Month: October 2006

FRENCH PRESIDENT CHIRAC HEADS TO ARMENIA FOR FIRST TIME

Hurriyet, Turkey
Sept 29 2006

French President Jacques Chirac is on his way to Armenia today for
an official state visit. According to his aides, Chirac, who is the
first French President to visit Armania, will include a stop to lay
a wreath at a memorial to the so-called Armenian genocide, and will
then take a tour of the genocide museum there.

Chirac, who is being accompanied by a large delegation, will also
attend the opening of Yerevan’s new French Square, as well as make
an appearance at a Charles Aznavour concert.

ARMENIA: HAIKO SAYS NO OFFICIAL PROPOSAL FROM ARMTV TO PARTICIPATE IN EUROVISION 2007

oikotimes.org, Greece
Sept 29 2006

Fotis Konstantopoulos reporting from Athens (Greece)
source: panorama.am – photo: oikotimes resources

Singer Haiko addressed to the president of the republic to know why
he has awarded him the title of honored artists, Haiko told a news
conference today. "Because there are many singers who come and go but
you stay for a long time," the president has answered. Haiko said he is
not involved in politics and will not participate in any pre-election
campaigns. The singer said he is doing well and the tickets of his
upcoming concert are sold well. Haiko said there will be no dances as
it is not within his style. He said there will be dozens of cameras
"to approach to the international level."

About Eurovision The singer said he has received no concrete
suggestions to participate in Eurovision contest. He even said he
is a little scared from rumors that he may participate. The singer
is in search of his soul mate. He said he devotes his songs to those
who feel attached.

OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS TO VISIT REGION NEXT WEEK – ARMENIAN FM

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Sept 29 2006

The Co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group will arrive in Yerevan on October
3 on a regional visit, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan told
a press conference in Yerevan on September 29.

Oskanyan described his meeting with the mediators held in New York
early this week as "useful", Trend reports quoting "Medimaks".

According to Oskanyan, this meeting brought clarity to the situation
in the negotiation process.

The Minister said that the prospect of organizing the meeting with
the Azerbaijani and Armenian Foreign Ministers will depend upon the
results of the Co-chairs’ visit.

In addition, Oskanyan stressed that the composition and mandate of
the OSCE mission that will visit the territories located on the border
with Nagorno-Karabakh to study the affects of fires have already been
clarified. Oskanyan announced the readiness of the Armenian side
to render necessary assistance to the mission. The OSCE mission is
expected to visit the region in the near future.

FRENCH SOCIALIST PARTY INSISTS ON ARMENIAN BILL
By Cihan News Agency

Zaman Online, Turkey
Sept 29 2006

French opposition Socialist Party (PS) has brought up again a
controversial draft bill, which will penalize the denial of the
so-called Armenian genocide, to the agenda of the French Parliament.

The draft bill, which will bring up to a year’s imprisonment and a
fine of up to ~@45,000 for those who deny the existence of "Armenian
genocide", will be discussed and voted in the French Parliament on
October 12, in line with a proposal by the opposition party.

In May, the French Parliament postponed the vote of the controversial
draft bill. The approval of the Senate is required for the bill to
come into force.

The French Parliament passed a bill in 2001 recognizing the mass
killing of Armenians in 1915 under the Ottoman Empire.

The fate of the Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during WW1 and
after is still a sensitive issue in Turkey.

Armenians claim that 1.5 million Armenians living in the Ottoman
Empire were killed as part of an intentional and systematic campaign
of genocide during World War I.

Turkey denies the allegations claiming that 200,000 Armenians died
during forced migrations due to cold weather and bad transportation
conditions.

REPRESENTATIVE OF AZERBAIJAN REJECTS ARMENIAN FM’S ACCUSATIONS

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Sept 29 2006

On September 27, representative of Azerbaijan exercised the Right of
Reply on the last day of the general debates at the 61st session of
the United Nations General Assembly to make some things clear about
the statements made by Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian at
the General Assembly.

Representative of Azerbaijan stated that Azerbaijan regrets about
the fact that Armenia’s Foreign Minister uses the UN General Assembly
rostrum to speak aggressively about things that could harm the conflict
resolution process.

According to Azerbaijani diplomat, Azerbaijani side had to reply to his
rhetoric full of accusations to reveal that Armenian side’s extremely
aggressive statements do not agree with respective resolutions and
decisions of the UN Security Council, Council of Europe, Organization
of the Islamic Conference, OSCE and other international organizations.

On Armenian Minister’s false accusations of destruction of Armenian
monuments in the Azerbaijani lands, Azerbaijani representative said
the country suggested sending Council of Europe’s fact-finding mission
to the region but received no official answer on this matter from
the Armenian Government.

Vardan Oskanian said in his address that Armenian community of
Nagorno-Karabakh allegedly exercised its right to self-determination to
break away from Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani representative regarded this
statement as Armenia’s attempt to hide the ethnic cleansing committed
in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan by abusing international
legal principles.

The Diplomat reminded UN member countries of the fact that "Declaration
on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples"
of December 14, 1960 and Declaration on Principles of International
Law Concerning Friendly Relations And Cooperation Among States of
1970. Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by World Conference
on Human Rights clearly indicate that self-determination may not
be construed as authorizing or encouraging any action which would
dismember or impair the territorial integrity of sovereign and
independent states.

In accordance with these documents, self-determination is the right
of the whole population living in the certain area. They can exercise
this right only in a peaceful way by strengthening the political
unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state. Armenia
as an UN member must comply with these rules regulating interstate
relations. Ensuring the participation of both Armenian and Azerbaijani
communities in the democratic and legal process, Azerbaijan is ready
to grant the highest status of autonomy to Nagorno-Karabakh within
its borders.

Summarizing his address, representative of Azerbaijan stressed that
Oskanian’s accusations highlighted the need for raising the UN’s
awareness of the situation in the occupied Azerbaijani lands. The
General Assembly must know who the aggressor and the victim of
aggression is. To this end, Azerbaijan will use all tools and
mechanisms at its disposal.

BRITAIN TO CHINA BY RAIL: THE KARS-AKHALKALAKI RAILWAY
By M. Alkhazashvili
(Translated by Diana Dundua)

The Messenger, Georgia
Sept 29 2006

The construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway will
probably be the most significant project in the entire Caucasus,
and could bring tremendous economic dividends to the region-if it
ever gets off the ground that is.

There have been several unexpected difficulties along the way
for this 826 kilometre project. Most recently, an unnamed Turkish
official alleged that the "Georgia is deliberately delaying the start
of work on the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway…Tbilisi is
creating all kinds of bureaucratic obstacles to delay the railway’s
construction. This is absolutely incomprehensible" reported the Baku
daily Zerkalo.

Surprisingly, the biggest stumbling block has come from the other
side of the Atlantic: the Senate’s Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs
Committee just passed a bill that forbids US government assiastance
to the project, after strong lobbying from the US Armenian lobby,
who argue that the railway is designed to further isolate Armenia from
the region. There is a shorter, disused route running through Armenia,
it has been closed since Turkey and Azerbaijan closed their borders
to Armenia in response to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Nevertheless, construction is due to begin in middle of 2007 and could
be completed as early as 2010. The project requires 98 kilometres of
new track be laid between Kars in Turkey and Akhalkalaki in Georgia,
30 kilometres in Georgia, 68 in Turkey. Also, the Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi
section of track must be repaired. This is estimated to cost over USD
400, Turkey and Azerbaijan say they are more than capable of meeting
the cost without US backing. The Georgian section is to be financed
with a loan from the Azeri government of USD 200 million.

This may sound like big money, but when you consider the significance
of this east west transport link-which connects railways from Britain
to china-it begins to seem like quite a small investment. Minister
of Economic Development Irakli Chogovadze says when working at full
capacity, Georgia can expect to receive USD 150 million annually from
transport fees.

Kazakhsatn and china are both excited about the project, which gives
them access to Europe much quicker than via the existing Trans-Siberian
route. The Kazakh Caspian port of Aktau is connected to the chines
border and beyond. The project also has the backing of the EU in
the form of the TRACEcA [Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia]
programme it sponsors.

The railway line has huge potential to deepen integration of Turkey,
Georgia and Azerbaijan, and in turn link them more closely with Europe
and Asia. As such, it could provide a significant boost both to the
regions economy, and its international importance.

AMERICA’S GAME?
By Steve Hanlon
[email protected]

nwitimes.com, IN
Sept 29 2006

International players are making an impact on Region football

This story ran on nwitimes.com on Friday, September 29, 2006 12:45
AM CDT

Mark Hoffman arrived at Butler in 1968. The Andrean lineman was a
walking poster for American football: big, strong and tough.

He was fingering through a second-hand textbook at the Indianapolis
school when he noticed a shocking name, Garo Yepremian. The Armenian
was born in Cyprus, before a 15-year career in the NFL, plus three
Super Bowls.

"He’d been at Butler," said Hoffman, the head coach at Valparaiso.

"Someone wrote an article about this kid kicking 50-yard field goals
and he was gone."

Yepremian was one of the first international players in the NFL,
before his famous line "I keek a touchdown" was said on Johnny Carson.

Today, the international player isn’t such a comedy routine. This
past summer there were a record 109 foreign-born players in NFL camps.

"It’s global now," said Hoffman, who’s had several foreign-born
players on his roster through the years.

[rest of article omitted]

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

HEAD OF CHIEF HQ OF RA ARMED FORCES: NO PLANS OF QUANTITATIVE ENLARGEMENT OF RUSSIAN MILITARY BASE IN ARMENIA

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Sept 29 2006

YEREVAN, September 29. /ARKA/. On Thursday colonel-general Michael
Harutyunyan, first deputy minister of defense, head of chief
headquarters of the RA Armed Forces told journalists that there were
no plans of quantitative enlargement of Russian military base in
Armenia yet.

"Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation and Head of the Chief
Headquarters of the RF Armed Forces made a statement earlier that
quantitative enlargement was not envisaged but they intended to improve
the quality of the 102 Russian military base", Harutyunyan clarified.

He said that it suggested change of the old equipment to a more modern
one and training of the base.

In Gyumri in north of Armenia, according to Armenian-Russian
intergovernmental agreement 102 Russian military base was quartered.

Russian military presence in Armenia is being considered as an
important element of the national security.

‘WHAT HAPPENED TO EU’S PRINCIPLE OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION?’

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Sept 29 2006

The Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson yesterday expressed dismay at the
exclusion of three Turkish-origin candidates from the Dutch elections,
describing the incident as a "bad precedent" which is contrary to
the European Union’s fundamental principle of freedom of expression.

Stressing that decisions on determining candidates and elections
procedures for the Dutch early general elections, set for Nov 22, are
an issue of domestic politics and stating views on this issue would be
wrong, spokesperson Namik Tan commented on the repercussions of the
issue in foreign policy."Ankara is upset that political parties of
its friend and ally, the Netherlands, have one-sided views about the
Armenian genocide claims which is contrary to freedom of expression,"
Tan said in a written statement.

Three Turkish-origin candidates have been removed from the Dutch
elections list for not recognizing the Armenian genocide claims, ahead
of the early general elections. The removal of the three candidates —
Erdinc Sacan from the Dutch Labor Party (PVDA) and Ayhan Tonca and
Osman Elmaci from Christian Democratic Party (CDA) — is the result
of the activities of the Armenian lobby in the Netherlands.

Tan continued his criticism, saying that the baseless accusations
related to the Armenian genocide that have been covered in the media
are directed against Turkey and the Turkish nation and are unacceptable
to Ankara. "On an issue on which historians haven’t reached a
consensus, the one-sided view that was adopted by Turkey’s ally and
friend, the Netherlands’ political parties, by making recognition of
the genocide claims a pre-condition to becoming a candidate in the
elections, and without taking into consideration different views that
could be held by such candidates, sets a bad precedent."

Recalling that Turkey opened its Ottoman archives, including military
ones, to contribute to efforts for an academic investigation of
the events of 1915, Tan also underlined that Ankara suggested the
establishment of a joint commission of Turkish and Armenian historians
to study the controversial genocide claims.

The Foreign Ministry spokesperson also stressed that developments like
the one in the Netherlands definitely do not contribute to Turkey’s
good-will efforts in the issue.

LEADER OF TURKISH ARMENIAN COMMUNITY WRITES ERDOGAN ABOUT CONCERNS

Hurriyet, Turkey
Sept 29 2006

The leader of the Armenian Orthodox community in Turkey, Patriarch
Mesrob II, has written a letter to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan expressing discomfort with what he called the "indexing of
the Armenian communities’ concerns on those of the Greek Orthodox
community." Mesrob II’s letter comes following a week in which the
subject of "reciprocity" between Turkey and Greece on the subject of
the internal treatment of eachothers’ ethnic minorities has been a
focus of parliamentary debate.

In his letter to Erdogan, Mesrob II expressed the following: "The
Armenian community is seriously concerned that its matters are being
indexed on those of the Greek Orthodox community…..We think that
we are being victimized on account of struggles between Turkey and
Greece."

Mesrob II also touched on the question of education for children of
Armenian citizenship living in Turkey, noting that due to tolerance
displayed by the leaders of the Turkish Republic, there are currently
30 to 40 thousand Armenian citizens living here. The religious
leader pushed Erdogan to allow the children of Armenian citizens to
be allowed to study in Armenian schools under the provision of the
National Education Ministry, which are currently only for citizens
of the Turkish Republic.

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