Month: October 2006

500 MILLION DOLLARS OF BOYCOTT ON FRENCH PRODUCTS

Turkish Press
Oct 24 2006

ANKARA – Reactions to voting of the French draft law that makes any
denial of so-called Armenian genocide a crime escalate among Turkish
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and people.

The draft will be voted in the French parliament on Thursday,
October 12th.

According to Sabah newspaper, Turkish enterprises, chambers, trade
unions and consumers’ unions are considering a boycott of 500 million
USD to consumer products imported from France. Especially imports of
sophisticated products will be slowed down as a first response. In
the second phase, imports of manufacturing products from alternative
countries is on the agenda. Turkey has made imports of 4.5 billion
USD from France in the first 8 months of 2006; 4 billion USD of this
amount is manufacturing and mining products.

A committee from the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of
Turkey (TOBB) will travel to France today to visit French employers’
representatives in Paris. The committee headed by Ankara Chamber of
Industry (ASO) Zafer Caglayan will point out the harmful consequences
of the draft if it becomes a law.

-PLANE ORDER SUSPENDED-

Turkish Ciner Aviation company suspended its order for a new Falcon
2000 type plane. Owner of Ciner Aviation and Sabah newspaper,
Turgay Ciner, called plane producer Dassault and said the order is
suspended until the draft law is voted in the parliament. Ciner said
he will cancel his order if the law is adopted in the parliament on
October 12th.

-NGO REACTIONS NATIONWIDE-

Chairman of ASO Zafer Caglayan:

"There is business that increase French businessmen’s appetite. It
must be clearly stated that they cannot be included in the tenders
in Turkey."

Chairman of Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce Mehmet Aslan:

"We will call on our members not to make business with French
businessmen and call on our people not to buy French products."

Chairman of Consumers’ Union Bulent Deniz:

"We will boycott a French product every week beginning on October
12th. We will increase this number gradually."

Chairman of YASED (Foreign Inverstors’ Association of Turkey)
Saban Erdikler:

"The reactions must be reasonable. We must not be agitated and punish
ourselves with our reactions."

ONLY WE HAVE PRECISE IDEOLOGICAL POSITIONS: SAYS LEADER OF ARMENIAN COMMUNISTS

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 24 2006

"None of political parties but us come up with precise ideological
positions", Rouben Tobmasyan, First Secretary of the Central Committee
of Communist party of RA, said at the press conference in the
‘Pakagits’ club today.

He pointed out that the main political players seeking Parliamentary
majority do not present an action plan and make the election campaign
a cheap bargain for votes. "Potato distributed to villagers can have
only a momentary effect and the five-year exploitation will follow
afterwards. People get all this but within the last 15 years they
were brought to such extreme poverty that they are ready to sell
their votes once again for nothing", said R. Tovmasyan.

He insists that majority of Armenians are for return to the socialist
regime. And this is the reason why they are targeted by a black PR
that is widely spread in the IT policy of the majority of electronic
Mass Media. "Nowadays, TV channels use every chance to criticize
this or that moment of Soviet history and to blacken activities of
Communists. Meanwhile, people keep leaving the country and only the
Army celebrates the Independence Day. Laborers (who add 12% to economy
growth) do not come to the Republic Square during celebrations",
pointed out the communist leader.

He said that one of the manifestations of anti-Communist hysteria are
interior conflicts of the parties. As a result some high officials were
bribed. "Sanatruk Sahakyan, Ex-Second Secretary of Central Committee
(CC) of the Communist Party, who at first acted as a radical Communist
and, when later expelled from the party, entered a rightist-liberal
‘Orinats Yerkir’ party. I think he and alike party members have signed
their political obituary notices. I do not want to comment on their
further steps any more", said R. Tovmasyan.

ARMENIA’S FUTURE IS OUT OF NATO, SAYS ARMENIAN COMMUNIST

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 24 2006

I do not think that future of Caucasus is in integration with NATO,
Yury Manoukyan, Chair of the United Communist Party of RA, said at
the press conference today.

He added that in case Armenia joins the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) the latter will impose its policy over the
country. In the course of it the state, sooner or later, will fall
under the full dependence of the Alliance. "Would we be able to be
fulfilling somebody else’s will all our life?", rhetorically asked Y.

Manoukyan. He said that if the states of the region start joining
NATO separately, it may cause a conflict of military interests and
will bring instability to the region.

"I think that Armenia, Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan should make a
joint decision on integration with NATO because this question serves
the interests of all the sides", he pointed out. Speaking on the
so-called ‘profitability’ of Armenia’s integration with NATO, leader
of the Communists said that he was not aware of facts proving that
point. "We should be presented with proves that Armenia will gain
from integration with the Alliance. We are fed up with groundless
promises. It is time to go from words to business", concluded Y.
Manoukyan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FRENCH AMBASSADOR’S GOODBYE LESSON OR COLD SHOWER FOR ARMENIAN DIPLOMACY

Lragir, Armenia
Oct 20 2006

The French investors are becoming increasingly interested in the
Armenian economy, and I am happy that this happened while I was the
ambassador, said the French Ambassador to Armenia Henry Cuny in his
news conference on October 24. According to him, the Armenian market
is small and buying capacity is low, but it is of interest because
it is a door leading to other markets. Henry Cuny enumerates Asia,
the Near East and the Middle East, Russia as other markets.

However, everything would be different if the borders were open,
says Henry Cuny. And in this sense his next words, which were answers
to the questions of the news reporters, can be considered a lesson
for the Armenian diplomacy and certain social classes. It is clear
that the notion of the closed border concerns the Turkish border,
and the reporters asked Henry Cuny what France does to facilitate the
opening of the Armenian and Turkish border, and whether the law on
the genocide adopted by the lower chamber of the French parliament
favors the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation and opening of the border.

Cuny’s answer to this question was logical and surprising at the same
time. "When I had just arrived in this country, something astonished
me. Most people, including young people came up to me and said we
have a problem, what can you do for us. And my first message in the
meeting with the students of the French University in Armenia was your
future is in your hands, the keys to your future are in your hands,"
says Henry Cuny. This part of his answer was logical rather than
surprising. The continuation of the answer was surprising, which was
on the role of the adoption of the law on genocide in the Armenian
and Turkish relation.

"I am not supposed to interpret the law adopted by the French
parliament. At any rate, I hear what the Armenians and the Armenian
youth tell me. They tell me two main things, both are very important.

On the one hand, they say we are grateful for this attentive attitude
of France, and Armenia feels less lonely in these matters. But they
also say our future, the future of the young people living in Armenia
depends on our friendship with neighbors, and we think it will be much
easier for us to overcome disagreement through a dialogue rather than
through a confrontation," says Henry Cuny.

This is surprising, considering that the ambassador considers the
opinion of young people as very important and much more legitimate,
because they are going to live and work in Armenia. However, he also
says that in expressing their gratefulness to France these young people
emphasize one but according to which the dialogue with the neighbors
is much more important. Henry Cuny’s answer is at least strange
and controversial in the sense that the law adopted by the French
parliament does not promote the Turkish-Armenian dialogue. And from
the point of view of the official Armenian diplomacy and propaganda,
Henry Cuny’s answers are a lesson for the people in charge of
foreign policies in Armenia, who are delighted to announce about the
diplomatic victory of Armenia. "I think the Armenians and only the
Armenians should decide the fate of their borders, and I repeat that
it is highly important for me to listen to young people, because the
existence of the nation depends on the youth," says Henry Cuny.

The French ambassador to Armenia, who will not be an ambassador in
four days, hints, in fact, that the adoption of the bill has nothing
to do with the Turkish-Armenian relations, especially the prospect
of opening the borders, and pursued a quite different goal. In other
words, Cuny’s words crash the delight of the Armenian state propaganda
and foreign policy that was aroused by the lower chamber of the French
parliament, and prove that this law did not solve any problems for
Armenia, if it did not create new problems.

ARMENIAN COMMUNIST PARTY TO INDEPENDENTLY PARTICIPATE IN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 2007

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 24 2006

At a meeting with journalists at the "Pakagits" club, Tuesday, Leader
of the Armenian Communist Party Rouben Tovmasyan said that his party
will independently participate in the parliamentary elections in
spring 2007.

According to him, the Communist Party will form an electoral bloc
only with parties with similar ideologies, and only in this case
one may speak about cooperation. At the same time, Rouben Tovmasyan
pointed out the good prospects for cooperation of opposition parties
in struggle against any possible electoral frauds.

Commenting on parliamentary discussions of the project of the Electoral
Code’s reform, Tovmasyan emphasized that the CPA has always supported
the immediate transition to a 100% proportional electoral system. At
the same time, the Electoral Code should provide for a procedure of
recalling deputies who attempt to move to other parties.

Tovmasyan said that any parliamentary party should have the right to
immediately recall the MP who is going to change his faction.

Characterizing the modern domestic political tendencies, the leader of
Communists criticized the attempts of a number of political forces to
bribe rural voters by distributing so-called humanitarian assistance,
particularly, potato seeds. Tovmasyan said that one cannot speak
of fair democratic elections if one sees what is going on in the
political system of the country. He concluded that the CPA’s success
will be to overcome the 5% barrier if pro-governmental parties use
huge financial resources to manipulate the election returns.

WILL SERGE SARGSYAN CHEAT THE REPUBLICANS?
Hakob Badalyan

Lragir, Armenia
Oct 20 2006

When during the dramatic July 22 conference the Republican Party
elected chair of its Council, the chair of this council announced
that they started a process which would produce its first fruits in
three of four months. The new chair of the Council even stated that
everyone would see these fruits. On October 24 this statement, which
was made by Serge Sargsyan, is three months and two days old. Since
one of the Republican leaders was hosted by the Hayeli Club today,
namely the leader of the Republican faction Gagik Melikyan, we tried to
inquire from him whether the Republicans have already seen the fruits,
as the chair of the Council had promised. And we asked Gagik Melikyan
to tell us about some if them if they have already seen them.

Gagik Melikyan turned down our request but do not think that because
he was unwilling. Simply there are no fruits. Moreover, Gagik Melikyan
was unaware of the statement made by the chair of the Council of his
party, either because he is indifferent towards Serge Sargsyan or he
was mad with joy about his election.

Gagik Melikyan announced that in case of effective work of three or
four months there will be the first fruits, and people will see them.

However, we made it clear for him that Serge Sargsyan had made this
statement three months ago and he had meant three or four months from
July 22 and not three or four months from October 24.

Gagik Melikyan answered with a question, "What does "first fruits"
mean?" We are sorry to tell the respectable member of parliament
that he should ask this question to the person who spoke about these
fruits and not us. And we note especially for Gagik Melikyan that this
person was Serge Sargsyan, the chair of the council Gagik Melikyan
is a member too. And it is necessary to find this out as quickly
as possible because the date of the "first fruits" is expiring,
and if the Republicans fail to find out from Serge Sargsyan what
"first fruits" means, after the deadline the defense minister can
offer whatever he wants as first fruits, and in three or four months
offer to the Republicans the apricots which rotted in Verin Lars.

GEORGIAN-RUSSIAN CONFLICT IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN KARABAKH ONE: LEADER OF ARMENIAN UNITED COMMUNIST PARTY

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 24 2006

At a press-conference, Tuesday, Chairman of the United Communist Party
of Armenia Yuri Manoukyan said that in the heat of the Georgian-Russian
conflict, Armenia found itself in a more dangerous condition than
during the Karabakh war.

According to him, Armenians should be "quiet and far-sighted", as in
case of the Russian-Armenian relations’ aggravation, the problems
between the governments of the two countries will affect not only
energy and gas supply. "We shouldn’t forget that 37% of Armenian
citizens live on money transfers from their relatives working in
Russia. If we start conflicting with Russia, hundreds of thousands of
Armenian citizens will be deported to Armenia and we’ll be unable to
provide them with job", Manoukyan stressed. He also noted that Armenia
has made a big mistake to cross out the centuries-old friendship with
Russia in an instant. Armenia cooperates with Russia in the political
and military spheres and simply has no right to step aside, he said.

Manoukyan didn’t exclude Armenia’s possible mediation in the settlement
of the Georgian-Russian conflict. Adding that the deportation of
Georgian citizens from Russia and distortion of Georgian’s image
by Russian mass media are the result of the Georgian authorities’
short-sighted policy, Manoukyan pointed out that the Georgian
government should realize that only Georgian people suffer from
this conflict.

REPUBLICAN PARTY GUARANTEES PRESENCE OF OSCE OBSERVERS

Lragir, Armenia
Oct 20 2006

When Robert Kocharyan refused to receive the U.S. envoy to the OSCE
Julia Finley, suggestions were made that official Yerevan is unlikely
to invite the OSCE observers to the parliamentary election in 2007.

Considering this and the habit of the Republican Party to assert
that they will make every effort to hold free and fair elections,
we inquired from Gagik Melikyan, the secretary of the Republican
Faction hosted at the Hayeli club on October 24 if the Republican
Party guarantees that the OSCE observers will be invited to Armenia.

"By all means, certainly, and rather early," stated the member of the
Republican Party and did not forget to emphasize that his political
party has political will to hold a fair election.

GEORGIAN CITIZENS BUY ARMENIANS PASSPORTS FOR $5,000 IN RUSSIA

ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 24 2006

Since Russia has imposed sanctions on Georgia, about 1,000 of Georgians
have been deported from Russia.

Russian media reports that about 200 people are preparing to leave for
Georgia. Moscow City Court explained that the courts make decisions on
deportation of those citizens who violate the migration legislation of
Russia. Meanwhile, during the last two weeks, Georgians having Moscow
residency applied to local civilian registry offices to change their
surnames and even names and get more Russian ones. In connection with
the tension of Georgian-Russian relations, the citizens of Georgia who
want to illegally emigrate to Russia and get more comfortable living
conditions, acquire Armenian citizenship and replace the endings
"dze" and "shvili" in their surnames into Armenian "yan." According
to some data, such "masking" costs $5,000.

It is noteworthy that Head of Public Relations and Press Office of
the Armenian Police Sayat Shirinyan has refuted this information. "It
is impossible for Georgian citizens to get Armenians passports,"
he said. "A Georgian citizen can acquire Armenian citizenship only
by expatriating himself from his citizenship," he said.

TEVAN POGHOSYAN: DEFENSE REFORMS WILL MAKE THE ARMY MORE POWERFUL

Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 20 2006

The reforms envisaged by the Individual Partnership Actions Plan
(IPAP) with NATO will endorse the development of the Armenian army,
Executive Director of the Armenian Atlantic Association Tevan Poghosyan
said in an interview with Mediamax agency.

"The IPAP envisages creation of a tighter link between the army and
society, apply the mechanism of public control. In my opinion, in
the result of such changes the army will get more powerful, since
people’s faith and trust in the armed forces will increase," Tevan
Poghosyan said.

"More coordinated and precise planning of defense expenses envisaged
by IPAP will promote the optimizing of our army, which can have only
positive impact. Thus, we can say with confidence that the reforms
envisaged are in no way directed at weakening of the army," Tevan
Poghosyan noted.

In response to the question about the opportunities of implementing
equal defense reforms in Armenia and Azerbaijan, he noted that
"Azerbaijan has its own actions plan with NATO, which envisages
conduct of similar reforms."

"Today we can state that a parallel process is underway in Armenia
and Azerbaijan. I think NATO will be more interested in having a
situation, where the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan will be
more predictable for the alliance," Tevan Poghosyan said.

The Executive Director of the Armenian Atlantic Association Tovmas
Poghosyan does not rule out that Armenia may become the first country
in the South Caucasus to join NATO and the European Union.

"It may seem incredible today. However, we must take into account
that both in regard to the value system and the reforms implemented
we are in a more advantageous position," Tevan Poghosyan said.

At the same time the expert noted that he does not consider membership
to NATO as an end in itself.

It is much more important for Armenia to correspond to those values
and standards, on which NATO is built, and it will be a high assessment
itself. It will mean that we are a developed, democratic and powerful
country," said Executive Director of the Armenian Atlantic Association.