL LOSE TURKEY IF SO-CALLED GENOCIDE LAW ADOPTED’
By Bahtiyar Kucuk

Zaman, Turkey
Oct 7 2006

ANKARA – The Turkish Foreign Ministry warned Paris that bilateral
relations would suffer if the French parliament approves a law making
it a punishable offence to deny the so-called Armenian genocide.

Namik Tan, a foreign ministry spokesman, told French officials that
France would, so to speak, lose Turkey.

"The Armenian issue has poisoned bilateral ties in the past, but the
bill will inflict irreparable damage on our relationship, The Turkish
public opinion would perceive the approval of the bill as a hostile
act. Adoption of the bill would mean the elimination of freedom of
expression in France," said Tan.

There’s some considerable volume of business between Turkey and France,
Tan noted adding that French parliament’s recognition of the draft
bill would imperil the outcome of the work for many years to improve
the situation between the two countries.

There’re some initiatives on the part of Turkey to prevent a possible
parliamentary recognition of the draft bill, said Tan, and detailed
those initiatives as follows:

Turkish President Ahmet Necdet Sezer wrote to his French counterpart
Jacques Chirac on 4 Sept. 2006.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is due to have talks with
French businessmen in Turkey.

Erdogan will have a telephone conversation with French Prime Minister
Philippe Douste Blazy.

A commission of foreign affairs of the Turkish parliament was in
France to voice their concerns.

The Turkish embassy in Paris has held negotiations with French
officials.

While the bill will most likely pass parliamentary approval ahead of
France’s parliamentary elections, French businessmen with investment
plans in Turkey are at unease.

Debate on the bill, which was originally tabled in May, followed
stern warnings from Ankara on the repercussions for bilateral and
economic relations.

Tan: The Armenian issue has poisoned bilateral ties in the past,
but the bill will inflict irreparable damage to our relationship

The Turkish capital warned Paris Friday that political and economic
ties between them will suffer if the French Parliament approves a
highly contentious bill that penalizes any denial of an Armenian
"genocide" at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

"The Armenian issue has poisoned bilateral ties in the past, but the
bill will inflict irreparable damage to our relationship," Foreign
Ministry spokesman Namik Tan told reporters during a regular press
briefing.

The spokesman, with clear remarks, warned the move could jeopardize
"investments, the fruit of years of work, and France will — so to
speak — lose Turkey."

The French National Assembly’s decision for the vote, scheduled for
Oct. 12, came at the request of the main opposition Socialist Party,
the bill’s architect.

Appealing to the assembly to block the bill, Tan argued that adoption
of the bill would mean the elimination of freedom of expression
in France. "Our expectation is that France will avoid taking the
wrong step."

Though the conservative majority in the French assembly opposes the
bill, Turkey fears many opponents will not vote against it for fear of
upsetting France’s 400,000-strong Armenian Diaspora ahead of elections
next year.

Tan said Turkey, too, faces presidential and parliamentary elections
in 2007.

"The people of Turkey will perceive this development as a hostile
attitude on the part of France," he said. "This draft will deliver
a heavy blow to bilateral relations and to the momentum previously
achieved."

"ARMENIA WILL BE A STRONGER COUNTRY IF IT HOLDS DEMOCRATIC ELECTIONS"

MEDIAMAX armenian news agency

15.09.06

Weekly Analytical Report

Exclusive interview of U.S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans to
Mediamax agency U.S. Ambassador John Evans completed his diplomatic
mission in Armenia.

Before his departure on September 10 he gave a farewell interview
to Mediamax.

– Mr. Evans, what do you consider to be your greatest achievement
during your service in Armenia?

– I think we achieved a lot. The conclusion of the Millenium Challenge
Compact that was signed at the end of March 2006 is probably the
biggest achievement. But as I have already said before, the work of
diplomacy is like gardening – it takes persistence and patience. And
we have had that kind of approach – we didn’t simply make a list of
things to achieve.

We have greater cooperation with Armenia in security and defense
matters.

It’s not only the question of the Armenian non-combatant contingent
that’s serving in Iraq, but also cooperation in the framework of
NATO. And I think we have also seen some progress in the strengthening
of democratic institutions.

I do think that the recent events – murders of officials and attacks
on journalists – are not a good sign. At the moment I am quite worried
about that. Journalists need to be protected as they carry out a very
crucial function in any democratic system.

– And what was your biggest disappointment during your work in Armenia?

– In general, I am not disappointed by my time here. The only thing
that would fit into the category you mentioned is the disappointment I
had when the constitutional referendum held in Armenia last November
apparently was not conducted in a totally honest way. I had had
very clear assurances from some very highly placed members of the
Armenian government. They assured me, crossing their heart, that there
would be no such falsifications. And I went out on a limb and took
a personal risk in supporting the substance of the constitutional
amendments. I did that because I felt that the Armenian people had
a right to know what the United States, as well as the European
Union, Council of Europe and the OSCE, thought about the content
of those amendments. So I took the risk, and I was criticized for
supporting those amendments. So I was very disappointed in the end
that apparently, and again nothing has been proven, but apparently
there was a falsification of the vote count.

– Last year you said in an interview to our agency, that "The lesson
of some other elections in this region ought to be clear to anyone
tempted to falsify election results: the people are not stupid,
and they will figure it out, and that will create a big problem,
fraught with great risks".

What is your opinion on whether there are still many people in Armenia
who might have such a temptation during the elections in 2007 and 2008?

– Recent polling results that we have access to, conducted in Armenia
by the Gallup Organization, indicate that there is a lot of skepticism
about next year’s elections. I think that Armenia is headed in the
right direction, and one day or another, sooner or later, Armenia
will become a true democratic country. We believe that Armenia will
be a stronger country if it holds democratic elections, which are
the key to the legitimacy of the elected officials.

A year ago we were advised not to waste any more money on working with
Armenian political parties. But we went against the experts’ advice,
because we were not ready to give up on Armenian democracy. And I am
still not ready to give up. I think there are many people who do want
to see the elections be free and fair. They see the advantages of this
to Armenia–a country with no oil wealth and no hydrocarbons–but a
country that needs to preserve the respect of the democratic world,
the Western world, and needs to meet its own commitments to the Council
of Europe and to the OSCE. It’s a question of Armenia’s self-respect,
but it’s also a question of the respect of the world.

– Some U.S. experts are of the opinion that the power of the Armenian
Diaspora in the USA limits the opportunities of the United States to
encourage democratic changes in Armenia, as the Diaspora oppose any
criticism of the Armenian authorities from Washington. Do you agree
with such point of view?

– I do not. I think the opposite. I think the Armenian-American
community in various ways has a very positive impact on development
here. Of course, there is a certain sensitivity about open criticism,
but I have heard a lot of criticism precisely from Armenian-Americans,
who are disappointed that Armenia has not moved quickly enough towards
becoming a full-fledged democracy. So, I take the opposite view. I
think that Armenia’s international connections, not only with the
United States, but with France, with Russia, with other countries, are
one of the preconditions for building a strong democracy in Armenia.

– Despite the numerous efforts of the United States, Armenian-Turkish
relations are not normalized and the border remains closed. Do you
see any possibility for achieving some progress?

– Turkey is an ally of the United States, and I understand very well
the complications that Armenia has with its Turkish neighbors at the
moment. I do hope that wise people on the both sides of the border
will come to see the mutual advantages of trade across the border,
of cooperating on energy issues – Eastern Turkey is short of energy
and Armenia might be able to help in this regard.

I believe that diplomatic relations should be established between
Yerevan and Ankara. This is not an easy area, but the commonsense,
good judgment, and wisdom of people on both sides needs to be brought
to bear on this problem.

– This year the issue of providing for Armenia’s energy security
became a topic for active discussions. What kind of support can the
United States provide in this regard? In particular, U.S. Deputy
Assistant Secretary Daniel Fried, who visited Armenia this March,
said that Armenia’s desire to have a new nuclear power plant will be
seriously discussed in Washington.

– First of all, I would say that we have already helped a great deal
in studying the problem. We have worked very closely with the Ministry
of Energy. There was a conference in July about the least-cost option,
which the Ministry is discussing. There will be another conference,
I believe, in October to discuss this. But, the United States will
need to know a lot more about Armenia’s plans for its energy security
before any kind of discussion can happen about the future of nuclear
energy capacity. We see that the Metsamor reactor is coming to
the end of its useful life and should be decommissioned in 2015 or
2016. That is going to be an expensive process and we believe that
Armenia needs to plan now, if not already yesterday, for how it is
going to manage the expense of decommissioning the existing plant,
not to mention the enormous expense of building a follow-on plant.

– This year much has been said about the existing "window
of possibilities" for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict. What is your opinion, has the window closed, or are there
still some hopes?

– As you know, I am not in the lead on this issue. Rather, Matthew
Bryza, the OSCE Minsk Co- Chair representing the United States,
is working on this. I will say that I think it was a very good
development that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs decided this June
to make public the main elements of their discussions with the
sides so that the Armenian and Azerbaijani societies could discuss
these elements, think about them and decide what their attitude is
towards those elements. I think what they will find on both sides
is that the deal that was on the table, and is still on the table,
is really the best possible, most fair and long-lasting settlement
that can be reached. Another conflict in the South Caucasus would
be a disaster for both sides. It would undoubtedly be inconclusive,
it would cause more suffering, and it would set back the entire
region. Both sides need to think very hard about the way forward,
and try to find a peaceful settlement so that the entire region can
join the rest of the world in prosperity, stability, and peace.

TURKEY AND EUROPE: THE DANGERS OF DIVORCE
By Patrick Seale Special to Gulf News

Gulf News, United Arab Emirates
Oct 9 2006

The European Union is in danger of making a mistake of immense
strategic importance: instead of welcoming Turkey into its ranks it
is rebuffing it.

At the very moment when the West is in a mood of profound alienation
from the Arab and Muslim world – based largely on ignorance, prejudice
and mutual incomprehension – Europe is turning its back on the one
country uniquely able to serve as a bridge between East and West.

At the very moment when the Middle East is experiencing crises and
wars of unprecedented gravity, which threaten to overspill into
neighbouring countries and into Europe itself, Europe has failed to
grasp that Turkey could provide a key to regional security.

Turkey, heir to the Ottoman Empire and a founding member of Nato,
is a major regional power – dynamic, yet traditional; secular, yet
Muslim; democratic yet militarily powerful. Its ties with Europe are
centuries old. As its Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul likes to recall,
Turkey sent its first diplomatic envoy to France in 1495, while France
chose Istanbul as the site of its very first foreign embassy in the
16th century.

Today, Turkey could play a key role in stabilising Iraq and in helping
to mediate the Arab-Israeli conflict, since it is on good terms with
both sides. It has again demonstrated its commitment to regional
security by sending a thousand soldiers to help keep the peace in
southern Lebanon.

On November 9, the European Commission is due to publish a report on
its negotiations with Turkey over the past year, and on the progress
Turkey has made in carrying out the reforms Europe has demanded.

There are grave fears that this crucial report, which will set the
tone of future relations between the EU and Turkey, will be negative.

Instead of acknowledging Turkey’s very considerable efforts to meet
European norms and adopt European values – instead of looking forward
to Turkey’s great potential contribution to Europe’s security and
stability – it is likely to emphasise areas of continued disagreement,
demand still more concessions from Ankara and put the blame on Turkey
for the current stalemate.

Bad situation

So bad is the situation that many observers believe relations between
Turkey and Europe are heading for a breakdown. If these fears are
proved correct – if the commission’s report is indeed hard on Turkey –
European diplomacy will have suffered a considerable defeat.

The EU’s grudging attitude towards Turkish membership has already
created an anti-European backlash in Turkey, while at the same time
encouraging reactionary right-wing forces in Europe, especially in
Austria, Germany and France, to call for a suspension of negotiations
with Turkey.

One major subject of disagreement concerns the Mediterranean island
of Cyprus, divided between Greeks and Turks. The Greek part – the
Republic of Cyprus – is an EU member state, while the Turkish northern
part has not been recognised as a separate republic and suffers from
a commercial boycott.

The EU is demanding that Turkey open its ports and airports to the
Republic of Cyprus, which Ankara is obliged to do under its customs
agreement with the EU. But Ankara is refusing to comply until the EU
ends its commercial boycott of the Turkish part of the island – which
the EU promised to do so, but has so far not done. The outstanding
issue, therefore, would seem to be one of reciprocity. Fairness and
natural justice would suggest that the Turks have a point.

Moreover, Turkish Cypriots voted in favour of a plan put forward by
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan for the unification of the island,
whereas Greek Cypriots voted against. This, once again, would seem to
give the Turks the moral advantage. It should not be beyond the wit
of European diplomacy to find a solution to this heated but relatively
trivial dispute.

Another difficult hurdle Turkey faces is its historic responsibility
for the massacre of well over one million Armenians in 1915 during
the First World War, when the Ottoman Empire, then in its last years,
was engaged in a struggle with the western powers and czarist Russia.

The Turks feared the Armenians were a fifth column, allied to Russia.

This may go some way to explain, although it cannot justify, the
atrocities the Armenians suffered. Many were slaughtered while hundreds
of thousands died when they were mercilessly driven out of Anatolia,
the remnants of this death march eventually finding refuge in Syria
and Lebanon.

The EU would like Turkey to recognise this genocide, although it has
not made it a specific condition for membership. However, on a visit
this month to the Armenian capital of Yerevan, France’s President
Jacques Chirac declared that "France recognises the Armenian genocide".

When asked whether Turkey should do so as a condition for EU
membership, he replied: "In all honesty, I believe so. Any country
is enhanced by recognising its dramas and mistakes." He drew the
comparison with Germany which, to its credit, made amends for the
Holocaust.

Turkey has proposed setting up a committee of Turkish and Armenian
historians, which could include historians from other countries, to
examine the tragic events of 1915. It has committed itself to accept
its conclusions and to respond accordingly.

But whether this will be sufficient to persuade a deeply divided Europe
to accept Turkey as a full member must unfortunately remain in doubt.

Patrick Seale is a commentator and author of several books on Middle
East affairs.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY VOWS SANCTIONS IF FRANCE ADOPTS GENOCIDE BILL

The News – International, Pakistan
Oct 9 2006

ANKARA: France risks being barred from economic projects in Turkey
if it adopts a controversial bill on the massacre of Armenians under
the Ottoman Empire, Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said in
remarks published on Sunday. The draft law, to be debated in the
French parliament Thursday, calls for five years in prison and a fine
of 45,000 euros (57,000 dollars) for anyone who denies that the World
War I massacres constituted a genocide.

If the bill is passed, Gul said, French participation in major
economic projects in Turkey, including the planned construction of a
nuclear plant for which the tender process is expected to soon begin,
will suffer.

"We will be absolutely unable to have (such cooperation) in big
tenders," he told the popular Hurriyet daily, adding that he had
"openly" warned his French counterpart Philippe Douste-Blazy about
the repercussions of the bill.

"The French will lose Turkey," Gul warned in further remarks, to the
Yeni Safak newspaper. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was also
furious. "This is an issue between Turkey and Armenia. It is none
of France’s business," he said late Saturday in Istanbul, quoted by
Anatolia news agency.

"If Turkey’s prime minister-or any other minister, a historian or an
intellectual-goes to France one day and says it was not a genocide,
what are you going to do? Throw that person in jail?" Erdogan asked.

Ankara says the bill is designed as a political gesture to

France’s Armenian community. Many here also see it as a punch below
the belt by opponents of Turkey’s European Union membership that will
tarnish the country’s image in Europe and fan anti-Western sentiment
among Turks.

Faced with increasing EU warnings that it is failing to ensure
freedom of expression, Turkey has accused the bloc of applying double
standards, arguing that France itself was blocking free debate on a
historical subject by criminalizing genocide denial. About 500 people,
activists from a small left-wing party, took to the streets in Istanbul
Sunday to protest the bill, laying a black wreath outside the French
consulate. "France stop! A boycott is coming," they chanted. "The
genocide is a lie," their banners read.

The Ankara Trade Chamber, which groups about 3,000 businesses,
threatened to boycott French goods, calling EU countries
"hypocritical."

A senior lawmaker has also warned that the Turkish parliament may
retaliate with a law branding the killings of Algerians under French
colonial rule as genocide and introducing prison terms for those who
deny it.

On Saturday, Erdogan met with representatives of French companies
doing business in Turkey, among them industrial giants such as
carmaker Renault and food group Danone, urging them to lobby French
MPs to vote down the bill. The draft was first submitted in May but
the debate ran out of parliamentary time before a vote could be held.

In 2001 France adopted a resolution recognizing the massacres of
Armenians as genocide, prompting Ankara to retaliate by sidelining
French companies from public tenders and cancelling several projects
awarded to French firms.

The massacres are one of most controversial episodes in Turkish
history and open debate on the issue has only recently begun in Turkey,
often sending nationalist sentiment into frenzy. Armenians claim up
to 1.5 million of their kin were slaughtered in orchestrated killings
between 1915 and 1917.

Turkey categorically rejects the genocide label, arguing that
300,000 Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife
when Armenians rose for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided
with invading Russian troops as the Ottoman Empire was falling apart.

THREE PROVISIONS FROM TURKEY-SCEPTIC SARKOZY

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
Oct 9 2006

PARIS and ANKARA – French Minister of Internal Affairs Sarkozy has
set up three pre-conditions after Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan demanded support on so-called ‘Armenian genocide’ draft bill.

Sarkozy sets up three conditions

French Minister of Internal Affiars Sarkozy has set up three conditions
for Prime Minister Erdoðan in return for retreat his support from
the Armenian genocide denial bill:

* No historian-condition should be imposed in the commission which
will investigate the Armenian claims

* Turkey will remove clause 301 which limits freedom of thought

* Turkey will open the borders to Armenia

French sources claimed that Prime Minister Erdoðan has responded
Sarkozy’s conditions by saying: "I will think about this."

Meanwhile France’s "Armenian genocide bill" has caused ailment in
Algeria. Algerians have blamed France for being hypocritical since
France had refused to recognize massacres in Algeria as "genocide".

Turkey called Armenia to set up a joint commission to discuss the
historical disputes. However the Yerevan Government strongly rejected
Turkey’s offer. Armenians say "there is nothing to be discussed.

Turkey-Armenia territorial borders have been closed since the Armenian
forces occupied neigbouring Azerbaijan’s territories. 20 percent of
Azerbaijan is still under the Armenian occupation yet France put no
pressure on Armenia for the occupation. Azerbaijan and Turkey blame
France of being in Christian solidarity with Armenia.

Turkey and Azerbaijan are both Turkish and Muslim countries.

Turkey-Armenian air borders are open for air traffic. More than 70,000
Armenia citizens live and work in Turkey.

Armenia does not recognise Turkey’s national borders and accuse
Turkey of not recognising its genocide claims. Turkey says the 1915
events was communal clashes and more than 520,000 Muslim Ottomans
were massacred by the armed Armenian forces.

–Boundary_(ID_LEulbaZKlzeNI75Rft8oPQ)–

RPA LEADER FORECASTS NK PROBLEM’S SOLUTION IN 2012

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 6 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The outcome of the meeting of the
Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Moscow on October 6
fully depends on Azerbaijan’s position, on whether it will state
a willingness to continue the negotiations from the point at which
they were discontinued. Spartak Seyranian, member of the RA National
Assembly ARF faction and the ARF Armenia Supreme Board, expressed
this opinion at the October 6 briefing.

As regards the statement that the EU Special Representative to the
South Caucasus Peter Semneby recently made in Brussels to the effect
that Armenia and Azerbaijan are playing for time in the issue of the
Karabakh conflict, S. Seyranian noted that as a rule, statements of
representatives of international structures involved in the settlement
process are based on "the subjective notions or impressions of the
given person concerning some issue." In his opinion, "no statement
made by an official reflects the real state of affairs."

According to the secretary of the Justice faction Grigor Harutyunian,
"there are always great expectations" prior to any meeting held within
the framework of negotiations on the Nagorno Karabakh problem, but
"unfortunatley, these expectations never realize." He expressed an
opinion that neither the Armenian president not the Azerbaijani one
are interested in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict, since
"it prolongs their term of office."

In the view of leader of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) Galust
Sahakian, the only expectation from the current meeting of the two
foreign ministers is that "dicussion volumes between the presidents
of the two countries will somewhat become active." In connection with
P. Semneby’s statement, the deputy noted that the delay is not only
related to the two states but also conditioned by the fact that no
deep discussions take place in the international community. "I do not
see that a solution to the Nagorno Karabakh problem will be found in
2006. Moreover, I see solutions in 2012," G. Sahakian said.

RA MPS ANXIOUS ABOUT AGGRAVATION OF RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN RELATIONS

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 6 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, NOYAN TAPAN. "I agree to the viewpoint of a
number of Russian media that if danger threatens some country, this
accelerates the process of this country’s admission to NATO." Stepan
Zakarian, member of the People’s Party of Armenia, member of the
Ardarutiun (Justice) NA faction, declared at the October 6 discussion
at the Pakagits club dedicated to home and foreign political problems.

He expressed confidence that the Georgian events initiated by President
M.Sahakashvili were aimed at the very acceleration of the process of
Georgia’s joining NATO. S.Zakarian expressed anxiety about further
aggravation of Russian-Georgian relations and their possible impact
on Armenia. As he estimated, Armenia will suffer more from this than
Georgia. "The West, first of all the U.S. may express readiness to
compensate to Georgia the damage from blockade by Russia and who
compensates the damages of Armenia?" S.Zakarian said.

Grigor Ghonjeyan, member of the United Labor Party parliamentary
faction, also considers that aggravation of Russian-Georgian relations
will have a negative impact on hard socio-economic state of the
majority of Armenia’s population.

Both MPs held the same opinion, according to which home political
situation in the country will aggravate on the background of the
parliamentary elections to be held in 2007 spring. G.Ghonjeyan
expressed anxiety that the Armenian public lacks realization of
importance of the forthcoming elections and their significance for
the country’s future.

DELEGATION OF THE PROVANCE ALP COTE D’AZUR TO ARIVE IN ARMENIA

Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 7 2006

The delegation headed by governor of the French State of Provance Alp
Cote d’Azur Michael Vozel will arrive in Armenia today. The delegation
will comprise businessmen, culture figures, as well as representatives
of the Armenian community of the state.

The roots of Armenia’s cooperation with the State of Provance Alp
Cote d’Azur date back to the 1988 earthquake. In 2003 the state’s
delegation visited RA Lori marz.

The visit of the delegation will confer new dynamics to the development
of bilateral cooperation in the spheres of culture and economy.

During the three-day stay in Armenia the delegation of Provance Alp
Cote d’Azur will visit Echmiadzin and Tsitsernakaberd. Meetings with
RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan, Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian,
Education and Science Minister Levon Lazarian and Minister of Culture
and Youth Affairs Hasmik Poghosyan.

The visit will be concluded with a press conference.

TURKEY "THREATENS" FRANCE

Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 7 2006

Spokesman of the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Namik Tan
told the journalists that in case the French Parliament adopts draft
criminalizing the denial of the Armenian Genocide, Ankara "will hardly
be able to control" the counteraction of the Turkish society.

According to the Turkish "Zaman," Namik Tan confessed that Ankara is
seriously concerned with the inclusion of the draft law in the agenda.

Noting that in the past the Armenian question was also poisoning
French-Turkish relations. Tan said that the current bill will become
a serious blow to the relations between the two countries and the
success achieved in the past. Tan said that with adoption of the bill,
"France will abolish the freedom of speech."

Namik Tan expressed the hope that France will be reasonable enough
not to adopt the bill jeopardizing Turkish-French relations.

The Spokesman said also that the leadership of his country is making
every effort to prevent adoption of the bill. "October 4 President
Ahmed Sezer sent a letter to Jacques Chirac, Prime Minister Rejeb
Tayyib Erdogan will have a meeting with French businessmen in Istanbul,
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul had a telephone conversation with the
Foreign Minister of France," said Spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs of Turkey.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FOREIGN MINISTERS OF ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN MET IN MOSCOW

Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 7 2006

Under the auspices of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, October 6 in Moscow
RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Vardan Oskanian participated in
consultations with the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan. In a day-long
meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry, the Ministers assessed
the current situation, identified the problematic issues still in
dispute, and heard the Co-Chairs’ ideas as to how to overcome those
differences. Minister Oskanian said the Armenian side has taken note
of the discussion, which he characterized as food for thought and said
they would receive serious consideration prior to the next meeting
before the end of the month.

In the framework of the Minsk Group meeting, Russian Minister
of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov received Minister Oskanian. The
bilateral meeting between the two ministers began with a discussion
on the negotiations and the situation surrounding Nagorno Karabakh.

They also discussed recent developments in the South Caucasus and
possible outcomes. Minister Oskanian and Minister Lavrov also explored
other bilateral issues.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress