Author: admin

Ain Al-Yaqeen, Saudi Arabia
March 11 2005

THE SAUDI LEADERSHIP DISCUSSES WITH AZERBAIJAN’S PRESIDENT THE BASES
AND FUTURE OF COOPERATION AND THE DEVELOPMENTS ON THE ISLAMIC AND
INTERNATIONAL ARENAS.

THE PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN: THE SUPPORT OF SAUDI ARABIA HELPED MY
COUNTRY TO OVERCOME NUMEROUS CRISIS.
WE SUPPORT THE CALL OF PRINCE ABDULLAH TO CONVENE AN ISLAMIC SUMMIT
IN MAKKAH AL MUKKARAMAH.
THE SIGNING OF ECONOMIC BETWEEN SAUDI ARABIA AND AZERBAIJAN.

The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz
received at his office at Al Yamamah palace in Riyadh Azerbaijan’s
President Ilham Aliyev and accompanying delegation.

At the outset of the meeting, the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
welcomed President Aliyev, wishing him a good stay in his second
country: the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Then President Aliyev awarded the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
Azerbaijan’s Independence medal, the country’s most prestigious
honorary decoration, in recognition of the king’s noble services for
Islam and Muslims and his continuous support for the Republic of
Azerbaijan.

On his part, King Fahd decorated President Aliyev with King Abdul
Aziz decoration in recognition of his efforts in enhancing the
relations between the two countries.

Then they discussed the overall situations at the Islamic and
international arenas in addition to the aspects of cooperation
between the two countries and ways of enhancing them in all fields.

On the Saudi side, the meeting was attended by Prince Ahmed Ibn Abdul
Aziz, Deputy Minister of Interior; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Bandar Ibn
Abdul Aziz, Assistant Chief of General Intelligence; Prince Abdul
Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of State, Member of the
Cabinet and Chief of the Court of the Cabinet’s Presidency; Prince
Faisal Ibn Turki Ibn Abdullah; ministers; senior protocol officials
and Saudi Ambassador to Azerbaijan Ali bin Hasan Jaafar.

On the Azerbaijani side, it was attended by the First Deputy of the
Prime Minister Jacob Ayoobov; Foreign Minister Elmar Mohammed Yarov;
Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Alman Arasli and senior
officials.

Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and
Commander of the National Guard, and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham
Aliyev held a meeting at the crown prince’s palace in Riyadh.

At the outset of the meeting, President Aliyev awarded the Crown
Prince Azerbaijan’s Independence medal, the country’s most
prestigious honorary decoration, in recognition of the Crown Prince’s
distinguished role in expanding the economic and cultural relations
between the Kingdom and Azerbaijan.

Aliyev also lauded the efforts of Crown Prince Abdullah for the
service of Islam and Muslims all over the world.

On his part, Crown Prince Abdullah thanked President Aliyev, praising
the firm relations binding the two countries and peoples.

Then they discussed the overall developments at the Islamic and
international arenas in addition to the aspects of cooperation
between the two countries and ways of enhancing them in all fields.

On the Saudi side, the meeting was attended by Prince Mishaal Ibn
Abdul Aziz; Prince Mit’eb Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of Municipal and
Rural Affairs; Prince Sattam Ibn Abdul Aziz, Vice Governor of Riyadh
Region; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Minister of State,
Member of the Cabinet and Chief of the Court of the Cabinet’s
Presidency; ministers; senior protocol officials and Saudi Ambassador
to Azerbaijan Ali Ibn Hasan Jaafar.

On the Azerbaijani side, it was attended by the First Deputy of the
Prime Minister Jacob Ayoobov; Foreign Minister Elmar Mohammed Yarov;
Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Alman Arasli and senior
officials.

Crown Prince Abdullah and the Azeri President Ilham Aliyev held
wide-ranging talks that focused on regional and international issues.
Special areas of discussion were Saudi-Azeri cooperation in
political, commercial and cultural fields. The talks were followed by
the signing of three major agreements between Saudi Arabia and the
Muslim-majority Azeri republic.

President Aliyev, during his three-day official trip, witnessed the
signing of an SR67.5 million loan agreement with the Saudi Fund for
Development (SFD), said Azeri diplomat Naghi Jaabbarov. There are
other agreements on boosting cooperation in education and investment
protection.

In the talks, the two leaders shared common views, visions and
approaches on a number of bilateral and international issues. New
developments in the Arab world including Syria and Iraq, the Middle
East peace process, terrorism threats and the status of Azerbaijan’s
conflict with Armenia were high on the agenda.

The talks comes within the framework of the mandate of an MoU signed
by Riyadh and Baku early this year which calls for holding periodic
political consultations.

Azerbaijan seeks to develop ties with Saudi Arabia in the fields of
economy, trade, tourism and health care.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, who witnessed the signing of two
bilateral economic agreements, called for intensifying efforts to
boost political, commercial and cultural relations with Saudi Arabia.

The call was made during his meeting with Saudi businessmen at the
Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) following his talks
with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, Crown Prince
Abdullah and a host of Saudi officials.

Aliyev said that “Baku is looking to Saudi Arabia to support its
regional interests politically and commercially”. He reiterated that
“the Kingdom is, in fact, supporting the Azeri position, at a time
when we have been wrestling with a geopolitical dilemma created
because of the conflict with Armenia”.

The Azeri leader witnessed the signing of an investment protection
agreement prior to his meeting at RCCI. Another agreement for SR67.5
million credit line facility granted by Saudi Fund for Development
(SFD) to Azerbaijan was also signed in the presence of the president.

On behalf of Saudi Arabia, the accords were inked by Finance Minister
Dr. Ibrahim Al-Assaf. Later, Aliyev participated in the RCCI meeting,
which was also attended by Minister of Commerce and Industry Dr.
Hashim Abdullah Yamani.

Azeri diplomat Naghi Jaabbarov said that “two credit agreements will
also be signed by the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and Azerbaijan
in Jeddah”.

IDB has agreed to grant $10.4 million credit facility for a road
construction project and another $10.1 million credit for a tunnel
project in that former Soviet republic. Referring to the
progressively growing Riyadh-Baku relations following the meeting of
businessmen at RCCI, Saad ibn Ibrahim Al-Mojel, RCCI’s vice chairman,
said that “the two sides are discussing as how to set up direct
transportation links between the two countries. There is neither a
direct flight to Baku nor a port in the Azeri capital, which are
hampering our business plans and relations”.

“President Aliyev has promised to look into the possibility of
setting set up direct air link to boost tourism and pilgrimage
traffic”, he said. Al-Mojel said that “there is a lot of potential to
forge closer relations in all sectors”.

He said that “the Armenian problem and the geopolitical dilemma with
which Azerbaijan is faced with will not discourage the Saudi leaders
and businessmen”.

Jaabbarov said that the funds will be used for building and expanding
infrastructure in that country.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has reaffirmed the strength of
Saudi-Azeri relationships indicating that his current visit is part
of the constant efforts aimed at enhancing the bilateral trade
exchange and developing economic ties.

In an interview with Saudi Television, President Aliyev praised the
Saudi, to his country which helped in overcoming numerous crises.

He said his talks with Saudi leadership had focused on the bilateral
relations, adding that these talks had been “highly successful.”

He pointed out that the political relations with the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia are at high levels but the economic ones are not at par with
those of the political ties.

“There is a government joint committee which has been working for
years to enhance the economic and trade ties and this committee is
now working to study and analyze these facilities and opportunities,”
Aliyev said.

“In my point of view, the opening of direct flights between the two
countries will help in strengthening the economic ties,” he added.

Answering a question about the call of Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn
Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National
Guard, to convene an Islamic Summit in Makkah, Aliyev said that the
main thing which concern him is the negative social opinion about
Islam in addition to wars and conflicts inside Muslim countries.

“We support this call which will discuss many issues and may handle a
program for future activities and procedures to confront these
challenges,” Aliyev said.

Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and
Commander of the National Guard, gave a banquet in honor of
Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and accompanying delegation.

The function was attended by Prince Mishaal Ibn Abdul Aziz; Prince
Mit’eb Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs;
Prince Sattam Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Vice Governor of Riyadh Region;
other princes; ministers and senior civil and military officials.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Riyadh for a visit to
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

At Riyadh air base, he was received by Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn
Abdul Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister and Commander of the National
Guard; Prince Mit’eb Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Minister of Municipal and
Rural Affairs; Prince Sattam Ibn Abdul Aziz, the Vice Governor of
Riyadh Region; Prince Khalid Ibn Sultan Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant
Minister of Defense and Aviation and Inspector General for Military
Affairs; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Fahd Ibn Abdul Aziz, Assistant Chief
of General Intelligence; Prince Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Abdul
Aziz, Advisor at the Crown Prince’s Court; Prince Dr. Abdul Aziz Ibn
Mohammed Ibn Ayyaf Al Miqrin, Mayor of the city of Riyadh; Dr. Hashim
Ibn Abdullah Yamani, Minister of Commerce and Industry; senior
protocol officials and Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the Kingdom Alman
Hamied Arasli.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev met with members of board of
directors of Riyadh Chamber of Commerce and a number of Saudi
Businessmen.

Addressing the meeting, Azerbaijan’s President commended the strong
relations between the two countries especially in economic and
investment fields.

Dr Salih Al-Namlah, the Undersecretary of the Culture and Information
Ministry for Foreign Information, met with a delegation comprising a
number of Azerbaijani media men.

They reviewed, at the meeting attended by Saudi ambassador to
Azerbaijan Ali Hassan Jaffar, aspects of information cooperation
between the Kingdom and Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, the members of the delegation who were briefed on the
development achievements attained in the Kingdom in the various
domains, highlighted the great services being extended by the Kingdom
to Islam and Muslims throughout the world.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev left Riyadh for Jeddah on his way
to Makkah to perform Umrah rituals.

At Riyadh airbase, he was seen off by Prince Sattam Ibn Abdul Aziz,
Deputy Governor of Riyadh region, a number princes and senior
officials.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and his accompanying delegation
performed Umrah rituals.

Upon arrival at the Grand Mosque, they were received by a number of
officials.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Jeddah to perform
Umrah rituals.

He was received at King Abdul Aziz international airport by Prince
Mishaal Ibn Majed Ibn Abdul Aziz, Governor of Jeddah and a number of
officials.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev visited the headquarters of the
Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) in Jeddah.

During the visit, he expressed his country’s support to Islamic
issues praising the steps of reforms undertaken by the OIC to develop
its performance.

He also hailed the OIC’s role to strengthening the economic and
technological cooperation between member states.

Aliyev was accompanied by Minister of Commerce and Industry Hashem
Yamani, who is also the Escorting Minister.

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev left the Kingdom after a brief
visit to Saudi Arabia.

At Prince Mohammad Ibn Abdul Aziz Airport in Al Madinah Al
Munawarrah, he was seen off by Dr. Hashim Yamani, Minister of
Commerce and Industry, and senior civil and military officials.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

GREEK DIASPORA OF US GOING TO ASSIST NAGORNO KARABAKH

PanArmenian News
March 11 2005

11.03.2005 04:03

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ L-100, one of the richest and influential Greek
organizations based in the US is going to allocate $5 million to
Nagorno Karabakh. During the recurrent sitting of the L-100 held the
other day Directors Dina Teodosakis, Jerry Dimitriu and George Shira
approved the suggestion defined as “any assistance to the Armenians of
Nagorno Karabakh”. The sitting participants also agreed on conducting
an international conference with the theme “Nagorno Karabakh: national
liberation struggle of Armenians” in the Institute of Religion,
Culture and World Researches of the Boston University. To note, late
this year the leadership of Nagorno Karabakh is planning to start
measures for conveying the capital city from Stepanakert to Shushi.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ESTONIA TO ASSIST DEVELOPMENT OF ARMENIA, GEORGIA AND UKRAINE

PanArmenian News
March 11 2005

11.03.2005 08:03

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Estonian Foreign Ministry decreed on assisting
the development of Georgia, Ukraine and Armenia by allocating 1.36
million crowns to these states. In Armenia the specialists of the
rescue department of Estonia are going to conduct a number of seminars
for the security of the population and deliver the humanitarian aids
to the republic. Two projects are directed to the development of
vocational education and computer literacy in Georgia. In Ukraine
Estonia is going to train the functionaries in the ecological and
social fields. Besides, the funds will be spent to the development
of interaction between the Estonian districts and regions of Ukraine.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ArmenPress
March 11 2005

ARMENIAN MEDICS BACK FROM INDONESIA MISSION

YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS: A team of Armenian medics who were
dispatched to Indonesia’s Banda Aceh to provide the people of the
tsunami stricken region of Indonesia with emergency medical aid were
awarded today by Armenian health ministry by letters of appreciation.
Armenian doctors worked at Zeynol Abidin hospital in Banda Aceh and
the region’s central health office. The management of the clinic and
the office sent a letter of appreciation to Armenian government
praising Armenian doctors for their work.
Hrant Ashkian, who headed the team of Armenian medics, said the
tsunami destroyed hospitals and medical clinics and killed health
care officials. He said some 300-400 people suffering from infectious
diseases applied daily and another 30-40 people with various damages,
mostly fractures.
Epidemiologist Armen Hayrapetian, who examined the epidemiological
situation in the region, said at the end of their mission there were
indications that the number of infectious diseases was going down.
According to Armenian doctors, authorities in Banda Aceh expect
the Armenian government to send another team of doctors. Deputy
health minister said the government would consider this issue.
In the wake of the tsunami Armenian government sent medicines and
other medical assistance to Sri Lanka. Four Armenian doctors were
dispatched to Indonesia on February 19 and worked there for two
weeks.

Ceasefire violations persist

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 11 2005

Baku, March 10, AssA-Irada

Armenian forces have violated ceasefire several times in different
regions over the last day. The most lengthy shooting took place in
the Aghdam District – from 2.30 until 6.00 a.m. on Wednesday. No
casualties are reported.

At 11.10 a.m. on Wednesday and 8.55 a.m. on Thursday, Armenian forces,
from their positions 1 km north-east of the Seyuidsulan village of
the occupied Terter District, fired at the Azeri positions in the
District~Rs Gapanly village. Several soldiers were wounded in the
shooting, the Ministry of Defense said. From 12.20 till 12.30 p.m. on
Wednesday, Armenian forces, from their positions 1 km north-east
of the town of Berkamesh, Ijevan District, opened fire at the Azeri
troops in Gazakh District~Rs Gyzylagajly village.*

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian “genocide” in The Washington Post
Published: 3/8/2005
BY YILMAZ OZTUNA

Turkish Press
8 Mar 2005

TURKIYE – The Washington Post is one of the world’s best-known
newspapers. It became particularly famous back in 1974, when it
forced President Richard Nixon to resign. Nixon’s crime was that he
had secretly taped conversations and denied knowledge of a matter
which he actually knew full well about. Actually such things are
considered common functions of the government in most countries.

Sunday’s Washington Post published a list of ‘mass murder of
civilians in acts of genocide.’ Near the top of this list was
the Holocaust. However, the article’s assertion that 1.5 million
Armenians were killed during the Ottoman reign is a political lie.
It’s an example of hostility against Turks, and it’s purposeful.

In 1915, the total number of Armenians living under Ottoman rule was
1 million. During that time, Armenians living in Istanbul and western
Anatolia were barely touched. Those living in the east, southeast and
central parts of Anatolia were exiled to other regions of the empire
such as Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. During their departure, Kurdish
tribes, who had suffered great losses because of them, constantly
attacked the Armenians. The number of Turkish soldiers assigned to
guard the Armenians on their way was inadequate. Therefore, they could
not prevent Kurdish assaults on the Armenians. Some 10,000-15,000
Armenians died during those attacks. No more than that. However,
the death toll reached 200,000 with losses due to epidemics and
poor conditions. The rest of the Armenians settled in Arab lands.
After World War I, they emigrated to France, America and the rest
of the world. If all of them had been killed, there wouldn’t be any
Armenians in these countries now.

Turkey has never had a governmental policy of ridding itself of any
religion, sect, race or group. But our country treats people who
challenge the state, assault its security forces and kill innocent
citizens the same as any civilized country. True, 200,000 Armenians
died during the exile. But the number of Turks, Circassians and
especially Kurds that lost their lives was even greater. You don’t
come across events in our history similar to what the US did to its
Japanese citizens during World War II, how Eisenhower treated the
surrendering German Army, or what France did in Algeria.

Looking over the last 90 years, the West has a great deal more
slaughter, brutality and destruction to be ashamed of. If only we
could prevent such tragedies from happening again~E

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Turkey calls for study into Armenia genocide claims
09.03.2005 – 09:54 CET | By Honor Mahony

EU Observer, Belgium
March 10 2005

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has called for an unbiased study
by historians of Armenian claims that their people suffered genocide
at the hands of Ottoman Turkish troops around 90 years ago.

“We have opened our archives to those people who claim there was
genocide. If they are sincere they should also open their archives”,
Mr Erdogan said at a press conference on Tuesday (8 March).

“Teams of historians from both sides should conduct studies in these
archives”.

He added, “We do not want future generations to have a difficult life
because of hatred and resentment”.

Armenia says that up to 1.5 million of its people were killed between
1915 and 1923 after a decision to carry out the killings by the
political power in Istanbul at the time, known as the Young Turks.

Armenia also says that the killings amount to genocide.

Ankara has denied that it was genocide and insists that between 250,000
and 500,000 Armenians as well as thousands of Turks were killed when
they clashed during World War 1.

This is not the first time the issue has been raised recently. In
December, France angered Turkey by calling for recognition of the
Armenian genocide.

Paris made it clear that the demand was not a condition for opening
membership negotiations with Turkey but said it would be raised once
talks are opened – expected in October.

France also officially recognised the Armenian genocide in 2001.

Mr Erdogan’s call for a study into the issue follows strong criticism
by the EU for Turkey~Rs handling of a separate issue.

The EU on Monday condemned the use of “disproportionate force” used
by Turkish police during a protest in Istanbul.

The police used truncheons and tear gas to break up a demonstration
on Sunday ahead of International Women’s Day.

The police crackdown has re-opened the debate in some quarters in the
EU about whether Ankara will start EU talks on 3 October, as planned.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanArmenian News Analysis
March 10 2005

AKHALKALAKI ARMENIANS DO NOT INTERFERE IN THE DISPUTE CONCERNING
RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES

Armenians of Djavakhq realize that there are no alternatives to the
withdrawal of Russian forces and Armenian – Georgian relations should
not be spoiled for that.

Georgian parliament has started discussions concerning the withdrawal
of Russian military bases from the Republic. Russian and Georgian
parties have to reach agreement before the fixed date, which is May
15. If agreement is not reached in the course of negotiations,
Georgian parliament will announce the presence of Russian military
bases illegal and will order the government to submit a plan of
actions for “liquidating Russian military presence in Georgia”. Thus,
it may form a situation that will threaten the stability and security
of the whole South-Caucasian region. In this case, Armenians will
occur in the most delicate situation since one of the Russian bases
is located in Armenian-populated Akhalkalaki region. The inhabitants
of this region strongly support Russian military presence in Georgia.

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Currently there are three Russian military bases on
the territory of Georgia: the 12th (Batumi), the 62nd (Akhalkalaki)
and the headquarters of Russian forces in Tbilisi. The estimated
number of Russian military contingent in Georgia is three thousand
people. Moscow makes it clear that the withdrawal of bases within the
coming three years is out of question. Not long ago Minister of
Defense Sergey Ivanov stated that the military forces would leave
Georgia only after the establishment of two new bases on the
territory of Russia. Therefore, it is impossible to speak about
concrete dates today. Georgia in its turn insists on the immediate
withdrawal of military bases bringing the example of Lebanon where
the issue of Syrian military presence was solved just in three days.
So, it is obvious that there is a high probability of a conflict.

Georgians are determined to apply all possible means of pressure,
like diplomatic, energetic, sanitary and so on~E It should be
mentioned that Georgians are quite experienced in such kind of
actions. Taking the occasion of non-payment of communal taxes they
once cut of water and electricity supply to Russian bases. By the
way, Russian bases still have some debts, so formally there are
reasons for sanctions. Another method applied is the pressure on
commercial structures providing products to the bases. This method
has been applied also. Tax authorities organized extraordinary
check-ups in firms belonging to Akhalkalaki Armenians who provided
food to Russians. It is very likely that this scenario will be
practiced again. If Russian bases do not receive electricity, gas,
water, products, it will certainly result in adequate sanctions from
Moscow too, because Russia provides gas and electricity to Georgia.
In Tbilisi, they realize that and this is the reason why president
Saakashvili is not as radical as Georgian parliamentarians.

Another form of pressure that may be applied by Georgians is the
restriction of the movement of Russian militaries over the country’s
territory. Last year Georgia ceased to give entry visas to Russian
militaries.
The total number of Russian military staff is three thousand though
it has to be about 4.5 thousand. The base in Akhalkalaki is staffed
worse than Batumi base. The thing is that the command transported
Armenian officers and ensigns from Akhalkalaki to Russia fearing that
during departure weapons may occur in the hands of local residents.
However, the militaries were never replaced.

The tension around Akhalkalaki military base may have a negative
impact on the interests and the security of Djavakhq Armenians.
Yerevan is very much interested in the settlement of the conflict
around bases. It is not a secret that Russian special services
encourage local residents and politically active people to make
radical steps in support of Russian military presence. It is worth
reminding that the head of Armenian “Virq” party functioning in
Armenian populated areas announced two years ago that local Armenians
are ready to protect Russian bases. “If Russians do not wish to
withdraw their forces from Akhalkalaki they will need our help and
our help will be quite enough” said David Rstayan, the head of “Virq”
party. This phrase may be commented differently. In Tbilisi they
think that the revelation of Mr. Rstayan should be understood as an
approval of the fact that Russian special services are going to raise
Armenians in order to fail the fulfillment of obligations concerning
the withdrawal of military bases. However, it is worth mentioning
that currently Djavakhq Armenians do not make such sharp statements.
Although they feel more secure by the presence of Russian forces,
they seem to realize that the withdrawal of Russian forces has no
alternatives and it would be silly to spoil relations with Georgians
because of that.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Journal of Turkish Weekly, Turkey
March 10 2005

Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia May Meet in Moscow

The meeting of Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents, scheduled as part
of the Council of Europe summit in Warsaw on May 16-17, may take
place earlier – on May 9.

Both President Aliyev and Armenian President Robert Kocharian have
been invited to Moscow to attend the festivities dedicated to the
60th anniversary of victory over fascism, the Russian co-chair of the
OSCE Minsk Group Yuri Merzlyakov told ANS TV. The two countries’
foriegn ministers may not meet for the purpose.

“We all know the importance of this meeting. Our foreign ministers
may meet beforehand separately. We have held talks with Minister
Mammadyarov in Prague, while our meeting with Minister Oskanian is
likely to take place when the OSCE fact-finding mission presents its
report to the Permanent Council in Vienna on March 17.

Armenian forces occupied more than 20 per cent of Azerbaijani
territories. The EU bodies and international community consider
Armenia as ‘aggressive occupier’ in Azerbaijain territories. Yerevan
has also problematic relations with neigbouring Turkey and Georgia.

Compiled by the JTW staff

Zaman Online, Turkey
March 11 2005

No Foreign Interest in Official Records on Armenians
By Zaman
Published: Friday 11, 2005
zaman.com

After a decision for joint action against Armenian allegations by
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and the Republican
People’s Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal, all eyes are now on what
kind of steps will be taken over the issue.

Turkey’s trump card is the historical records and documents held at
the General Directorate of State Archives of the Prime Ministry.
About 2,000 out of 300,000 documents have been opened to the public
after the completion of their classification, but no foreign
scientists have applied to examine the documents so far.

Two thousand documents at the General Directorate of State Archives
of the Prime Ministry include clear information showing that the
Armenian genocide never happened. Documents translated into Turkish
mostly from Ottoman language are published on the official Internet
site of the Directorate. It is striking that none of the documents
have yet been analyzed by foreign social scientists yet.

President of the Directorate Yusuf Sarinay announced Thursday (March
10) that Turkey has historical documents that are sufficient to
convince the world, but no foreign attention has been directed to
these. Pointing out that recent speculations do not reflect the
truth, Sarinay expressed that they have documented that Armenian
terrorist organizations killed 524,000 Turks. “Those alleging
genocide should also document where, when and by whom Armenians were
killed,” said Sarinay and explained that Britons and French had
arrested 144 Turks in 1920, but had released them through lack of
evidence. Indicating that scientists from 75 countries have applied
to the Directorate and asked for documents, Sarinay emphasized that
no documents were demanded about Armenian issue. Sarinay also
stressed that there are researchers on the Armenian issue at every
university in Turkey, but that foreign scientists do not study this
issue. He interpreted this situation as a manifestation that, “They
don’t want to be faced with historical realities.”

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress