Month: March 2007

Today, Azerbaijan
March 10 2007

Erdogan challenges Armenian diaspora at joint forum in Baku

10 March 2007 [10:40] – Today.Az

Truth cannot be built on lies, Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip
Erdogan said Friday in Baku, as he called on the Armenian diaspora to
prove their allegations of genocide by the Ottoman Empire with
documents.

Erdogan’s remarks came as he was delivering a keynote speech at the
First Forum of the World Azerbaijani and Turkish Diasporas
Organizations, in order to counter the intensifying attacks from the
Armenian diaspora, which has been striving for international
recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide. The congress also
intended to prompt Turks and Azeris abroad to take action.

Turkish Cypriot President Mehmet Ali Talat also participated in the
forum, which was hosted by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev — a
clear sign of Baku’s support for easing international isolation of
the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (KKTC).

In his speech, Erdogan called the Nagorno Karabakh dispute "a
bleeding wound for the Turkish people," and referred to a December
2006 referendum in the region by Armenia. Ankara has already
announced that it will not recognize the outcome of the referendum
backing independence in the Nagorno Karabakh region, saying the
referendum was held while "ignoring international law."

"Did the world recognize [the outcome of the referendum]?" asked
Erdogan.

"It didn’t, because what was exercised there was fake, wrong, a lie
and fabricated. Sooner or later, justice will prevail. We believe
this," Erdogan said.

The border gate between Turkey and Armenia has been closed for more
than a decade. Turkey shut the gate and severed diplomatic relations
with Armenia after Armenian troops occupied the Azeri territory of
Nagorno Karabakh.

"This is a common characteristic of Armenia, — unfortunately — a
large portion of Armenians and the diaspora. Now there are Armenian
genocide campaigns all around the world … alleged Armenian genocide
… nobody will fall for this trick. Turkey and the Turks will never
fall for this trick," Erdogan said.

Turkey vehemently denies that Armenian allegations of a genocide
under its predecessor the Ottoman Empire. Facing a mounting Armenian
campaign to get international recognition for the alleged genocide,
Turkey called for a joint committee of Turkish and Armenian experts
in 2005 to study the allegations.

At the time, Erdogan sent a letter to Armenian President Robert
Kocharian proposing the establishment of such a committee.
Nevertheless, Yerevan hasn’t given a positive answer to Ankara’s
proposal up to date, instead arguing that such a committee should be
inter-governmental.

Armenian fear of facing Hojaly

In Baku, Erdogan brought to mind his call to Yerevan and reiterated
that conducting historical research was not an issue for politicians.
"Let historians, political scientists, archeologists, lawyers and
historians of art study this issue. If it is eventually understood
that there is a grievance, then we will do what we’re supposed to
do," he said.

"There is still no answer, because then they will have to face the
Hojaly massacre," he added.

The city of Hojaly in Nagorno Karabakh, which is still under Armenian
occupation, was seized by Armenian armed forces and Russian troops
based in the region on Feb. 25, 1992. About 2,500 civilians, the
majority of whom were women, children and the elderly, were bombarded
before military forces seized the city. People in the city, which was
largely burnt down, had fled for Agdam, the only open direction
allowed by the occupying powers, but after a short while it was
reported that this way was blocked, too, and those who had started to
flee were ambushed.

A total of 613 Azerbaijanis, including 106 women and 63 children,
were massacred by Armenian and Russian forces, in addition to earlier
attacks in Hojaly. Armenian forces occupying the city captured 1,275
people and 150 were reported missing.

Meanwhile, Erdogan thanked Aliyev for inviting Talat to a meeting,
saying this "meant a lot" for Turkey. State ministers Besir Atalay
and Mehmet Aydin accompanied Erdosan at the Baku meeting, which was
also attended by representatives from Australia, Iraq, the KKTC and
the US as well as from European and Central Asian countries. Today’s
Zaman

URL:

IN HRANT KHACHATRIAN’S WORDS, POLITICAL PROCESSES CHANGING SITUATION IN
COUNTRY MAY TAKE PLACE AFTER MAY 12

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. "I do not think that after the elections
the opposition camp will replace today’s parliamentary majority, but
there are preconditions that political processes changing the situation
in the country can take place after May 12." Hrant Khachatrian,
Chairman of Constitutional Law Union, expressed such an opinion at the
March 9 press conference. In his words, the start of the elections does
not correspond to domestic and foreign political challenges of Armenia.
In H. Khachatrian’s words, the situation is like 1996 when the
opposition was discussing the issue of coming up with big alliances.
But it did not happen so this time, as both the opposition and the
authorities preferred to go to elections without uniting. H.
Khachatrian said that forces acting in pro-governmental and opposition
fields come up not as political parties, but as organizations solving
juncture issues. "The expectations of political parties acting in the
pro-governmental field are not political ambitions, but at best
ambitions to make part of power and the wish to run this power to their
taste, the way they like," the CLU Chairman said. H. Khachatrian also
said that he intends to leave politics. For the present, he is engaged
in restoring CLU and only after this he will make a final decision.

PETROS MAKEYAN: WE SHOULD CLEAN ARMENIA FROM KARABAKH CLAN!

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. "Robert, Go Away!," "No to Reproduction
of Ruling Regime," "Impeachment!." These and other appeals were voiced
by participants of the rally organized on March 9 near Matenadaran by
the Alternative public-political movement. In the words of member of
movement’s initiating group, former Yerevan Mayor Vahagn Khachatrian,
today it is quite obvious that Robert Kocharian and Serge Sargsian who
came to power on the wave of Nagorno Karabakh movement did not keep
their promises on Nagorno Karabakh and today "Armenia is losing
Karabakh." "They came to power to grow rich," V. Khachatrian declared.
He sharply criticized the situation formed in the country’s political
system. Petros Makeyan, Chairman of Democratic Homeland Party making
part of Impeachment bloc, declared that those considering that
opposition’s struggle should proceed in CEC or at the Constitutional
Court are mistaken. "We should struggle at the very Liberty Square and
Matenadaran Square. We should clean Armenia from Karabakh clan in the
person of Kocharian and Sargsian and their stooges,!" P. Makeyan
stated. In the speakers’ words, almost 90% country’s population is
disposed oppositionally and under such arrangement of forces the system
created by the ruling regime, which is based on falsifications and
support of skinheads’ gangs, should collapse.

ASIAN BANK TO PROVIDE 66 MILLION DOLLAR CREDIT TO ARMENIA

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The Asian Bank’s Board of Directorts
will, in all likelihhod, approve a 66 mln dollar credit program and a 2
mln dollar grant program for Armenia. The RA Minister of Finance and
Economy Vardan Khachatrian told reporters on March 9 that 30 mln
dollars of the credit will be allocated for repairs of roads of 230 km,
while 36 mln dollars and the grant – for improvement of the driniking
water system. V. Khachatrian said that for the first time the European
Bank for Construction and Development will provide an environmental
protection credit of 14.5 mln USD, which will mainly be used to build
cleaning stations on rivers flowing into Lake Sevan.

WB ALLOCATES 1 MILLION DOLLARS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ARMENIAN IRRIGATION
SYSTEMS

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The World Bank allocated a prepayment of
1 million USD with the aim of additional financing of the program on
development of Armenia’s irrigation systems. The respective agreement
was signed on March 9 by the RA Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan
Khachatrian and Acting Director of the WB Yerevan Office Naira
Melkumian. V. Khachatrian said that some expenditures will be financed
with this sum, particularly, water saving and energy expenditures’
reduction by the WB Program on Development of the Initial Irrigation
System. To recap, since 1993 until now the World Bank has allocated
credits of 1 bln 25 mln dollars for implementation of 47 programs in
Armenia.

IAO PUBLISHES FINAL CONCLUSION ON REASONS OF A-320 PLANE CRASH IN SOCHI

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The International Aviation Organization
(IAO) pulblished its final conclusion on reasons of Armenian A-320
plane’s crash in Sochi in May 2006. It is alsmost the same as the
preliminary conclusion spread in July. To recap, according to this
conclusion, during the plane’s landing, the plane commander did not
take adequate actions, while the second pilot did not carry out
necessary control over landing parameters. The crew’s further actions
aimed at a take-off, were uncoordinated and insufficient for preventing
the plane’s fall. NT correspondent was informed from spokeswoman for
the RA Civil Aviation Main Department, the department’s comments in in
a document’s form were attached to the IAO conclusion.

PanARMENIAN.Net

UN’s attention to unsettled conflicts may be attracted
without submission of resolutions
09.03.2007 14:03 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `The GUAM resolution on frozen conflicts in the CIS
has not been formally submitted to the UN General Assembly yet. The
member states are negotiating on wordings at present,’ Armenian
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told a news conference in Yerevan. He
said that during a meeting with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon the
Armenian side briefed on the negative aspects and consequences of the
resolution if put on the UN General Assembly’s agenda. `As to GUAM’s
desire to focus attention of the UN member states on unsettled
conflicts, it can be done without submission of resolutions,’ he said.

At that Vartan Oskanian underscored that there are no identical
conflicts and there is no universal solution. It’s impossible to apply
the same model to the settlement of conflicts in Kosovo and Nagorno
Karabakh, he said.

WORLD BANK ALLOCATES 22 MILLION DOLLAR CREDIT TO ARMENIAN HEALTH SYSTEM

YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The World Bank Board of Directors
approved the second credit program of 22 mln USD for modernization of
Armenia’s health system. The credit is provided for 20 years with a
10-year grace period and 75% interest rate. The agreement on credit was
signed on March 9 by the RA Minister of Finance and Economy Vardan
Khachatrian and the WB Yerevan Office’s Acting Director Naira
Melkumian. According to V. Khachatrian, within the program, assistance
will be provided to extend primary health services based on family
medicine and to modernize net of hospitals in marzes. The program’s aim
is to ensure management of risks to public health, accessibility and
quality improvement of health services provided to most vulnerable
groups of the population. Repairs will be done in 50 rural ambulance
stations, and prior to program’s completion the population of marzes
will be provided with high-quality services of family medicine.
According to WB, although some progress has been registered in Armenia
recently in terms of provision of health services, their accessibility
and quality of their use remains low. Citizens use more services of
policlinics and hospitals than primary health care medical
establishments.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net

U.S. State Department human rights report on Armenia contains inaccuracies
09.03.2007 15:29 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The annual country report on Armenia issued by the
U.S. State Department contains some inaccuracies. Moreover, it’s very
subjective, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told a news
conference in Yerevan. Armenia has a serious attitude about documents
of the kind, he said. `We will examine the report and then the RA MFA
will announce its position. However, the report marks out positive
tendencies on the whole,’ the Minister said.

He informed that his speech at the UN Security Council meeting in
Geneva will be dedicated to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the
Armenian-Turkish relations and violations of human rights thereupon.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railroad not to harm Armenia
09.03.2007 15:43 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `From the economic viewpoint the
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku cannot cause harm to Armenia, as we
already incur losses due to the blocked Armenian-Turkish border,’ RA
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told a news conference in Yerevan. In
his words, the project creates unfavorable political atmosphere in the
region and this fact is much more regrettable. `Armenia’s position is
unchangeable. We are against this project,’ Oskanian said.

`As to Kazakhstan’s participation in the project, this state did not
display much optimism about the project last year. However, the
attitude might have changed. I’m not aware,’ the Minister said. The
project initiators may have financial problems if they want Kazakhstan
to join them, he added.