Month: May 2008

Gas bills will go up from June 4, not May 1

05-05-2008 16:11:08 – KarabakhOpen

On Sunday the Public Services Regulatory Commission discussed the
issues relating to gas bills. The commission decided that the users who
use up to 10 thousand cu m of gas a month will pay 84 drams per cu m,
and the users who use more than 10 thousand cu m will pay 59 drams.

The decision will come into effect from June 4. In other words, in May
the population will pay at the old price, 65 drams per cu m.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Nagorno Karabakh passes hostage to Azerbaijan

2008-05-05 14:23:00

ArmInfo. NKR Authorities unilaterally passed an Azerbaijani soldier
Vusal Eibatov Shirsultan oghli born in 1989 in Azerbaijan to the
Azerbaijani party as a display of good will and devotion of Geneva
Conventions and under the auspices of the International Committee of
the Red Cross.

ArmInfo special correspondent to Stepanakert reports, the NKR State
Commission for Captives and Missing reports that the hostage was passed
at 2:25 local time on May 3 in the area of Aghdam region on the
contact-line of NKR and Azerbaijani armed forces.

The Azerbaijani serviceman was detained by servicemen of the NKR
Defense Army on April 11, 2008, near Yusifjanly village of Aghdam
region when бrossing the border.

The NKR State Commission for Captives and the Missing informed the OSCE
and ICRC offices in Nagorno Karabakh of the incident. OSCE and ICRC
representatives had visited the hostage for several times and contacted
his relatives.

Today.Az, Azerbaijan
May 5 2008

Anne Derse: "Development of the independent media as a strong
institution to support Azerbaijan’s democratic development is under
attack"

05 May 2008 [17:25] – Today.Az

The speech of US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Anne Derse, made during her
visit to the north-western region of Azerbaijan:

Ladies and gentlemen,

Thank you for inviting me. It is an honor to celebrate World Press
Freedom Day in the Center that is named after the National Hero of
Azerbaijan, courageous journalist Chingiz Mustafayev, who fell while
performing his duties as a journalist in 1991.

"Our liberty depends on freedom of the press and that cannot be
limited without being lost." So spoke Thomas Jefferson over 200 years
ago. Without a free press, citizens have no access to independent
information about their government and its policies and
performance. Without a free press, citizens do not have the
information they need to hold government accountable, and
consequently, the risk of corruption, malfeasance and mismanagement is
great, especially in an oil rich state. Without a free press, there
can be no public exchange of ideas about national challenges and
priorities Without a free press, there is no real freedom.

That is why it is important that governments that respect freedom
vigorously uphold the right of journalists to work freely, without
fear of violence and persecution, and why it is important that media
adhere to the highest ethical and professional standards in carrying
out their important responsibility to inform the public. Criticism of
the government and government leaders is not treason, it is a hallmark
of true democracy. The US believes that libel and defamation should
not be criminal offences, journalists should not be imprisoned for
expressing their views, incidents of violence or harassment against
journalists to intimidate them into silence should be vigorously
investigated and prosecuted and governments in developing democracies
should work with civil society to develop a free, independent and
objective media to defend the people’s rights.

Speaking as the representative of a government which supports
Azerbaijan’s independence and sovereignty, which has great respect for
the people of Azerbaijan and for Azerbaijan’s history, culture and
accomplishments, and for Azerbaijan’s great potential as a leader in
the region, I must say that the recent physical attacks and the
ongoing smear campaign against Azadliq journalist Agil Halil and
continuing pressure and threats against pro-opposition and independent
journalists show that development of the independent media as a strong
institution to support Azerbaijan’s democratic development is under
attack. Current attitudes towards the media are more reminiscent of
Azerbaijan’s Soviet past than its democratic future. Many Azerbaijanis
and international observers who support Azerbaijan’s goals of
maintaining independence and promoting freedom, in the face of strong
regional pressures, share this view.

Throughout his short but meaningful life, Chingiz Mustafayev fought
for his people’s right to know. He traveled to the zones, swept by war
to report on tragic consequences of war and its innocent
victims. Scenes from Khojali, taped by Chingiz Mustafayev shook the
world and still continue to touch all peace-loving peoples. These
works demonstrate Chingiz’s courage and commitment to his motherland,
his profession, and the principle of media freedom. The best way to
honor his memory – and those of other pioneering Azerbaijani
journalists – is for us to support all journalists seeking to exercise
that fundamental democratic right in support of Azerbaijan’s
democratic future, and freedom for all Azerbaijanis.

Independent journalism serves the public by addressing and stimulating
a debate on issues of national concern. Just as Chingiz did,
journalists today have a responsibility to report on key issues of
national import, including Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s democratic
reforms, the use of its energy revenues, and corruption. I am doubly
happy to see the young generation of Azerbaijani journalists guided by
the courageous work of those, like Chingiz Mustafayev, who made
today’s journalism in Azerbaijan possible.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in renewing our commitment to
media freedom and wishing success to all the journalists in Azerbaijan
and everywhere else in the world.

Thank you.

URL:

How high the price of realty will go up

Anahit Danielyan
06-05-2008 12:57:29 – KarabakhOpen

The prices of real estate in Karabakh are rising so fast that as soon
as you find an apartment and agree on the price, in a couple of weeks
the agreement needs to be changed, said an inhabitant of Stepanakert in
an interview with us who has been unable to buy a two-room apartment
for 40 thousand dollars in Stepanakert. He says a month ago one could
buy a two-room apartment on this sum, now it costs a couple of
thousands of dollars more.

A two-room apartment costs 45 thousand dollars in Stepanakert, and the
price of three-room apartments is 70-75 thousand dollars.

The prices of real estate grew over the past few years but such a rate
of growth is reported for the first time. It is linked to the launch of
the mortgage policy rather than the dropping rate of the dollar. People
who sell their apartments know that now a lot of citizens need
apartments who hurry to borrow a mortgage loan. Since few new apartment
buildings are built, the buyers can buy only old apartments. The people
in charge of this business say the mortgage policy is aimed to boost
construction of housing. In addition, the prices of both new and old
apartments are actually the same. Many people think it is positive,
however, it should be noted that it is not because the apartments in
new buildings are cheap but because the prices of apartments in old
buildings are exaggerated.

The prices of land have also gone up. It is also determined by the
mortgage policy. Besides, the City Hall has suspended allotment of land
for construction of houses till the end of this year.

In Karabakh they already joke that they can sell their apartment in
Stepanakert, buy a similar apartment in Yerevan and save a couple of
thousands of dollars. Instead, if you sell your apartment in Yerevan,
you cannot buy a similar apartment in Stepanakert.
From: Baghdasarian

If a member of parliament cannot borrow a loan, how about ordinary
people?

06-05-2008 13:02:30 – KarabakhOpen

`If a member of parliament cannot borrow a loan, how about ordinary
people?’ asked Member of Parliament Oleg Grigoryan during the
discussion of the budget report 2007. The NKR National Assembly
Committee of Production and Industrial Infrastructures discussed the
budget report yesterday. The question was addressed to the minister of
economic development Benik Bakshiyan.

According to Oleg Grigoryan, he submitted a business plan to Artsakh
Investment Foundation for the program of development of small and
medium-sized businesses. His documents were forwarded to Artsakhbank
where they are still lying. They explain the refusal by the absence of
some documents and shortcomings in others.

The member of parliament voiced concern that each demands a new
document, and already three months has passed. Meanwhile, the member of
parliament offered his apartment in Stepanakert as collateral.

The minister of economic development promised to study this problem and
answer later.

In an interview with Karabakh-Open.com Oleg Grigoryan said he presented
a business plan with a value of 6 million drams.

It turns out that in the bank they do not know that O. Grigoryan is a
member of parliament, and he is not likely to inform the staff of the
bank about it. After all, ordinary borrowers cannot inform the staff of
the bank about the same.

Washington Post
May 6 2008

A Warning Shot From Moscow?

In the Georgian Province of Abkhazia, a Possible Flashpoint for a New
War

Protesters burn a Soviet-era flag outside the Russian Embassy in
Tbilisi, Georgia, last Friday. (By Shakh Aivazov — Associated Press)

Before it happened, nobody imagined that the murder of Archduke Franz
Ferdinand in Sarajevo would set off World War I. Before the "shot
heard round the world" was fired, I doubt that 18th-century Concord
expected to go down in history as the place where the American
Revolution began. Before last weekend, when the Russian news agency
ITAR-TASS declared that the government of Georgia was about to invade
Abkhazia, nobody had really thought about Abkhazia at all. As a public
service to readers who need a break from the American presidential
campaign, this column is therefore devoted to considering the
possibility that Abkhazia could become the starting point of a larger
war.

If you haven’t heard of Abkhazia, don’t worry: It’s a pretty safe bet
that it’s probably not the priority of many people in the White House,
either, and it hasn’t even been one of those "can you name the general
who’s in charge of Pakistan" trick questions in the campaign. On the
contrary, Abkhazia ranks right up there with Nagorno-Karabakh,
Dagestan, South Ossetia and all the other forgotten Caucasian regions,
cities and statelets that no one wants to think about too hard but
where, occasionally, something really awful happens.

For the record, Abkhazia is a province of Georgia that declared its
independence in 1992. A small war followed, and ethnic cleansing of
Georgians from Abkhazia came after that. There have been some
U.N. attempts to make peace, and Georgia has tried offering Abkhazia
wide autonomy, but, mostly, Georgia and Abkhazia maintain an uneasy
stalemate, which occasionally turns into an extremely uneasy
stalemate. Usually this happens when an atmosphere of extreme
uneasiness is useful to Russia, which is Abkhazia’s closest military,
economic and political ally and has a long-term interest in the
destabilization of pro-American, pro-Western, pro-NATO Georgia.

Thus, when the Russian news agency announces that Georgia is about to
invade Abkhazia, it may mean that Georgia really is about to invade
Abkhazia. But it might also mean, as everyone in the region
understands, that Russia is about to invade Georgia — as a
"preemptive strike," of course.

Why would the Russians do that? Or even hint that they want to do
that? Russian politics having become utterly opaque, it’s hard to
say. Some think Russia began stirring up trouble in Abkhazia in recent
weeks to exact revenge for NATO’s recognition of Kosovo — or perhaps
to be able to strike quickly, had NATO decided at its recent summit to
offer Georgia a clear path to membership, which President Bush vocally
supported. Others think that recent Russian pronouncements, some of
which come close to recognition of Abkhazian independence, are related
to the inauguration this week of the new Russian president, Dmitry
Medvedev. Maybe Medvedev wants to demonstrate how tough he is, right
at the beginning. Or maybe someone else wants to demonstrate how tough
Medvedev is, on his behalf. In any case, someone, Abkhazian or
Russian, has shot down at least two and maybe four unmanned Georgian
military planes in the past six weeks in what looks like a pretty
obvious attempt to create a casus belli.

It might not work — and for the moment the Georgians say they have no
intention of declaring war. But Georgia holds parliamentary elections
this month, under the leadership of a president who might be grateful
for a chance to look bold. If the provocation works, or if Russia does
invade Georgia — an emerging democracy, an aspiring NATO ally, a
country with troops in Iraq and many implicit assurances of security
from Washington and Brussels — then the West will have to come up
with a major response, if not military then political and diplomatic.

The timing couldn’t be worse. There are many wonderful things about
the American political system, but one of the least wonderful is the
amount of energy a presidential campaign sucks out of public
life. Between now and January, the current president is a lame duck:
Could he make any credible response to a Russian invasion of Abkhazia,
should such a thing happen? Is anybody ready to debate a whole new
part of the world? Last weekend, the American media focused
unprecedented attention on . . . the Guam primary, in which 4,500
people cast ballots and Barack Obama won by seven votes.

Of course, from another perspective, the timing couldn’t be better: If
you wanted to attack an American ally, or if you just wanted to
destabilize and unnerve an American ally, wouldn’t this be the perfect
moment? Perhaps if the Russians don’t take the opportunity, someone
else will.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Interfax News Agency, Russia
May 4 2008

Azeri soldier detained at border in April released from Stepanakert

STEPANAKERT May 4

The authorities of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh Republic released
19-year-old Azeri soldier Vyusal Eibatov last Saturday.

The Azeri soldier was released near the village of Bash-Karvend on the
Agdam line of contact between the Azeri and Nagorno-Karabakh forces in
the presence of representatives from the International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC), the Nagorno-Karabakh Commission for war
prisoners and missing persons told Interfax.

The decision by Karabakh leaders to release the Azeri soldier "is
another proof of good will and commitment to the principles of the
Geneva Convention," the commission said.

Eibatov was detained by Karabakh forces near the village of
Yusifjangly in Agdam district on April 11, 2008, as he was traveling
over the Karabakh territory. The OSCE (Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe) and ICRC offices in Nagorno-Karabakh were
notified of what happened.

During Eibatov’s stay in Nagorno-Karabakh officials from the ICRC
office in Stepanakert were allowed free access to the prisoner. They
visited him several times and maintained correspondence with his
relatives in Azerbaijan.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Artsakh State University will elect rector, for the time being the list
of specialties for government assistance was affirmed

07-05-2008 12:58:09 – KarabakhOpen

On May 6 the government affirmed the order to set up the board of
Artsakh State University which will deal with nominations for the post
of rector within 10 days. The term of office of the acting rector
Hamlet Grigoryan ends in May.

Also the government finally affirmed the list ofspecialties at Artsakh
State University. The list was sent back by the government twice to cut
the number of specialties in humanities and increase the number of
students in construction and agronomy. According to the minister of
education and culture Vladik Khachatryan, after the revision 26 places
in three construction specialties were opened which will get financial
assistance from the government, as well as 10 places for the specialty
of dentist which will be financed by the ministry of health. It was
noted that students from rural areas will be admitted for those places,
who will sign contracts to return to work in their villages.

The issue of contracts with rural students caused a heated argument.
Almost all the ministers claimed that the government assistance is not
effective. Prime Minister Ara Harutiunyan says the government pays for
the education of a student having no levers in case the student does
not return to work in his or her native village. Most girls get married
and receive a free diploma, and boys who complete their military
service shift to distance learning and receive the same free diploma,
the ministers said. As a result the government spends money, but the
jobs for which specialists were to be trained remain vacant. The
minister of defense Movses Hakobyan proposed sending student-conscripts
to work at the schools of the regions where they serve.

The prime minister proposed other options, such as to withhold the
diploma, demand repayment of the tuition fee, not to admit to work in
government offices. It turned out that there are already such
restrictions but the girls nevertheless marry boys from the city.
Apparently, the only solution is to somehow encourage marriages in the
villages.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Out of political competition

07-05-2008 12:58:10 – KarabakhOpen

On May 6 the government decided to entitle the City Hall of Stepanakert
to the function of granting the right for property for the illegal
constructions on public land in the capital. Hence, now the City Hall
will legalize illegal buildings instead of the State Cadastre Committee.

The issue did not receive any criticism from the ministers. Moreover,
the prime minister instructed the minister of economic development
Benik Babayan to work out another order and entitle the City Hall to
some other functions. According to the prime minister, the City Hall
has no levers of influence on businesses within the municipality.

The issue of division of powers between the local and central
governments has been urgent in Karabakh for many years. Moreover, it
was used for political pressure on opposition heads of communities.
Example is the story of the ex-mayor of Stepanakert Edward Aghabekyan.
He was elected from the opposition party in a democratic election, and
it cost him dear, he simply was not allowed to work. More exactly, the
citizens of Stepanakert suffered where no roof, no building, no street
was repaired for 4 years. In addition, nobody hid that the government
did not subsidize the City Hall `out of political competition’.

Now the mayor is not a `competitor’ any more. Besides, Edward
Aghabekyan participates in the meetings of government as adviser to
prime minister.

Gas bills go up from June 4

07-05-2008 12:58:18 – KarabakhOpen

Last week the government media reported that the gas bills will go up
from May 1 for those users who use up to 10 thousand cu m a month.

The taxi services of Stepanakert immediately raised the fare from 500
to 600 for short distances, and from 100 to 120 drams per km.
Meanwhile, the taxis use gas from gas stations which use more than 10
thousand cu m a month, which means the price for gas will not change
for them. Besides, 600 drams is too much for such a tiny city as
Stepanakert. What is more, the drivers of fixed-route buses also
`threaten’ to raise the fare which is 50 drams now.

At the recent meeting the Regulatory Commission for Public Services and
Economic Competition criticized Artsakh Gas which had announced about
rise of price before the decision of the commission. Nevertheless, the
commission decided to raise the tariffs from June 4 instead of May 1.