Month: March 2007

RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR DOES NOT SUPPORT MILITARY SOLUTION OF NK CONFLICT

Azeri Press Agency
March 6 2007

"Rordyuja’s statement is not to be regarded as the position of Moscow,
as he is not representing Russia, but Collective Security Treaty
Organization," Russian ambassador to Azerbaijan Vasili Istratov
said when commenting on the statement of Nikolay Bordyuja, Secretary
General of CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization.

Bordyuja said that in case of a war in Nagorno Karabakh, Russia will
defend Armenia.

The ambassador stated that Armenia is gradually getting isolated,
and Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Kars project is an example of it.

"It is not right to say that there is no way but war after all these.

I do not consider military solution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
is expedient," he said.

BULGARIAN-ARMENIAN RELATIONS ACTIVELY DEVELOP

Arka News Agency, Armenia
March 6 2007

YEREVAN, March 5. /ARKA/. The Bulgarian-Armenian relations actively
develop, said Bulgaria’s Ambassador to Armenia Stefan Dimitrov during
the event devoted to the 129th anniversary of Bulgaria’s liberation
from the Ottoman yoke.

"Bulgarian-Armenian relations actively develop, and every year we
develop these relations on a more pragmatic basis," Dimitrov said.

In particular, the presidential visits, the visits of the countries’
ministers, as well as sessions of intergovernmental committees and
business forums are held.

Among the important achievements of the Armenian-Bulgarian relations,
Dimitrov pointed out the publishing of the Armenian-Bulgarian
dictionary and the opening of the museum in the school after Bulgarian
poet Yavorov.

In January 1, 2008, Yavorov’s 130th anniversary will be celebrated
with the support of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Ministry of Culture,
and the head of Armenian-Bulgarian society.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FORMATION OF ARMENIA’S NATIONAL ELECTION REGISTER ENSURES TRANSPARENCY OF ELECTION PROCESS

Arka News Agency, Armenia
March 6 2007

YEREVAN, March 5. /ARKA – Novosti-Armenia/. The formation of Armenia’s
national election register ensures the transparency of the election
process, Chairman of Armenia’s Central Electoral Commission (CEC)
Garegin Azarian told journalists.

He pointed out that compiling and correcting the register of voters
has been transferred to the police and the department for visas and
registration in 2005.

Currently the register of voters is posted at the website of CEC and
is accessible to party members and voters, Azarian said pointing out
that Armenia is the only country in the region having such a register
on the Internet.

Any citizen can check the register online and apply to the respective
agencies to correct any inaccuracy he comes across in the list,
Azarian said.

He also pointed that under support of the U.S. Government and IFES a
new period of the register check-ups is to start soon. In particular,
Voters Lists Advisory Committees are to contribute to the adjustment
of the lists.

Armenia’s Police held a presentation of the National Election Register
created with assistance of the International Foundation of Elections
Systems (IFES). The Register is to support holding the elections in
line with the international standards and establishing dialogue with
the civil society.

The Register consists of the central and 60 local registers. The
central register receives information about residents and non-residents
of Armenia from different ministries and agencies.

The parliamentary elections are to be held in Armenia on May 12.

ARMENIA ANALYST: IRAN CONSIDERS A POSSIBILITY OF CAPTURING BAKU

Regnum, Russia
March 6 2007

The question of Azerbaijan rendering assistance to the USA in its
military campaign against Iran will be soon discussed in Washington,
Armenian political analyst, expert Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan announced
at a news conference in Yerevan on March 6. According to him, in late
March a meeting of Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov and
US State Secretary Condoleezza Rice, during which the USA will try
to gain Azerbaijan’s support in its campaign against Iran.

The analyst also said that US allies in the Iranian campaign can be
Israel, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Armenia in no way will participate
in it, as the country’s authorities are not suicides. If Baku agrees
to take part in the Iraqi campaign, the United States will provide
dividends to the US not at the expense of settling the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict for Azerbaijan’s sake, but at the expense of giving Iranian
territories to it. "There is strong Armenian lobby in the United
States, and Washington will not dare giving compensation at the
expense of Nagorno Karabakh," the analyst believes.

Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan also noted that Iran has a program that
envisages certain steps, if military actions are started against it.

Iran is ready not only to strike Azerbaijani strategic facilities, if
Baku takes the anti-Iranian position, but Tehran considers a scenario
of capturing Baku, Azerbaijan’s capital. Iran recognizes that if Baku
is captured, the USA will not run the risk of striking the oil city.

However, Iran is ready to strike Georgia as well.

CO-CHAIRMEN OF ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN INTERGOVERNMENTAL COMMISSION DISCUSS BILATERAL ECONOMIC RELATIONS

Arka News Agency, Armenia
March 6 2007

YEREVAN, March 5. /ARKA/. Co-Chairmen of the Armenian-Russian
Intergovernmental Commission, RA Minister of Defense Serge Sargsyan
and RF Minister or Transport Igor Levitin have discussed in Moscow
the bilateral cooperation.

The Radio Liberty reports that the sides discussed issues related
to the operation of the Armenian enterprises transferred to Russia
against Armenia’s national debt, as well as the operation of the
Poti-Caucasus ferry service.

At a meeting with journalists, Minister Levitin expressed his
dissatisfaction with the implementation of the "Property against
Debt" program.

According to him, the plants are not actually operating and can start
operating if they get orders. "It is Russia that must place orders,"
he said.

Minister Levitin and Minister Sargsyan expressed the opinion that the
Verkhny Lars check-point at the Russian-Georgian border will not be
re-opened in the near future. The RA Minister of Defense believes that
the Caucasus-Poti ferry boat can replace the Verkhny Lar check-point.

According to him, negotiations for the re-opening of not only the
railway, but also the motor way communication are being conducted now.

Sagsyan also stated a high probability of construction of an oil
refinery in Armenia.

"When we initiated other projects a few years ago, many people
considered them unfeasible. Nobody could think that we would be able
to construct the Iran-Armenia gas main in cooperation with Gasprom.

But it is actuality, and the gas main will soon be commissioned,"
Sargsyan said.

He stressed that the gas main cannot be used for gas transit, but it
is of paramount importance for Armenia.

The Russian "Komersant" newspaper reports that "Gasprom Oil" is
considering the possibility of constructing an oil refinery with an
annual capacity of 7mln tons in Armenia. The project is estimated at
$1.7bln, with the transport infrastructure estimated at $1bln.

ARMENIA’S PRESIDENT DISCUSSES PRIORITY ISSUES OF LORI WITH GOVERNOR OF LORI PROVINCE

Arka News Agency, Armenia
March 6 2007

YEREVAN, March 5. /ARKA/. Armenia’s President Robert Kocharian met
with the Governor of Lori region of Armenia Aram Kocharian to discuss
the priority issues of Lori region.

The President expressed his concern about the rates of housing
construction in the rural areas of the region for the families who
had lost their houses in the earthquake, the presidential press
service reported.

The President and the Governor also discussed issues on starting the
operation of the large-scale industry enterprises and the 2007 rural
development programs.

Armenia’s President gave instructions on the matters discussed.

ARMENIAN MINISTER OF LABOR, ILO DELEGATION DISCUSS COOPERATION PROGRAMS

Arka News Agency, Armenia
March 6 2007

YEREVAN, March 5. /ARKA/. RA Minister of Labor and Social Affairs
Aghvan Vardanyan held a meeting with a delegation of the International
Labor Organization (ILO) headed by Deputy Director of the ILO Office
for Eastern Europe and Central Asia Alena Nesporava.

The Public Relations Department, RA Ministry of Labor, reports that
during the meeting Minister Vardanyan provided the delegation with
detailed information on the spheres of planned further cooperation
between Armenia and the ILO.

The Minister pointed out that the Ministry is considering the issue
of preparing national reports on ratification of six ILO conventions.

He pointed out that this process requires the ILO’s technical
assistance.

Minister Vardanyan also stressed the importance of organizing
retraining courses for senior students and graduates of higher
schools. He also proposed establishing direct contacts between the ILO
relevant structures for the purpose of developing and strengthening
the RA National Institute of Social Research and Labor.

According to Vardanyan, the "Worthy Work" program is currently under
revision. He pointed out that a document on the implementation of
the program is to be signed at the end of 2007. Thereafter, a working
plan for the following two years will be elaborated.

In their turn the ILO delegation members gave assurances that all
the issues raised by Minister Varsdanyan will be indicated in the
cooperation plan. The ILO delegation is to hold meetings with all
the sides of social cooperation.

PRESENTATION OF COLLECTION "ANTI-TOBACCO PROGRAMS REALIZED IN ARMENIA IN 2004-2006"

Arka News Agency, Armenia
March 6 2007

YEREVAN, March 5. /ARKA/. The presentation of the collection
"Anti-tobacco programs realized in Armenia in 2004-2006" was held
in Yerevan.

"We hope that the measures of the combat against smoking realized in
the republic during the last period will have a sequential continuation
in 2007 and we will have a chance to publish a similar edition next
year," said Narine Movsisyan, Coordinator of the Coalition "Armenia
against tobacco".

The collection includes objectives, methods and approaches to the
combat against smoking in Armenia conducted by 25 NGOs entering the
"Armenia against tobacco" bloc.

The collection’s circulation made 400 copies in the Armenian language.

It was published with the support of the American University in
Armenia, the Open Society Institute, the Armenian union "Public health"
and Armenian association of public health.

According to the world healthcare organization data, among the CIS
countries Armenia ranks the first by the number of smokers (two out
of three men smoke). Annually 2,000 people aging 35-69 die in Armenia
because of tobacco-caused diseases.

ARMENIA CONCERNED ABOUT FATE OF PROPOSED GENOCIDE RESOLUTION IN U.S. CONGRESS

The Associated Press
International Herald Tribune, France
March 6 2007

WASHINGTON: Armenia’s foreign minister says he is worried about
high-level Turkish lobbying against a proposed congressional resolution
that would recognize as genocide the early 20th century killings of
up to 1.5 million Armenians.

Vardan Oskanian, in Washington on Monday for meetings with Secretary
of State Condoleezza Rice and members of Congress on wide-ranging
topics that included the proposed genocide resolution, said in an
interview that Armenia feels compelled to discuss the resolution
because of public warnings by Turkey against its passage.

"Governments should stay away from meddling in these matters," Oskanian
told The Associated Press. "But when topics of interest for Armenia
are being discussed, we cannot remain as a government indifferent,
particularly in light of Turkish lobbying at a government level."

The comments follow recent visits to Washington by top Turkish
officials including Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, who warned last
month that the resolution, if passed, would harm Turkish-American
relations.

The White House, which also sees the issue as a threat to relations
with Turkey, has been trying to quash the legislation.

Armenian-American groups have been thwarted for years in efforts to
get a resolution through the U.S. Congress. The bill introduced in
the House of Representatives in January is thought to stand a much
better chance of passing a floor vote but would require support from
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to be offered for consideration.

Armenians, supported by numerous scholars, contend that Turkey’s
predecessor state, the Ottoman Empire, caused the Armenian deaths in
a genocide. They have been adamant that the killings be recognized
as among history’s worst atrocities.

The Turkish government contends the 1.5 million death toll is wildly
inflated. It also says the Armenians were killed or displaced in
civil unrest during the disarray that surrounded the empire’s collapse.

Turkey illustrated how seriously it takes the issue in October,
when it said it would suspend military operations with France after
French lawmakers voted to make it a crime to deny that the killings
were genocide.

Oskanian said that the Turkish warnings were an attempt to silence
critics of Turkey’s position on genocide abroad as it has domestically
through its penal code.

"Now Turks are traveling to punish the United States if the U.S.
Congress dares to speak out about the genocide," he said.

Oskanian said he discussed the resolution with Rice in Monday’s
meeting; which also focused on broader relations with Turkey;
negotiations with Azerbaijan to settle their dispute over the
territory of Nagorno-Karabakh; and on preparations for Armenia’s
elections in May.

LITHUANIAN MPS FACE ‘GENOCIDE’ DISPLEASURE

Today’s Zaman, Turkey
March 6 2007

A parliamentary delegation’s visit from European Union member
Lithuania to the Turkish Parliament offered an opportunity yesterday
to the Turkish side to express their uneasiness over the Lithuanian
Parliament’s approval of a resolution supporting Armenian genocide
allegations at the hands of the late Ottoman Empire in the last
century.

Although the Lithuanian Parliament’s resolution dates back to December
2005, the issue has never dropped from Turkey’s agenda, particularly
taking into consideration the fact that another resolution for official
recognition of Armenian allegations was introduced at the US House
of Representatives just in January.

The Lithuanian delegation — consisting of members of EU and foreign
affairs commissions at the Lithuanian Parliament — held talks with
Mehmet Dulger, head of the Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Commission.

During the meeting Dulger referred to a recent decision by the
International Court of Justice in The Hague which ruled that the
killings of Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica in 1995 was genocide but
determined that Serbia itself was not guilty of the enormous crime
and said that what European institutions were doing concerning the
labeling of genocide reflected "a double-standard."

"This ruling narrowed the definition of genocide, while declaring a
genocide without a perpetrator," Dulger said.

Ankara vehemently denies Armenian allegations that some 1.5 million
Anatolian Armenians were killed as part of a genocide at hands of
the Ottoman Empire during World War I and calls for an objective
scientific study of the issue.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress