Month: October 2006

Moscow to Host 8th Session of Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Economic Commission

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.10.2006 15:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ October 9 an Armenian delegation led by Secretary of
the Security Council at the President of Armenia, Defense Minister,
Co-Chair of the Armenian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission on
Economic Cooperation Serge Sargsyan will leave for Moscow to take
part in the 8th recurrent session of the Commission. As Spokesperson
for the Armenian Defense Minister, colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan
told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter, representatives of ministries,
departments and organizations of Armenia and Russia will take part in
the meeting. Implementation of a number of protocols, development of
bilateral treaty and legal base, ensuring the functioning of Armenian
enterprises conveyed to Russia within Property for Debt agreement,
as well as fuel and energy, transport and humanitarian cooperation
are expected to be discussed during the session.

Visit of Members of PACE Subcommittee on Karabakh May Be Postponed to Next Year

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.10.2006 15:37 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian Speaker, PACE Armenian delegation leader
Tigran Torosyan met with Chair of the PACE Subcommittee on Karabakh
Lord Russell-Johnston and PACE Azeri delegation leader Samed Seidov,
reports the Press Office of the Armenian Parliament. During the meeting
Russell-Johnston noted that the visit of Subcommittee members to the
region is not in the most favorable time and proposed to postpone
the visit to the next year. He also proposed a discussion with
participation of members of Armenian and Azeri delegation at PACE
January meeting. The interlocutors agreed to specify the agenda of
the discussion soon.

POLICE ARREST MAN SUSPECTED OF KILLING AVIASERVICE HEAD

Armenpress

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Armenian police have arrested a man,
Robert Sarkisian, who is charged with killing Arthur Khalatian, head
of Aviaservice company, whose body was found in a car in Zar village
of Kotayk province on September 30.

The arrested man had an accomplice, Henrik Hovnikian, who is on the
run. The police said Robert Sarkisian, a resident of Byureghavan town,
and the second man who is his cousin, plotted and killed Khalatian
to seize his apartment in downtown Yerevan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARGENTINA MAY PASS LAW TO DESIGNATE APRIL 24 AS GENOCIDE REMEMBRANCE DAY

Armenpress

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS: Armenian ambassador to Argentina,
Vladimir Karmirshalian, told Armenpress that this Latin American
nation may pass a law to designate April 24 as the official Armenian
Genocide Remembrance Day.

The ambassador said the local Armenian community is working hard to
push for such a law. He said two major Argentinean states of Buenos
Aires and Cordoba have passed laws designating April 24 as the Day
of Armenian Genocide Remembrance.

These state laws make teaching genocide at schools an obligatory
subject of curriculum. The town of Buenos Aires has also passed a law
designating April 24 as the Day of Remembrance of Armenian Genocide.

Argentina’s parliament has passed several resolutions since 1985
condemning the Armenian genocide and demanding that Turkey acknowledges
this crime. The Senate of Argentina passed a harsh resolution in 2005
July demanding that Turkey admits this crime, but Argentine has passed
no law to recognize the Armenian genocide officially.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZG Armenian Daily #190, 06/10/2006

Visit

TRAIAN BASESCU: HISTORY IS FOR BOOKS ONLY

"We’ll not do anything affecting our neutrality on the Black Sea in
our relations with all countries of the Black Sea," Traian Basescu,
president of Romania, stated yesterday at the meeting with students
of the Yerevan State University while answering a question whether
Romania is going to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

Basescu is sure that history and historic disputes should be
kept in the books and in the peoples’ memory but not put it as a
precondition for the future. In his opinion, the main criterion on
the path of joining the EU and NATO should be friendly relations with
neighbors. "Historical disputes should not be transferred to the EU
or NATO," he said.

The Romanian president presented to the students his country’s history
of the last decade, inner political developments and the road of
European integration. By the end of the meeting, rector of YSU Aram
Simonian awarded Mr. Basescu a diploma of emeritus doctor of YSU,
a gilded medal and expressed hope that the president’s visit will
spur further development of Armenian-Romanian relations.

Yesterday, the Romanian president also visited Yerevan Brandy Factory
where following the tradition he left his signature on the oak barrel
of peace that was seperated in 1994 on occasion of cease-fire in
Nagorno Karabkh war. Afterwards, he received a 400-liter barrel of
brandy as a gift.

By Tamar Minasian and Aghavni Harutyunian

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZG Armenian Daily #190, 06/10/2006

Visit

ROMANIA IS INTERESTED IN ARMENIA’S GETTING CLOSE TO
EUROPE

President of Romania Pays Official Visit to Armenia

Traian Basescu, President of Romania, arrived in
Yerevan on October 4. The official reception ceremony
of Romania’s President took place at RA President’s
residence. In the course of the meeting, the
presidents discussed the bilateral relations between
our countries, the cooperation within the framework of
European structures, issues of regional importance, as
well as international developments. After the
conversation, the sides held negotiations including
larger group of officials.

At the course of the joint press conference, RA
President Robert Kocharian stated that Armenia’s
relations with Romania are more developed as compared
with those with the rest of the Eastern European
countries. He added that Romania’s coming membership
to EU on January 1, 2007, and completion of
negotiations between Armenia and EU for the European
neighborhood policy will open new prospects for
cooperation. He stated that Romania’s geographical
situation, as well as the capacities of its sea
terminals create good opportunities for activation of
trade relations. He added that Armenia is very
interested in effective functioning and development of
that trade path.

In his turn, Traian Basescu, President of Romania,
stated that in the Black Sea basin the relations with
Armenia are priority relations among the foreign
policy issues. He added that Romania will assist
Armenia get closer to EU. Mr. Basescu stated that his
country is interested in Armenia’s entry to EU and
will represent its experience of becoming members to
NATO and EU to Armenia.

Besides, the president of Armenia and Romania signed a
joint statement. They also signed intergovernmental
documents on trade- economic relations and
scientific-technical cooperation, for supporting
investments and mutual defence. The sides also signed
programs for cooperation in the spheres of culture,
education and science in 2006-2010. The foreign
ministries of Armenia and Romania signed a memorandum
on European and Euro-Atlantic cooperation.

By Tamar Minasian

AZG Armenian Daily #190, 06/10/2006

Visit

ROMANIAN PRESIDENT LAYS A WREATH AT GENOCIDE MEMORIAL

The Romanian delegation headed by president Traian Basescu on
October 4 visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial, laid a wreath
and honored the memory of victims with a minute of silence. After
planting a traditional spruce at the Ally of Memory, Mr. Basescu
entered the Genocide Museum and write "In memory" in the Museum’s
guest-book. Director of the Museum, historian Lavrenty Barseghian,
presented the high-ranking guest with a book by Yeranuhi Margarian
that deals with the first genocide of 20th century and comprises
explanatory materials in 4 languages as well as 130 pictures. Besides,
the Romanian president received a silver medal of the 90th anniversary
of the Armenian Genocide. Before leaving Mr. Basescu, on his part,
presented the Museum with a book of Romanian sites of interest.

By Marietta Makarian

AZG Armenian Daily #190, 06/10/2006

Armenian Genocide

PRESIDENT KOCHARIAN SUPPOSEDLY OPPOSES FRENCH BILL
PENALIZE DENIAL OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

On October 3, commenting on Turkish reaction to Jacques Chirac’s
statement in favor of recognition of the Armenian Genocide, daily
Azg voiced an opinion that Turkey is more concerned not with the
statements themselves but with their impact on passing the French
bill that makes denial of the Armenian Genocide prosecutable.

This opinion was confirmed by Turkey’s undertakings to block the
passing of the bill. To this end, a delegation of Turkish Parliament
left for Paris that failed to meet leaders of Socialist party backing
the bill.

This fact threw the Turkish delegation off balance, and one of its
members, representative of People’s Republican Party Saqru Eleqdag, set
on blackmailing. He hinted that Armenian citizens, 70.000 according
to his calculations, will be expelled from Turkey once the bill passes.

In the meantime, Turkish Zaman newspaper wrote that Robert Kocharian
said to Jacques Chirac during his visit to Yerevan: "At the present
stage we would not like the bill to pass. It will harm our relations
with Turkey."

Interestingly, author of the article, Ali Ihsan Aiden, wrote about
this four days ago after Chirac’s visit and from Paris.

By Hakob Chakrian

AZG Armenian Daily #190, 06/10/2006

Turkey

TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY EXPRESSES REGRET ABOUT STATEMENTS MADE BY FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC

In the course of his visit to Armenia, French president Jacques Chirac
made statements in which he demanded recognition of the Armenian
genocide from Turkey. He put forward the issue of recognition of the
Armenian genocide as a precondition for Turkey for becoming a EU member
state. These statements caused indignation of the Turkish circles.

Generally, EU structures didn’t give any positive evaluation to these
statements, either. Only the central French newspapers supported
President Chirac in his statements, emphasizing that he broke taboos.
Anyway, the Turkish Foreign Ministry also represented its response
to the above statements.

According to the pro-governmental "Yeni-Sharaf," the Turkish Foreign
Ministry expressed regret that the French President made pro-Armenian
statements in the course of his visit to Armenia. At the same time,
the foreign ministry expressed bewilderment that the recognition of the
genocide is no criteria for becoming an EU member state. They stated
that being well aware of that fact, Chirac created the illusion that
the claims of the Armenians are EU criteria and caused the indignation
of the Turkish people.

By Hakob Chakrian

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZG Armenian Daily #190, 06/10/2006

Turkey

‘ISSUE OF NAGORNO KARABAKH IS NO PRECONDITION FOR IMPROVEMENT
OF ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS. ANKARA TRIES TO FIND TERMS OF
RECONCILIATION WITH ARMENIA’

On October 2, when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayip Erdogan was
to meet with US President George Bush, "Vatan" newspaper wrote
that they will also touch upon the readiness of Ankara to improve
the relations with Armenia during the meeting, as well. Recently,
"CNN-Turk" touched upon this topic in the article by Barchen Yinanch.

According to the author, the capital of Austria plays quite
an important role for Turkey from the viewpoint of the fatal
negotiations. He stated that, having no open diplomatic relations,
Armenia and Turkey hold secret meetings in Vienna. He also touched
upon "the progressive step of historical importance taken by Turkey
in September."

"Till now, turkey would reject that precondition put forward for
improvement of relations with Armenia, at the same time Turkey demanded
progressive developments in the Nagorno Karabakh settlement process
from Armenia," Yinanch wrote. Having suggested to shape a joint
commission for studying the claims of Armenia about the Armenian
genocide, Ankara has given consent for handing the discussion go the
bilateral relations to the commission to be shaped against the mutual
suggestion of Yerevan," he wrote.

The author of the article wrote that this approach in the issue of
Nagorno Karabakh is a kind of a demarche and that is conditioned by
the achievement of the Armenians in the issue of the international
recognition of the Armenian genocide. Ankara is deeply concerned
about the probability that these achievements may greatly increase by
2015. Some experts state that the progressive step taken by Ankara will
be accepted as a readiness to make a concession, that will encourage
the Armenians and hinder the further process of reconciliation.

Besides, Yinanch added that after the beginning of the process of
the international recognition of the Armenian genocide, Turkey’s
policy to Armenia faces serious obstacles. Thus, in order to stop
the process, Ankara had to find terms for reconciliation with
Yerevan. Ankara has already informed Yerevan about its readiness to
accept Armenia’s suggestion to "shape a commission for studying the
bilateral relations."

By Hakob Chakrian