Month: November 2006

KLO DEMANDS TO INTERRUPT TALKS DIRECTED AT FULFILLING ARMENIA’S CLAIMS
Author: S.Ilhamgizi
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 31 2006
“We need to interrupt the negotiations directed towards the
implementation of the pretensions of Armenian aggression, and state
that we will not allow the adoption or realization of any documents
which are contrary to the will of the Azeri people”, such opinion was
voiced in the resolution of Karabakh Liberation Organization (KLO)
disseminated on 30 October, Trend reports.
Furthermore, the resolution says that many sources confirm the
information regarding the discussing of unfair principles linked with
the destiny of occupied Azerbaijani territories during the negotiations
between the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Moscow
and Paris and adopting these principles at the time of the meeting
in Brussels. These negotiations focus on the territorial pretensions
of Armenia, as well as pretension for part of Khojavend, Agdara and
Goranboy districts of Azerbaijan, the issue of referendum and other
issues not meeting the interests of Azerbaijan.
“The KLO feels that the mediator countries in the peaceful talks are
functioning under the pressure of the Armenian lobby. We demand to
immediately refuse the negotiations directed towards implementing
the pretensions of Armenia,” it was stated in the resolution.

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF EUROPEAN UNION OF RA FM IS APPOINTED CONSUL GENERAL OF ARMENIA TO LOS ANGELES
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 31 2006
(ArmInfo) – By the order of RA FM, Vardan Oskanyan, the Head of the
Department of the European Union of RA Foreign Ministry, Armen Liloyan,
is appointed today to the post of the Consul General to Los Angeles,
reports Trend.
As ArmInfo was told in the RA FM’s press-service, Armen Liloyan was
born in 1971 in Yerevan. He has graduated from the Yerevan State
University, the Faculty of Oriental Studies. He received the master’s
degree in the London Academy. A. Liloyan has been working in the
system of Armenia’s Foreign Ministry since 1995. He had been working
in the diplomatic mission to Great Britain in 1998-2002. A. Liloyan
heads the Department of the European Union since 2002.

NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL MEETS IN ANKARA
Zaman, Turkey
Oct 31 2006
Turkey’s National Security Council (MGK) will convene on Tuesday
under the chairmanship of President Ahmet Necdet Sezer in the Turkish
capital Ankara.
General Yasar Buyukanit will attend the meeting at the Presidential
Palace for the first time as Chief of Staff. He was appointed to his
new post August 30.
Turkey-EU relations and EU accession talks are expected to be at the
top of the agenda. The French parliament’s adoption of a controversial
draft bill, which makes it a crime to deny an Armenian genocide,
will also be discussed.
The fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in
addition to the latest developments in Iraq, Cyprus and other regional
security issues are among the other points the Council will debate.
Today’s meeting will be the first since the PKK declared a unilateral
truce October 1st and the last one before the Progress Report on
Turkey’s EU process is revealed early in November.

TILL DEFINITION OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH’S STATUS, TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY OF AZERBAIJAN SHOULD BE RESTORED – DEP. CHIEF OF AZERI PRESIDENT’S APPARAT
Author: A.Ismaylova
TREND information, Azerbaijan
Oct 31 2006
The Prague process firstly envisages the full restoration of the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the Head of the International
Relations Department of the Azerbaijani Presidential Apparat Novruz
Mammadov told, commenting on the statement of the Armenian side
regarding the necessity of defining the status of Nagorno-Karabakh
before resolving other issues within the regulation of the
conflict,Trendreports.
He stressed that according to the phased solution of the conflict,
firstly all districts around Nagorno-Karabakh should be released,
refugees and internally displaced persons should be returned to
Nagorno-Karabakh, and only after this, it is possible to begin
discussions for the status of this region.

RF – ARMENIA TRADE IS HAMPERED BY TRANSPORT COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS
ITAR-TASS, Russia
Oct 31 2006
MOSCOW, October 31 (Itar-Tass) – Russian-Armenian economic cooperation
and bilateral trade are on the rise, but this process is hampered by
transport communication problems, Armenian President Robert Kocharian
said at a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov on
Tuesday.
This problem “is compensated for by serious investment projects,”
he said.
“We witness the growth of investments in our cooperation, mainly in
processing, construction and electric power,” he said.

AMBASSADOR OF GEORGIA AT NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
National Assembly of RA, Armenia
Oct 31 2006
On October 30 the President of the National Assembly of the Republic
of Armenia received the Ambassador of Georgia in Armenia Mr. Revaz
Gachechiladze.
Mr. Gachechiladze thanked the President of the National Assembly for
showing a restrained, balanced and an acceptable position for the
international community towards the Georgia- Russia conflict. Mr.
Tigran Torosyan expressed a hope that the conflicts between two
countries will be soon overcome and noted that Armenia is ready to
contribute to the settlement of problems with its balanced position.
Mr. Torosyan said that Armenia is always for the regional peace and
welfare and is ready to do its best for achieving it.
On November 17 at the PACE Standing Committee session of San Marino
the report dedicated to the establishment of a Stability Pact of South
Caucasus will be discussed. During the meeting the parties discussed
also other issues related to the report.
The opportunities and development of the Armenian-Georgian
inter-parliamentary cooperation were also touched upon during the
meeting with Mr. Revaz Gachechiladze, Ambassador of Georgia in Armenia.

YEAR OF ARMENIA IN FRANCE OFFICIALLY LAUNCHES IN NICE
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Oct 31 2006
YEREVAN, October 31. /ARKA/. Events within the scope of the year of
Armenia in France officially set off in Nice. Press and Information
Department of the RA Foreign Ministry reports that the events were
officially launched on October 26, by the RA Ambassador to France
Edward Nalbandyan dna Mayor of Nice Jacques Peyrat. As agreed
the events, dedicated to Armenia, will last whole year long, and
will include various aspects of the Armenian culture, namely music,
choreography, photography, cinema, modern and innovative art, as well
as the art of cookery. After the official opening ceremony Nalbandyan
and Peyrat held a press-conference, at which they presented a program
of tens of events envisaged in the scope of the Year of Armenia in
France. Armenia is the sixth country, presented in Nice, after the USA,
Great Britain, Italy, Germany and Canada.
Making a speech at the opening ceremony of one of the events,
Nalbandyan said that he was satisfied with the fact that the events,
in the scope of the Year Of Armenia in France were held not only in
large cities or cities inhabited with Armenians, but in remote towns
of the country as well.
“Such events contribute to establishment of close and worm relations
between Armenian and French nations, direct cultural dialogue”,
Nalbandyan said.
Events, dedicated to Armenia, have already launched in Lions,
Saint-Etienne, Grenoble, Marseilles. The official program pf the
Year of Armenia in France includes more than 500 events in 125 cities
of the country. Besides that 200 more events are planned beyond the
official program.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DISCREPANCY BETWEEN “FIRST DYNASTY MINES” COMPANY OF CANADA AND ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 31 2006
There is a discrepancy between Armenian Government and “First Dynasty
Mines” (FDM) Company of Canada extracting gold in “Soyudlu” gold
deposit in Kalbajar, the occupied Azerbaijan region.
Though in order to reduce transportation expenses FDM presented the
Armenian Government the project of gold extraction plant with little
oil percentage near “Soyudlu” deposit official Yerevan did not allow
the construction alleging to ecological norms. Besides the Armenians
working in the company were incited to hold protest actions against the
leadership. Because of the protest actions 500 Armenians working for
FDM were dismissed, Arif Isgenderov the chief of Ecology and Natural
Resources Ministry Ecology and Nature Protection Policy Department
told the APA. He said that Armenian press close to official authorities
and Russian press try to create a negative opinion about FDM.
“Probably this kind of actions serves to reconsider the agreement
between FDM and Armenian Government or to stop FDM activity.
Analogous processes happened between Armenian Government and Greek
company Armentel.”
FDM invested US $22.1 mn in gold extraction in Nagorno Garabagh. The
company plans to invest US $12mn in Armenia’s gold extraction by the
end of next year. At the moment Armenian Government holds negotiations
with the World Bank International Finance Corporation and other foreign
banks with a view to make investments in the field o f gold extraction
in the occupied Azerbaijan territories. FDM has invested US $4 mn
in the geological explorations in Armenia and occupied Azerbaijan
territories. It is expected that the company plans to extract over
5 tons of gold and with the agreement of the Armenian Government to
make geological explorations in the 20 km round the deposit.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SUPPORT FOR EU SHRINKS, REACTION GROWS
Zaman, Turkey
Oct 31 2006
Remarks made by EU authorities on delicate issues such Cyprus and
Turkey’s human rights record have negatively affected Turkish public
opinion regarding accession to the European Union.
Drawing attention to this negative impact, Chairman of the Turkish
Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges (TOBB) Rifat Hisarciklioglu
noted that polls indicated public support for EU membership has faded
significantly, dropping dramatically to below 50 percent.
However, he also asserted that this sharp decline in support for the
EU in Turkey should not bother the union.
Hisarciklioglu recalled that the EU’s consistent double standards have
created this situation and said: “We occasionally hear comments from
EU officials referring to Turkey’s unwillingness and unassertiveness
in introducing further reforms. However, it should be noted that the
EU has been suffering from a reluctance to fulfill its obligations
and commitments on lifting the isolation of Turkish Cyprus, as well
as their double standards in relation to freedom of expression,
terrorism and the groundless genocide allegations.”
TOBB held a meeting entitled “The European Union Accession Process,
Chambers of Commerce and Industry: Case Studies-Projects” at the TOBB
Economy and Technology University.
In the opening speech, Hisarciklioglu assessed the progress report the
EU Commission will release next week. Voicing Turkey’s expectation
that the report would be based on solid and technical evaluations,
Hisarciklioglu further stated: “The progress report will give a new
direction to the accession negotiations. I hope the evaluations and
the comments in the report will help us eliminate our shortcomings
and encourage our technical work.”
The EU Commission will assess Turkey’s performance with regard
to membership negotiations held this year. The Cyprus issue and
the opening of ports to Greek Cypriots have reportedly deadlocked
negotiations between the parties.
However, according to Turkey’s State Minister and Chief Negotiator
Ali Babacan, Turkey’s troubles with the EU stem from the individual
stances of certain EU member states, not from its relations with the
EU Commission.
Babacan said: “We have confidence in ourselves. There is no problem
in Ankara or Brussels. The problem is in the European capitals. Some
countries are just not ready for Turkey’s membership in the EU;
they have their own unique internal problems.”
He noted that the negotiations would have been completed in 3-4
years if it were a technical process only and added that political
developments would determine the pace of the process and without
public support, the process could not be concluded successfully.
‘Historical compromise only possible with debate’
Stressing that certain developments within the EU have negatively
affected Turkish public opinion, Babacan cited as an example the
adoption of the draft bill by the French parliament that would make
denial of an Armenian genocide a criminal offense.
French businessmen also reacted to the bill that was passed on the
eve of elections in the country. Pierre Simon, Chair of the Paris
Chamber of Commerce, and president of Eurochambres, an umbrella
organization for European chambers of commerce, noted that a compromise
on historical issues should be sought through discussion and debate
rather than legal means.
According to Simon, who criticized the draft bill, situations like
this show how important businessmen are in the conduct of bilateral
relations between countries.
Simon said, “I believe that compromise on historical issues can only be
achieved through open and democratic debates, and not through enacting
laws,” and also called on the business world to guide politicians
down the right path.
He further said: “Trade means peace. As businessmen from the two
countries, we should continue our efforts to enhance economic
relations.”
Simon also added that the importance of dialogue, trust and cooperation
became clearer in periods marked by political discussions and
controversies.

EUROPE DISCUSSES CYPRUS MORE THAN US: NO CONSENSUS REACHED YET
By Bahtiyar Kucuk, Brussels, Strasbourg
Zaman, Turkey
Oct 31 2006
Brussels and Strasbourg are two small cities where the heart of the
450 million-strong European Union beats.
There are currently exciting and heated debates going on in these
cities where the European Commission (EC), European Parliament (EP),
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) and European Council are located.
The main item on the agenda prior to the release of Turkey’s Progress
Report on Nov. 8 is the Cyprus issue. Representatives in the EU’s
administration units exchanged views with Turkish journalists in a
seminar, “Making More Sense of the EU,” organized by the European
Journalism Center.
An EU official says that they are spending all their energy on the
Finnish plan in Europe, where different voices clamor for the future
of the island.
An expert from the Cyprus desk stressed that the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus (TRNC) is geographically within the borders of EU and
claimed that the TRNC would go on to live as a minority within Cyprus.
Another EU official said that it was a big mistake for the EU to accept
a divided country into the union while another one said that several
countries hide behind South Cyprus for their own political purposes.
The most interesting statement about the Cyprus issue came from
Jacques Toubon, French member of the European Parliament. The
Christian Democrat Toubon defended that Turkey would never be
a part of Europe. When asked, “What percentage of Cyprus is in
Europe?” he responded, “Cyprus is geographically in Asia; however,
it is historically linked to Greece.”
EU officials, who say that there will be hot debates in the EU Council
in December, think that it is a risky thing to consider another plan
for Cyprus.
The best thing to do is to change article 301
Diplomatic sources who talked about Turkey’s diplomatic performance
with admiration before the start of negotiations expect similar steps
from Turkey.
The best thing for Turkey to do is abolish article 301 of the Turkish
Penal Code. Authorities point out that Turkey’s “wait and see” policy
is wrong on this issue and think that hundreds of lawsuits because
of article 301 will be a headache for Ankara in the upcoming years.
Hannes Swobodo, deputy chairman of the EP Socialist Group explained
that the Armenian Bill passed in the French parliament was a blow to
freedom of expression, and added that countries should first look to
their own histories.
Although France is a founding member of the EU, it comes to the issue
with a history of torture perpetrated in Algeria, Swobodo reiterated.
One of the main concerns about Turkey’s membership to the union is
the idea that the EU is a Christian club. This apparently a concern
in Austria and some parts of Germany and France as well.
EU sources indicated that they had refrained from starting negotiations
with Turkey for years due to Turkey’s failure in maintaining democracy,
human rights and liberties, but they say that they believe in the
sincerity of the present administration.
Stressing that Turkey is a free and strong country, the EU sources say,
“We are not a teacher and you are not students”.
The EU officials also warned: “The reform process should continue.
Otherwise, negotiations may be suspended”.