Month: October 2006

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
September 29, 2006 Friday

ALIYEV SEARCHES FOR A NEW PEACEKEEPING FORMAT

by Sohbet Mamedov

BAKU OFFERS EUROPE ENERGY IN RETURN FOR KARABAKH CONFLICT RESOLUTION;
The authorities of Azerbaijan insist on an expansion in the format of
the peacekeeping operation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev retains the hopes to enlarge the
format of the Karabakh conflict resolution and to have other
international structures pooling their efforts with those of the OSCE
Minsk Group. Aliyev was one of the authors and promoters of the idea
to include on the agenda of the session of the 61st UN General
Assembly of the issue "Latent conflicts in GUAM countries, their
consequences for international peace, security, and development".
Aliyev also brought up the issue of Karabakh at the international
forum Bertelsmann’2006 in Berlin.

Aliyev made his point. He said that Europe should become deeper
involved in the Karabakh conflict resolution and therefore help
establish peace in the region if it wanted energy security for itself
and regular deliveries of energy resources from Azerbaijan.

Local analysts say that Aliyev’s initiatives in Europe indicate
Baku’s disappointment with the course of the peace process and world
powers’ performance (Washington and Moscow) as mediators in
resolution of the Azerbaijani-Armenian conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku political scientist Alpai Ahmed says that
Russia and the United States support territorial integrity of
Azerbaijan only in words but never take any practical steps in this
sphere. According to Ahmed, Moscow is even supplying weapons and
military hardware to Armenia (occupier of almost 20% of the territory
of Azerbaijan) while the US Administration prompted by the strong
Armenian lobby in the US Congress finances Yerevan.

Azerbaijani political scientists say that Azerbaijan does not really
have a choice in the situation being what it is. It needs a new
format in the conflict resolution or it will have to launch a
military operation to finally liberate its own territory. Calls for
the latter option become louder and louder in Baku. The powerful
non-governmental Karabakh Liberation Organization drafted the
National Platform of Karabakh Conflict Resolution the other day.
Organization leader Akif Nagi told journalists that the document
viewed a military solution as "the only acceptable means of conflict
resolution within the framework of Azerbaijani national interests."

Source: Nezavisimaya Gazeta, September 26, 2006, p. 6

Translated by A. Ignatkin

ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
29 Sep 06

AGENDA OF FRENCH LEADER’S VISIT TO ARMENIA

Yerevan, 29 September: [French President] Jacques Chirac will attend
the opening of the France Square in Yerevan during his three-day
official visit to Armenia which starts today.

It is expected that Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and French
President Jacques Chirac will hold one-to-one talks that will be
followed by a joint news conference. A major concert called "Charles
Aznavour and friends" will be held in Yerevan’s central square –
Republic Square – on Saturday [30 September] evening. This event will
launch the Year of Armenia in France which will last until July 2007.

Chirac will also visit the memorial to the victims of the 1915
genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, and the Holy See of
Echmiadzin where he will meet the head of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II. A meeting with French
nationals living and working in Yerevan will be held at the French
embassy in Yerevan.

This is the first-ever visit to Armenia by the head of the French
state. The delegation headed by him includes Foreign Minister
Philippe Douste-Blazy; Minister of Transport, Infrastructure, Tourism
and Maritime Affairs Dominique Perben; Minister of [Civil Service
and] Administrative Reform Christian Jacob; and Minister of Culture
and Communication Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres.

ARMINFO News Agency
September 29, 2006 Friday

FIRST LADY OF FRANCE ARRIVES IN ARMENIA

First Lady of France Bernadette Chirac has arrived in Yerevan.

ArmInfo’s correspondent reports from Zvartnots Airport that she was
accompanied by a group of French journalists. First Lady of Armenia
Bella Kocharyan and the wife of the Foreign Minister Nani Oskanyan
met Mrs. Chirac. President Chirac will arrive in Yerevan in a few
minutes.

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan,
28 Sep 06

ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN FORCES HOLD ANTITERROR EXERCISE AT NUCLEAR POWER
PLANT

[Presenter] A total of four seconds have been required for the
Armenian and Russian national security services to thwart a terrorist
attack on the [Armenia’s] Metsamor nuclear power station. In fact,
there was not any attack on the nuclear power station by terrorists.
It was only an exercise carried out on the territory of the nuclear
power station today.

[Correspondent over video of the exercise] Seven terrorists have
hidden in the wagon which is on the territory of Armenia’s nuclear
power station. The National Security Service’s rapid reaction group
will try to destroy them. This attack, which was carried out by the
Alfa group of the Armenian National Security Service, was the last
stage of the Atom Antiterror-2006 exercise.

[Passage omitted: background information]

[The chief of the General Staff of the Armenian army, Col-Gen Mikael
Arutyunyan, speaking in Russian with Armenian voice-over] Everyone
should fight terrorism. Both the state and the army, as well as the
National Security Service must be ready to fight them [terrorists].
This exercise proved that we are ready to fight terrorism. Let
terrorists know that we are able to destroy them.

[Passage omitted: more details of the exercise]

[Video showed the Metsamor nuclear power station, Armenian and
Russian rapid reaction groups attacking "terrorists"]

Ayk Ovannesyan, Tigran Babayan, "Aylur".

Regnum, Russia
28 Sep 06

SECURITY TIGHTENED IN ARMENIA AHEAD OF FRENCH LEADER’S VISIT

29 September: Officers of the Armenian police and National Security
Service are taking security measures in Yerevan because of French
President Jacques Chirac’s official visit to Armenia.

In particular, control has been tightened on roads, patrol police
officers have been put on alert, and water, sewage and cable manholes
are being welded, our Regnum correspondent reports.

[Passage omitted: reported agenda of the visit]

[Chirac is expected to arrive in Yerevan on 29 September]

ARMINFO News Agency
September 29, 2006 Friday

ARMENIAN OPPOSITIONIST CRITICIZES CURRENT LEVEL OF ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN
RELATIONS

Today Armenian-Russian coopeartion often goes down from the level of
inter-state relations to the level of inter-clan ties between groups
of corrupt officials, says the leader of the opposition New Times
party Aram Karapetyan.

As a result, instead of creating JVs, especially in spheres where
Armenia is not self-sufficient, the sides sign agreements like Assets
Against Debts. Karapetyan strongly objects to the transfer of
Armenia’s property to other countries. It would be quite a different
story if Russia decided to set up, say, a JV to develop aircraft
construction in Armenia – a sphere our country has nothing to do
with.

Karapetyan says that the Assets Against Debts agreement was signed as
a result of pressure. This is an American approach – when a country
gains foothold in a region by obtaining its property. That’s exactly
what Russia is doing in Armenia. The participants in the
anti-criminal movement are going to investigate into the
circumstances of the singing of the Assets Against Debts agreement.

Karapetyan’s opponent RPA member Hamlet Haroutyunyan says that there
is hardly any politician in Armenia who will agree to grant our
strategic spheres to other countries. There was no pressure during
the singing of the Assets Against Debts agreement. As regards the
concessions to Russia, this is done for ensuring Armenia’s national
security.

To remind, Armenia has given Russia 5 companies against its $100 mln
debt to that country: Hrazdan thermal power plant, research
institutes of mathematical sciences, material study amd automatized
control systems and Mars plant.

ARMINFO News Agency
September 29, 2006 Friday

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION SAYS NEW KARABAKH WAR IS POSSIBLE

If the current tendencies develop they may lead to a new war in
Karabakh, says the leader of the opposition New Times party Aram
Karapetyan.

The international mediators are trying to find the golden mean but it
is very hard to draft a document satisfying both sides.

Karapetyan says that the current tendencies are not favorable for
Armenia. It is absolutely clear that the world community prefers
bringing Azeris back to the security zone to determining the status
of Karabakh.

ARMINFO News Agency
September 29, 2006 Friday

POSTPONEMENT OF MEETING WITH AZERI FM DOES NOT MEAN THAT ARMENIA
REFUSED TO CONTINUE TALKS: ARMENIAN FM

Karabakh’s participation in the talks is always on agenda and we are
waiting for the moment it becomes compulsory, Armenian Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan said during a press-conference today.

If the UN approves the GUAM resolution, Karabakh’s participation will
become a condition and Armenia will make way for Karabakh in the
negotiating process. It does not mean that Armenia will leave the
process, simply Karabakh’s participation will become necessary.

Concerning the postponed meeting with the Azeri FM, Oskanyan said
that the FM meetings are not an end in itself, such meetings follow
specific goals. He said that a week before the meeting GUAM appeared
with its initiative to discuss the problem of frozen conflicts in the
UN General Assembly. The situation changed and it was not expedient
to meet until it was specified. The meeting was put off, nobody
refused to meet. Simply, we needed to consider the new situation and
for this purpose I met with the co-chairs, Oskanyan said.

Armenia did not refuse to continue the talks. We could not do it as
it is exactly we who support the document lying on the negotiating
table. Although we have repeatedly said that the document is not
ideal it is the lesser of two evils. I think it is actually a way
towards settlement, Oskanyan said.

Commenting on the statement of Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
that Armenia and Karabakh may form a federation, Oskanyan said that
Armenia will not just sit by if Azerbaijan refuses to continue the
talks or goes on thinking about solving the Karabakh problem by war.
Karabakh’s independence is priority for Armenia and if it sees that
Azerbaijan has decided to solve the problem by war, it will stop at
nothing and will do its best to ensure the security of the Karabakh
people. So, Kocharyan’s statement should be considered in his
context.

ARMINFO News Agency
September 29, 2006 Friday

OLDEST ARMENIAN CITIZEN IS 124 YEARS OLD

Yerevan

There are 230 people over 100 in Armenia.

The oldest Armenian citizen, Yezid from Shirakamut village, Lori
region, Gula Navoyan is 124.

The head of the department on old people of the Armenian Labor and
Social Security Ministry Anahit Gevorgyan says that there are three
more people who are over 115: Varingul Martirossyan, born in 1886,
Mikayel Arakelyan, 1890 and Khube Aloyan, 1891.

To remind, Oct 1 is the international day of old people.

In his address to the old people of Armenia Armenian Labor and Social
Security Minister Agvan Vardanyan says that Armenians have always
respected their old people and believe that if there is an old person
in a family it will be strong. On this occasion Vardanyan has
instructed all local administrations to provide old people with
social assistance.

ARMINFO News Agency
September 29, 2006 Friday

THEY IN TURKEY CONCERNED FOR FRENCH PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO ARMENIA

Some Turkish mass media express concern for the visit of French
President Jacques Chirac to Armenia mostly because he is going to
visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex and the Armenian
Genocide Museum in Yerevan.

However, the key reason for their concern is that the French
Parliament is again going to consider the bill imprisoning people for
denying the fact of the Armenian Genocide.

Milliyet daily says that in May the bill was submitted by the
Socialist Party of France and will be discussed Oct 12.

The daily says: France is pressuring Turkey into revising Article 301
of its Criminal Code. It says that the article restricts the freedom
of speech but at the same time it is going to punish those denying
the Genocide.