Month: April 2007

AZERBAIJANI PRESIDENT LEADS THE CABINET’S MEETING ON OVERALL RESULTS OF FIRST TERM

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 13 2007

Azerbaijan’s President led the Cabinet’s meeting on overall results
of the first term, APA reports. Ilham Aliyev underlined that the
development observed in the country recently continued in the first
term of 2007.

"The amount of GDP rose by 26% in 2005 and 35% in 2006. This figure
was 40% in the first term of 2007. Industrial production increased
39%. Our state policy is social-oriented. Minimum salary increased
by AZN50, pensions by AZN70m 55,000 families involved in the program
of targeted social aid," he said.

Noting that Azerbaijan’s monetary resources are $41bn Ilham Aliyev
said there is social imbalance in the countries rich in oil.

"But as principles of justice and transparency are strictly observed
in Azerbaijan every citizen can make use of oil revenues," he said.

Azerbaijani President noted that Oghuz-Gebele-Baku water pipeline
was also constructed at the expenditure of oil revenues. Azerbaijani
president mentioned important events in the first term of the year,
full capacity operation of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, transportation
of natural gas from Shah Deniz gas field, signing the contract on
the construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project.

"All these factors will contribute to Azerbaijan’s image in the region
and international arena," the president said.

President said Armenia’s non-constructive position on the settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will surely fail and noted that
negotiations on the settlement of the conflict are being carried out
in the framework of the Prague process.

"Armenians should understand that Nagorno Karabakh will not gain
independence," he said.

Following this, Finance Minister Samir Sahrifov, Economic Development
Minister Heydar Babayev, Taxes Minister Fazil Mammadov, Youth and
Sport Minister Azad Rahimov, Chairman of the Board of the National
Bank Elman Rustamov, president of State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan
Republic (SOCAR) Rovnag Abdullayev reported about the overall results
of the first term of the year.

Azerbaijani President spoke about the existing problems in economic
and social sphere and underlined the importance of paying special
attention to the solution of these problems. He gave orders on
minimizing inflation rate. Touching upon the subjective causes of the
increase of prices, the president linked it with lack of strong rivalry
and existence of monopoly. Ilham Aliyev underlined the necessity of
attaching importance to the development of entrepreneurship.

YUSUF HALAJOGHLU: IF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL DIGGINGS FOUND BONES COLLECTED ONE ON ANOTHER IT CAN NOT BE CALLED MASS BURIAL PLACE

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 13 2007

"In Turkey archaeologists are in charge of carrying out diggings in
the mass burial places. But before the diggings archive materials
are researched, the eye- witnesses of the events, grandchildren of
massacred people are interviewed," director of Turkish History Agency
Yusuf Halajoghlu exclusively told APA. Yusuf Halajoghlu shared some
details of researching mass burial places.

"After researches archaeologists work in the burial places. The
archaeological research of mass burial places should be conducted
very cautiously. The most characteristic feature of mass graveyards is
that they scattered in dispersed form. If the archaeological diggings
found the bones collected one on another it can not be called mass
burial place".

Yusuf Halajoghlu said it is very important that bones found in
dispersed form. "If the bones are found row by row it can be thought
that dead bodies are buried immediately. When the bones are found
in that form it can not be called mass graveyard Arzurum and Van
Universities have scholars specialized in the researching of mass
burial places. If there is need, we engage them in the research
works. The diggings process should be approached very carefully
using special archaeological instruments". Yusuf Halajoghlu said
archaeological diggings will be carried out in Mardin in connection
with so-called ‘Armenian genocide’. "There are evidences that Mardin
has mass graveyards. As you know some Swedish MPs claimed that surianis
were massacred in Mardin. MP from Sweden David Lant accepted to join
diggings in that territory. We even agreed to send the archaeological
findings to be researched in international laboratory.

We are waiting for research results now," the historian underlined.

LEBANESE FOREIGN MINISTER: ARMENIAN DIASPORA IS NOT INFLUENTIAL IN LEBANON

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 13 2007

Azerbaijan Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov met with Lebanon’s
Foreign Minister Fawzi Salloukh. The meeting of Foreign Ministers
discussed bilateral relations development perspectives, mutual
establishment of embassies and other issues of mutual interest.

Lebanese Foreign Minister thanked Elmar Mammadyarov for the
humanitarian aid from Azerbaijan during Israeli attacks on Lebanon.

Mammadyarov informed Fawzi Salloukh on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
and stressed the importance of friendly states’ position for the
solution of conflict. Fawzi Salloukh said Armenian Diaspora in Lebanon
has no influence on the political life. He said his country stands
for soonest peaceful solution to the conflict under principles of
international law. The meeting also discussed issues of international
and regional scale. Azerbaijan FM met Lebanese MP Valid Jombulat
that day. The sides made an exchange of views on various issues of
bilateral interest.

TALAT PASHA MOVEMENT TO PROTEST AGAINST ARMENIAN LIES IN PARIS

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 13 2007

Rally and conference exposing Armenian lies on so called "Armenian
genocide" are to be held in Paris, APA’s Eastern Europe bureau
reports. Turkish Worker’s Party and Talat Pasha Movement will hold a
rally and conference in protest against the French National Assembly
(Lower House of Parliament) law making it a crime to deny that
Armenians suffered Turkish savageries and Armenian historical crimes.

Azerbaijani and Turkish community representatives from Europe and
Turkey will arrive in the French capital on this occasion. The
conference is to be held in "Eurosites Plaine Saint Denis" Centre
in Paris. After presidential elections in France, the Talat Pasha
Movement chaired by Rauf Denktas, former president of the Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus will hold a rally to Bastille in the
centre of Paris.

DEPORTED ARMENIAN JOURNALIST LANDS IN MALTA
Kurt Farrugia & David Vella

Malta Star, Malta
April 13 2007

Gina and her family kept at the airport, awaiting flight to Moscow

The Armenian journalist who lived in England for five years as an
asylum seeker, was deported on Friday morning, and landed in Malta
with her family, where she will remain held at the airport until she
boards a plane to Armenia via Russia, early on Saturday morning.

Gina Khachatryan, 30, arrived in Malta on Thursday at 1505hrs on Air
Malta flight KM101, accompanied by four Maltese plain clothes police
officers. Gina had fled her homeland in September 2003, when her
family started facing threats and persecution for reporting a case
of corruption in the country’s elections. " On September 11, 2003,
Gina, her husband Vahan Boyakhchyan, and their baby daughter Elen,
landed in Malta, where they spent 10 days before flying to the UK to
seek asylum as political refugees.

But the British authorities never accepted the family’s asylum
application. In June 2006, Gina’s request was turned down by the UK’s
High Court, and a "removal order" was issued, sources close to the
British Home Office told maltastar.com on Friday. The original date
for the deportation was February 2007, but it was delayed to Friday
13 April.

Last Monday, police closed off the street where Gina lived in Salford,
and ordered her family to pack up in 30 minutes. She was then taken
to Yarl’s Wood detention centre in Bedford until she was taken to
Heathrow airport during the night between Thursday and Friday.

Maltese police to escort Gina to Russia

As she arrived in Malta, maltastar.com contacted Gina, who explained
that the Maltese police officers during the flight were very kind
to her family. "I don’t know exactly where they’re keeping us, but
now they’re taking us to eat", Gina said during a brief telephone
conversation. The Maltese authorities will accompany the Armenian
family to Moscow on an Air Malta flight that leaves Malta at 0200hrs
Saturday morning.

maltastar.com is informed that in the afternoon, a Maltese lawyer,
whose name is yet undisclosed, offered to help Gina and her family.

"The only way that Gina can avoid going back to her country is to
send an urgent appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. If Gina
accepts to nominate a lawyer to send such a request, the chances are
that her family will be stopping in Malta, at least until the European
Courts issue a definitive decision" sources told maltastar.com. Another
option is that Gina and her family apply for asylum in Malta. Yet, the
Office of the Commissioner of Refugees did not receive any application
from the family by late on Friday afternoon. Late on Friday evening,
this e-newspaper was informed that Gina decided to proceed on her
way to Armenia. Sources told this e-newspaper that she thanked all
those who helped her throughout the last days. "She never expected
to receive so much attention".

During the last 48 hours, a number of human rights groups in the
UK, and journalists’ associations in the UK and Malta, as well as
a number of Gina’s friends, were trying to find a way of stopping
the deportation. Professor Mike Jempsen, Director of the MediaWise
Trust, said that Gina is worried about what might happen if she is
returned to Armenia, where election campaigning has started again. "I
don’t know what might happen. I may not be killed, but I will end up
in prison definitely because I told another country about what is
happening in Armenia. I am afraid because they will be waiting for
me at the airport. The questioning will start right away. Why did I
run away? Why did I claim political asylum? I am scared for my child"
Gina told the organisation before she left the UK detention centre.

Maltese minister asked to intervene

maltastar.com journalists have been in constant contact with
representatives of British human rights groups, in order to try
and find ways to help the Armenian journalist. The Malta Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was also
working on the case throughout the day. maltastar.com, which started
following Gina’s case on Thursday, also kept international journalists’
association Reporters Without Borders (RSF) posted.

In Malta, Karl Schembri, President of the Journalists’ Committee, wrote
to the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Prime Minister, asking them
to ensure that Gina’s family will not be persecuted once she returns
to Armenia. The Journalists’ Committee also informed the International
Federation of Journalists, and the Maltese Commissioner for Refugees.

"From our perspective, Ms. Khachatryan was given adequate opportunity
to present her asylum claims in a fair and effective manner in the
United Kingdom, including a reconsideration and high court review of
her case" said Dr Neil Falzon, Head of Office of the UNHCR Malta told
maltastar.com, "In all instances, Ms. Khachatryan’s asylum claims
were rejected and UNHCR has no reason to doubt these conclusions.

Whilst this means UNHCR will not get involved in her case, it does
not preclude her from attempting to access other legal channels".

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EUROPEAN MPS CONCERNED ABOUT ARMENIAN ‘VOTER APATHY’
By Ruzanna Khachatrian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
April 13 2007

Visiting parliamentarians from the Council of Europe expressed concern
at what they see as a widespread voter apathy reigning in the run-up
to Armenia’s parliamentary elections as they ended a three-day visit
to Yerevan on Friday.

Preparations for the May 12 vote dominated their meetings with
President Robert Kocharian, other senior government officials and
leaders of the country’s main political groups involved in the election
campaign. The four members of the Council of Europe Parliamentary
(PACE) reaffirmed the significance of its proper conduct for Yerevan’s
membership in the Strasbourg-based organization and broader efforts
at European integration.

"The [PACE] Delegation was heartened by the assurances of the Armenian
authorities, and all political stakeholders it met, that it is their
intention to hold elections that fully meet Council of Europe stands
for democratic elections," they said in a statement released to
local journalists.

The delegation headed by Dutch lawmaker Leo Platvoet was at the
same time worried about continuing inaccuracies in voter lists and
the Armenian authorities’ earlier refusal to introduce the inking of
voters’ fingers, which was advocated by Council of Europe experts and
Armenian opposition politicians. The proposed measure was supposed
to prevent multiple voting for pro-government parties and individual
candidates, a practice that was reportedly commonplaces in the previous
Armenian elections.

"The delegation was concerned over its overall impression of a lack
of popular interest in the election process by the electorate," read
the PACE statement. "Such attitudes of apathy, or even cynicism,
are not conducive to the development of democracy in Armenia."

The last parliamentary elections held in May 2003 were characterized
by a record-low voter turnout. The authorities put it at just over
50 percent, a figure opposition leaders rejected as grossly inflated.

Many Armenians clearly continue feel that election results are
predetermined by the authorities and that their votes would therefore
not make a difference.

The PACE members suggested another explanation for the perceived
apathy: "The delegation was not able, with few notable exceptions,
to discern marked differences between the political platforms of
the contenders. It was left with the impression that the upcoming
elections are regarded by many as a struggle between political elites
and not between concepts and ideas."

The European lawmakers went on to deplore the "exorbitant costs"
of campaign advertisements that have been set by Armenia’s leading
television stations loyal to President Robert Kocharian. They also
strongly condemned Thursday’s explosions outside two Yerevan offices
of the pro-Kocharian Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK).

The PACE urged Armenia to break with its troubled electoral past and
to ensure the freedom and fairness of the upcoming elections, in a
resolution adopted last January. The authorities in Yerevan say they
are doing their best to achieve that goal. They argue, in particular,
that most of the recently enacted amendments to the Armenian Electoral
Code are based on Council of Europe recommendations.

A group of PACE members are expected to monitor the elections
along with about 350 observers to be deployed by the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Parliament speaker Tigran
Torosian said on Friday that all but one parties represented in the
outgoing National Assembly have agreed to form an ad hoc working
committee that will promptly examine and address observer concerns
in the weeks leading up to the contest.

ABETTING TURKISH DENIAL AT THE UNITED NATIONS

International Herald Tribune, France
April 13 2007

More than 90 years ago, when Turkey was still part of the Ottoman
Empire, Turkish nationalists launched an extermination campaign there
that killed 1.5 million Armenians.

It was the 20th century’s first genocide. The world noticed, but
did nothing, setting an example that surely emboldened such later
practitioners as Hitler, the Hutu leaders of Rwanda in 1994 and
today’s Sudanese president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Turkey has long tried to deny the Armenian genocide. Even in the
modern-day Turkish republic, which was not a party to the killings,
using the word genocide in reference to these events is prosecuted
as a serious crime.

Which makes it all the more disgraceful that United Nations officials
are bowing to Turkey’s demands and blocking this week’s scheduled
opening of an exhibit at UN headquarters commemorating the 13th
anniversary of the Rwandan genocide – because it mentions the mass
murder of the Armenians.

Ankara was offended by a sentence that explained how genocide came to
be recognized as a crime under international law: "Following World
War I, during which one million Armenians were murdered in Turkey,
Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin urged the League of Nations to recognize
crimes of barbarity as international crimes." The exhibit’s organizer,
a British-based anti-genocide group, was willing to omit the words "in
Turkey." But that was not enough for the UN’s craven new leadership,
and the exhibit has been indefinitely postponed.

It’s odd that Turkey’s leaders have not figured out by now that every
time they try to censor discussion of the Armenian genocide, they
only bring wider attention to the subject and link today’s democratic
Turkey with the now distant crime. As for Secretary General Ban Ki-moon
and his inexperienced new leadership team, they have once again shown
how much they have to learn if they are to honorably and effectively
serve the United Nations, which is supposed to be the embodiment of
international law and a leading voice against genocide.

ANCA CALLS ON U.N. TO OVERRIDE DECISION TO CLOSE RWANDA GENOCIDE EXHIBIT

Arka News Agency, Armenia
April 13 2007

YEREVAN, April 12. /ARKA/. One of the biggest Armenian lobbyist
organizations in the USA Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
calls upon the U.N. to reverse its recent decision to close a major
exhibit on the Rwanda Genocide.

ANCA reported that the U.N. made the decision due to the Turkish
government’s objection over a portion of the display that referenced
the Armenian Genocide.

"Armenian American community’s profound disappointment over the
decision to allow the Turkish government to delay the exhibit,"
said ANCA Chairman Ken Hachikian, in a letter sent today to Kiyotaka
Akasaka, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public
Information.

"The exhibit intended to help ensure that the lessons of the Rwanda
Genocide are used to help prevent future genocides," the letter said.

Hachikian stressed that the dismantling of the exhibit represents "a
troubling retreat from the founding principles of the United Nations".

"Turkey’s protest over the exhibit, very unfortunately, undermined
the credibility of the United Nations on a central issue of our time –
ending forever the cycle of genocides," he said.

The Rwanda Genocide exhibit was planned to be held in the
U.N. Headquarters in New York, however, it was delayed due to Turkish
objections over the exhibit’s historically accurate mention of the
Armenian Genocide and the conclusion made by Raphael Lemkin, a Polish
lawyer who credited with coining the word genocide, ‘urged the League
of Nations to recognize crimes of barbarity as international crimes.

Earlier, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian seriously condemned
the UN’s decision. "It is not enough that the Turkish Government
thinks it can conceal its own history from its people, and now the
campaign of keeping silence and distortion of the facts has gone
so far that it breaks the initiative of opening genocide exhibit on
"Lessons of the Rwanda Genocide," Oskanian’s comment ran.

IGM CALLS FOR HOME AFFAIRS’ INTERVENTION

Malta Star, Malta
April 13 2007

The Institute of Maltese Journalists (IGM) yesterday called on the
Justice and Home Affairs Ministry to intervene in the case of Gina
Khachatryan, the 30-year-old Armenian journalist who landed in Malta
on Friday afternoon on her way to be deported to her homeland.

"We call on the Justice and Home Affairs Ministry to investigate the
circumstances surrounding this case and, if warranted, offer political
asylum to Ms Khachatryan," said Malcolm J Naudi, chairman, IGM.

"Ms Khachatryan was in the UK for the past four years after being
detained in Armenia for 40 days for revealing electoral fraud,
therefore it would be suicidal to send her back to her homeland,
where she would risk being detained once more for doing her job as
a journalist," added Mr Naudi.

The IGM also called on the British authorities to reverse their
decision not to extend Ms Khachatryan’s stay in the United Kingdom.

"As a promoter of democracy and human rights on a global scale, the
United Kingdom should not shirk its responsibility in this case and
hand over Ms Khachatryan and her family to the Armenian government,"
he insisted.

According to the international journalists’ organisation Reporters
Sans Frontieres, Armenia was the 101st worst country (out of 168)
for restrictions to press freedom in 2006.

Edik Baghdasaryan, head of the association of investigative journalists
in Armenia, has reported a recent wave of violent attacks against
journalists in the country as an electoral campaign looms.

There is a history of press freedom violations in Armenia. If officials
or large-scale businessmen – do not like what is written, reporters
are threatened and, in some cases, beaten up. One reporter was forced
to leave his flat last summer.

A copy of this statement has been sent to the International Federation
of Journalists (IFJ), the Justice and Home Affairs Ministry and the
British embassy in Malta.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESIDENT LEADS THE CABINET’S MEETING ON OVERALL RESULTS OF FIRST TERM

Today, Azerbaijan
April 13 2007

President led the Cabinet’s meeting on overall results of the first
term.

Ilham Aliyev underlined that the development observed in the country
recently continued in the first term of 2007, APA reports.

"The amount of GDP rose by 26% in 2005 and 35% in 2006. This figure
was 40% in the first term of 2007. Industrial production increased
39%. Our state policy is social-oriented. Minimum salary increased
by AZN50, pensions by AZN70m 55,000 families involved in the program
of targeted social aid," he said.

Noting that Azerbaijan’s monetary resources are $41bn Ilham Aliyev
said there is social imbalance in the countries rich in oil.

"But as principles of justice and transparency are strictly observed
in Azerbaijan every citizen can make use of oil revenues," he said.

Azerbaijani President noted that Oghuz-Gebele-Baku water pipeline
was also constructed at the expenditure of oil revenues.

President mentioned important events in the first term of the year,
full capacity operation of Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline, transportation
of natural gas from Shah Deniz gas field, signing the contract on
the construction of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project.

"All these factors will contribute to Azerbaijan’s image in the region
and international arena," the President said.

President said Armenia’s non-constructive position on the settlement
of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will surely fail and noted that
negotiations on the settlement of the conflict are being carried out
in the framework of the Prague process.

"Armenians should understand that Nagorno Karabakh will not gain
independence," he said.

Following this, Finance Minister Samir Sahrifov, Economic Development
Minister Heydar Babayev, Taxes Minister Fazil Mammadov, Youth and
Sport Minister Azad Rahimov, Chairman of the Board of the National
Bank Elman Rustamov, president of State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan
Republic (SOCAR) Rovnag Abdullayev reported about the overall results
of the first term of the year.

Azerbaijani President spoke about the existing problems in economic
and social sphere and underlined the importance of paying special
attention to the solution of these problems.

He gave orders on minimizing inflation rate. Touching upon the
subjective causes of the increase of prices, the president linked it
with lack of strong rivalry and existence of monopoly. Ilham Aliyev
underlined the necessity of attaching importance to the development
of entrepreneurship.

URL:

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress