Author: Antonian Lara

BusinessWorld
June 9, 2006 Friday
CHESS PIECE;
Armenia is champion
by Bobby Ang
2006 Turin Chess Olympiad
Men’s Olympiad
20 May – 04 June 2006
Top Final Standings
1. Armenia, 36.0/52
2. China, 34.0/52
3-4. USA, Israel, 33.0/52
5. Hungary, 32.5/52
6-10. Russia, France, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Spain, 32.0/52
Total of 150 teams participating
Armenia closed out with a quick 2-2 draw with Hungary to officially
claim supremacy over the chess world until 2008 at least. The silver
medals went to the Chinese who beat the Netherlands while Israel (a
surprise 3-1 victor over Russia) and the USA (by virtue of a 3.5-0.5
massacre over Norway) finished in a dead heat for third place. The
Buccholz tie-break system gave the bronze medal to the Americans.
The Armenians were without a doubt deserving champions, not only did
they win the most matches, 10, but they also finished undefeated,
something no other country was able to do. Also, for someone like me
who has seen his fair share of intra-team rivalries and petty
jealousies, it was gratifying to see that these guys from the
Caucasus know something about team play – their individual players
sacrificed personal ambition for the sake of the team. Several rounds
before the end Akopian, who had a performance of 2928 in his first
eight games, could ensure an individual medal in board 2 and
Sargissian in board 5 as well by the simple expedient of sidelining
themselves in favor of their reserves. But they continued playing, at
the expense of some possible draws or losses that could hamper their
individual standings.
What happened to the Philippines?
In the last two rounds we needed five points to have a chance at a
decent finish, but instead we drew with Switzerland (2-2) and lost to
Brazil (1.5-2.5). As a result, our final placing was 44th – the worst
finish in recent history.
What excuse can we give now, that we were unlucky? I am afraid we
cannot even say that. We only won four matches drew five and lost
four. Two years ago in Calvia we won eight matches! The only bright
spot in this year’s campaign was the 3.5-0.5 whitewash we
administered Iceland, but is it really that big a deal? Iceland used
to be a very strong country, but many of its top players are either
fully or semi-retired. They finished in 45th place, so what are we so
joyful about?
Can we use our favorite excuse “no money?” I always hate it when I
hear that. Our SEA Games team was properly funded, and yet came away
with not a single gold medal. This Olympiad team was also funded well
– what happened to it?
One day, the chess-powers-that-be will realize that smiling at our
chess players, paying for their living expenses, giving them nice
rooms to stay in one week before departure, and encouraging them to
“do their best” will NOT get us medals.
Our best performances were achieved with starving and freezing teams.
Get them all to train properly – all this “we will train at home just
give us the money to buy books” nonsense must stop.
Our players have to learn to train on the Internet. Accounts have to
be created for them in the Internet Chess Club. They have to be
encouraged to work on their openings for a few hours, and then try
out the fruits of their research in online combat, and someone must
be going over their games (Internet games are saved automatically, of
course) to review what is going on.
If you want to give them special coaches, then fine. But make sure
these are professional coaches, and not retired players who need the
money and therefore “I am a coach.” If you think they need special
openings analysts, then excellent! But get real experts, and not
players who need the job and therefore “I am an analyst.”
I know most people do not like unsolicited advice, so as much as
possible I avoid giving it. But there are too many hangers-on now. It
is about time someone gave Messrs. Go Teng Kok and Rep. Pichay good
advice.
GORMALLYGATE. Arianne Caoili played top board for our women’s team in
the 2000 Istanbul Olympiad. She was only 14 at that time and by now
has blossomed to be quite a beauty. A few years ago her parents
separated and she left for Australia with her mom.
Arianne went to Turin as board 3 for the land from down under. Our
Australian correspondent Amiel Rosario wrote about quite an
interesting incident during the Bermuda dinner socials held after the
10th round of Turin Olympiad.
Apparently the English board 4, GM Daniel Gormally, wanted to dance
with Arianne, but was quite annoyed that GM Levon Aronian had beaten
him to it. I am sure that ELO rating had nothing to do with this, of
course, nor the fact that Levon is the world no. 3. Anyway Gormally
went up to the dancing couple, punched Aronian in the face and shoved
him to the floor.
This incident was reported to the English delegation and by the next
morning their team captain apologized for his behavior to his
counterpart on the Armenian side (Times of London reports that he
also happens to be the Defense Minister of his country). Aronian is
treated like a god in Armenia, and all hopes that his followers were
appeased by this apology disappeared when some of them attacked
Gormally when he went out for coffee with friends. So as to avoid
further incident the Englishman was asked to take the next available
flight home.
Well, I was Arianne’s team captain during the 2000 Istanbul Olympiad
and noticed the impact she makes by simply walking into a room. On or
off the board she is a knockout!
VLADIMIR KRAMNIK. OK, back to chess. Kramnik wound up his first
appearance after medical treatment for arthritis by producing the
best performance in the Olympiad. He played nine games against
opposition with an average rating of 2681 and scored four wins and
five draws. The quality of the games was very high. We presented his
beautiful victory over Naiditsch in our first report, now let us see
another of his productions:
Kramnik, Vladimir (2729) – Bruzon Bautista, Lazaro (2652) [D52]
37th Olympiad Turin ITA (12), 03.06.2006
1.Nf3
In his quest to bring more aggression back into his play Kramnik
dabbled with 1.e4 last year. Now, on his comeback, he goes back to
his tried and true 1.Nf3.
1…d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 c6 4.Nc3 e6 5.Bg5 Nbd7 6.e3 Qa5
The Cambridge Springs Defense. The main idea of that opening is to
immediately put pressure on White’s pinned Nc3. Sometimes Black can
also profit from insecure position of White’s Bg5.
7.cxd5
The most ambitious move. Another common line here is 7.Nd2 Bb4 8.Qc2
0n0 9.Be2 c5.
7…Nxd5 8.Qd2 Bb4 9.Rc1 h6 10.Bh4 0n0 11.a3 Bxc3 12.bxc3 Qxa3
Kramnik has given up a pawn for the bishop pair and attacking
prospects on the kingside. By the way, we are still in the books at
this point.
13.e4 Ne7 14.Bd3 Ng6 15.Bg3 e5
Otherwise Black would be passive forever.
16.0-0!
Here I can make a flip comment like “when in doubt, castle”, but it
would not be appropriate. Kramnik’s move is very deep; instead of
trying to recover his pawn investment right away he unhurriedly
completes his development – he has already seen how he is going to
lay out his troops.
16…Re8 17.Rfe1 Qa5 18.Qb2 Qd8 19.Bb1!
A great move. The bishop will be relocated to the a2-g8 diagonal.
19…a5 20.Rcd1 a4 21.Ba2 Qe7 22.Qc1 Ra5 23.Qd2
I really like the way Kramnik is conducting this phase – he seems to
be moving in slow motion, but at the same time Black is finding his
moves harder and harder to come by.
23…exd4?
Black was probably a bit frustrated with his planless situation and
strikes out rashly. It would have been better for him simply to
shuffle his pieces back and forth and wait for white to attack.
24.Nxd4
Now the white knight gets to f5 and the position becomes critical.
24…Qc5 25.Bc7!
This is not only an attack on the rook. You will see the real point
later.
25…Ra8? 26.Bxf7+! Kxf7 27.Qa2+ Kf8
We will see one point of Bc7 if Black plays 27…Kf6 because now
white has 28.Bd8+!! Rxd8 29.Qe6+ Kg5 30.Nf3+ Kf4 (30…Kh5 31.g4#)
31.g3+ Kxf3 32.Rd3+ mate next move.
28.Ne6+ Rxe6 29.Qxe6
Another point of Bc7: If White’s bishop was still on g3 Black could
now defend with …Nge5, but with the bishop on c7 this move is
impossible because of Bd6+.
29…Ne7 30.Re3 Ke8 31.Rf3 Qh5 32.Bd6 1-0
A beauty.

ACTION OF PROTEST AGAINST MURDERS ON NATIONAL GROUND HELD IN MOSCOW

MOSCOW, JUNE 9, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. An action in memory of
people killed by skin-heads on the ground of national hatred and
intolerance was held on June 3, at 8:00 pm, in Moscow Vasilyevski
Spusk street. According to the Yerkramas (Territory) newspaper of
Armenians of Russia, the action was organized by a group of Armenian
youth, mainly representatives of Armenian youth from Moscow and
Podmoskovye took part in it. Students and lecturers of Moscow State
University (MSU), as well as a number of Armenian NGOs, such as the
Armenian Student Association of MSU and the Union of Intellectual
Cooperation of Armenian Youth are among the organizers. The Union of
Armenians of Russia is known to have been refused to take part in the
action motivating this by the circumstance that the action is not
sanctioned by the authorities.
To recap, murder of 19-year-old Armenian, Artur Sardarian was
committed on May 25 on Moscow suburban electric train. The
investigation considers that the crime was committed by the motives of
national hatred. Two unknown persons killed the boy with a knife
before dozens of witnesses. This is not the first murder of Armenians
in the recent period. On April 22, skin-heads stabbed 17-year-old
Armenian student Vigen Abrahamians at the Pushkinskaya station of
Moscow underground, before numerous witnesses. Four of his friends
were beaten, two of them got traumas. The investigation considers the
version of a murder on the national ground in this case, too. The
search of the criminals has not given any results yet.

THE POLICY OF RESTRAINT AND TOLERANCE WAS ADOPTED
A1+
[07:41 pm] 08 June, 2006
“There are conflicts in the region but the bases of the work of
the Parliamentary Assembly of the BSEC must be the existing general
values,” announced NA Speaker Tigran Torosyan summing up the work of
the 27th BSEC plenary session.
Tigran Torosyan will deliver a press release today together with the
heads of the Assembly delegations.
Torosyan voiced hope that both the work in the scope of the
Parliamentary Assembly and the heads of the delegations will contribute
to the solution of the matters and conflicts existing in the region.
Asked the question what is the attitude of the heads of the delegations
to Turkey’s attempt to omit Armenia from the regional economic projects
the head of the Azei delegation answered that economic cooperation
will be established between the two countries as soon as the Karabakh
conflict is settled.
Head of the Russian delegation Alexander Zasokhov also underlines that
first of all we must concentrate on conflicts and settle the current
matters which unite the countries of the region. “I want to focus on
the fact that the policy of restraint and tolerance was adopted.”
Gagik Minasyan, head of the Armenian delegation noted that Armenia
is really left out from a number of regional issues and he expressed
his regrets on this score. The steps taken in this sphere will later
have their direct influence. I am convinced that one of the most
important factors to settle the already existing conflicts is the
mutually profitable economic cooperation.
The economic policy realized by our neighbors doesn’t contribute to
the solution of the existing issues, on the contrary, it leads them
to a deadlock.”
While speaking about the construction of the
Kars-Akhalqalaq-Tbilisi-Baku railway Gagik Minasyan reminded that the
official position of the BSEC Parliamentary Assembly was announced in
the previous session which is as follows, while implementing regional
projects not only the regional interests but also the interests of
each country of the region must be taken into account.

Armenian National Committee of Canada
130 Albert St., Suite 1007
Ottawa, ON
KIP 5G4
Tel. (613) 235-2622 Fax (613) 238-2622
[email protected]
PRESS RELEASE
June 07, 2006
Contact: Roupen Kouyoumjian
Tel. (613) 235-2622

World Premiere of “Aram’s Choice” in Ottawa
Ottawa – A novel about a group of young Armenian orphans, who were
rescued from the Armenian Genocide and brought to Canada in 1923 and
settled in Georgetown, Ont., was launched at the embassy of the Republic
of Armenia on June 7. Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch, the author of “Aram’s
Choice” attended the book’s premiere.
The main character of the novel is based on Kevork Kevorkian, one of the
original “Georgetown Boys”-a group of 50 orphans who were settled in a
southern Ontario farm in the early ’20s. The novel is richly illustrated
in colour by Muriel Wood.
Victoria Cop, master of ceremony and president of the Armenian Students
Association of Ottawa, introduced Armand Hagopian, the charge d’
affaires of the embassy. The Armenian diplomat said Skrypuch’s writings
are an important tool to educate school children-the future leaders of
Canada-about the Armenian Genocide.
Aris Babikian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of
Canada (ANCC), introduce the author of “Aram’s Choice.” Babikian
recalled that he had first met Skrypuch 16 years ago, and had
collaborated with Marsha on many projects. He also acknowledged the
author’s assistance to Aram Ayvezian when the latter was writing his
memoirs as a survivor of the Armenian Genocide and his pioneering work
on Hai Tad.
Skrypuch talked about the circumstances which introduced her to the
Armenian Genocide and compelled her to write about the ethnic cleansing
of Armenians from Ottoman Turkey from 1915 to 1923. She recalled that
at the beginning the Georgetown Boys and other survivors had been
cautious about talking to her. But once she had gained their trust she
was welcomed and treated as one of the family. She also talked about her
arduous early efforts to gather data on the Georgetown Boys and the
Armenian Genocide and about the difficulties she faced in her efforts to
publish her book before the breakthrough in 1999 of “The Hunger”-her
first book on the Armenian Genocide. Since then she has published two
more books “Nobody’s Child” (2003), and “Aram’s Choice” (2006).
The author was overcome with emotion when she read short passages from
her three books. The passages encapsulated the suffering, the heroism
and survival instincts of her characters.
During Q & A, Skrypuch said she limited her research to the testimonies
of the survivors, missionaries, diplomats and other eye witnesses
accounts and reports. She also stressed that although her books are
fictions, they are based on real people and events.
At the end of reading, she presented Babikian a specially-printed poster
of “Aram’s Choice”s cover jacket as a token of appreciation for the
latter’s long-time support and friendship.
In appreciation of Skrypuch’s efforts, Armand Hagopian, charge d’
affaires of the embassy, presented the writer with a DVD of
Canadian-Armenian opera singer Isabel Bayrakdaryan’s “Long Journey Home”
and Dr. Garabed Khacherian survivor diary.
In addition to her published works, Skrypuch has two more books due for
publication in 2007. “Call me Aram” will be a sequel to “Aram’s Choice”
while “Daughter of War” a sequel to “Nobody’s Child.”
In sales, “Nobody’s Child” has been her most successful book. It was
nominated for the 2005 Red Maple Award, the 2005 Alberta Rocky Mountain
Book Award, the 2006 BC Stellar Award, and was listed by Resource Links
as one of the best books of 2004.
-30-
The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a
network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and
affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances
the concerns of the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range of
issues.
Regional Chapters
Montréal – Laval – Ottawa – Toronto – Hamilton – Cambridge – St.
Catharines – Windsor – Vancouver

MAJORITY OF WELSH MEMBERS OF UK PARLIAMENT RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN AND ASSYRIAN GENOCIDES
Assyria Times, CA
June 7 2006
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – Following intensive lobbying from the above
organization, over half the eligible Welsh Representatives of the UK
Parliament have signed a motion recognizing the Armenian and Assyrian
Genocide of 1915.
“This is a historic day for Wales. “There can no longer be any doubt
that Wales has recognized the Armenian and Assyrian Genocides. We will
continue to expose this government denial of the genocide in order to
protect British investment in Turkey and to further Britain’s strategic
interests in the region. Our priority will be to put the issue of
restitution and reparations for the genocide on the political agenda.
The reunification of Armenia must no longer be a taboo subject during
Turkey’s accession talks. We in Wales can raise our voice to insist
that Turkey should yield back land to the Armenian nation if she is
to accede to the European Union,” said a spokesman for Wales-Armenia
Solidarity.

SERZH SARGSYAN: NK BY ITSELF IS ALREADY A PRECEDENT
Regnum, Russia
June 8 2006
“Nagorno Karabakh by itself is already a precedent for others,” a
REGNUM correspondent reports Armenian Defense Minister and Security
Secretary Serzh Sargsyan to say to journalists after the unveiling
of a monument to the 9th world chess champion Tigran Petrossyan,
when asked if Montenegro may become a precedent.
He said that there were many precedents before Montenegro. “In
Karabakh people have held a normal referendum and have a republic
with all necessary attributes,” Sargsyan said.
To remind, on May 21 Montenegro held a referendum: 55.4% of 88%
voting Montenegrins opted for independence. On June 3 the Montenegrin
Parliament – Skupstina passed a declaration on independence. Karabakh
held an independence referendum on December 20 1991 – 99.8% of voters
said they wanted to be independent.

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
06/07/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) Azerbaijan's Refusal to Recognize MKR's Right to Referendum renders Talks Fruitless 2) Results Announced for CA Primaries; Krekorian Wins Democratic Primary 3) MKR Foreign Minister Meets with President of Lebanon 4) Karabagh to Hold Constitutional Referendum in December 5) Turkish Court of Appeals Overturns Dink's Verdict 6) Federer to Face Nalbandian in Men's Semi-Finals 7) Armenian Parliament Hosts BSEC Meeting 1) Azerbaijan's Refusal to Recognize MKR's Right to Referendum renders Talks Fruitless YEREVAN (Yerkir)--Talks aimed at resolving the Karabagh conflict do not produce results because Azerbaijan refuses to recognize the right of Karabagh's people to hold a referendum, said Vice-speaker of the Armenian parliament and Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau member Vahan Hovhannisian. He said that people exercise their right to self-determination and express their will via referendum. `The point is that Nagorno Karabagh was the first to do it during the post Soviet age, when the international community was not ready for separation from metropolises,' said Hovhannisian. `When independence was proclaimed in East Timor, Eritrea, Montenegro it was perceived as a normal phenomenon,' said Hovhannisian, adding that it seems `the same variant' will be proposed for Kosovo. 2) Results Announced for CA Primaries; Krekorian Wins Democratic Primary Several candidates supported by the Armenian National Committee Political Action Committee won Tuesday their respective Primary Races One of the most important primaries took place in California's 43rd State Assembly District, where the main contenders were Frank Quintero and Paul Krekorian, who had the backing of the Armenian National Committee as well as many other Armenian community leaders. Krekorian won the Democratic Primary with 56% of the vote and will face his Republican challenger this November in the general election. An overwhelming majority of Armenian American voters residing the 43rd district voted for Krekorian. The race for the seat turned ugly during its last few days when Quintero and his supporters resorted to a negative campaign aimed at dividing and insulting the Armenian electorate, creating outrage in the community. Other winners Tuesday included: Adam Schiff with 82% of the vote in the 29th Congress District; Dianne Feinstein with 87% of the vote for Senator; Anthony Portantino with 43% of the vote in the 44th State Assembly District; and John Chiang with 53% for State Controller. In the primary race for Lieutenant Governor, Jackie Kanchelian-Speier, with 38% of the vote, lost to John Garamendi who had 43%. Marty Simonoff also lost the Republican Primary in the 72nd State Assembly District. 3) MKR Foreign Minister Meets with President of Lebanon The Foreign Minister of the Mountainous Karabagh Republic Georgi Petrossian met Tuesday with the President of Lebanon, General Emile Lahoud. Accompanying him were, a delegation from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Lebanon Central Committee Armenian, Armenian Ambassador to Lebanon, Vahan Der-Ghevontian, and MKR Resettlement Coordinator, Serge Amirkhanian. During the meeting, Petrossian and Lahoud discussed the current situation in Karabagh and discussed ongoing efforts to help resettle Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan. Petrossian and Lebanese Parliament Member Hagop Pakradouni, along with the ARF Lebanon Central Committee delegation, also paid a visit to the Foreign Minister of Lebanon Faouzy Salloukh. This meeting also focused on the Karabagh conflict. During his visit to Lebanon, Petrossian also visited His Holiness Catholicos Aram I and other spiritual leaders, the Aztag Daily Newspaper editorial offices, and the families of Vicken Zakarian and Mher Choulhajian, who were martyred during the war in Artsakh. 4) Karabagh to Hold Constitutional Referendum in December YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--The leadership of Mountainous Karabagh Republic (MKR) will hold a referendum next December on its draft constitution that declares Karabagh an `independent and sovereign state,' a senior official in Stepanakert said on Wednesday. Rudik Hyusnunts, deputy speaker of the Karabagh parliament, said that the decision was made on Monday at a meeting of a government commission that has for years been working on the text of a first-ever Karabagh constitution. The commission is headed by Arkady Ghoukassian, President of MKR. `The MKR President will sign a decree to hold a referendum on the constitutional draft on December 10,' said Hyusnunts. The decree can be signed only after the MKR Parliament debates and endorses the commission's constitutional draft. According to Hyusnunts, Parliament will receive the draft on June 15 and open debates on it in September. Parliament is dominated by members of Ghoukassian's Democratic Artsakh Party and its junior coalition partner, the Azat Hayrenik Party. `On December 10 we will try to reaffirm the results of our independence referendum,' said Hyusnunts. 5) Turkish Court of Appeals Overturns Dink's Verdict ISTANBUL (Armenpress)--Turkey's National Court of Appeals overturned a ruling of a lower court that gave a six month suspended sentence to Hrant Dink, editor of the bilingual Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos for `denigrating the Turkishness.' The Court of Appeals ruled that `the accusations brought against the defender do not contain material or moral elements,' reported Turkish daily Zaman. 6) Federer to Face Nalbandian in Men's Semi-Finals YEREVAN (Armenpress)The World's top-ranked tennis player Roger Federer will take on third-ranked David Nalbandian, an Argentinean of Armenian descent, in Friday's semifinals after both players posted quarterfinal victories Tuesday at the 2006 French Open. David Nalbandian ousted sixth seed Nikolay Davydenko of Russia in four sets to progress to the French Open semi-finals for the second time in three years. Nalbandian, 24, beat Federer before, when he won the 2005 Masters Series event in Shanghai in 2005. The 24 year old Federer needs the French Open to complete a career Grand Slam. The seven-time major titlist currently holds the Wimbledon, US Open, and Australian Open crowns and is trying to become the first man to hold all four Slams since Rod Laver in 1969. Only five men have won all four majors (Don Budge, Fred Perry, Roy Emerson, Laver, and Andre Agassi). 7) Armenian Parliament Hosts BSEC Meeting YEREVAN (Armenpress)--The 27th meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) is underway in the Armenian Parliament building, chaired by the new Speaker of Armenian Parliament Tigran Torosian. The agenda at the two day meeting includes discussions on such issues as energy security, nature protection, trade, transport and communications, cooperation of law-enforcers, culture, and science. Around 100 officials from 11 members of the BSEC are taking part in the meeting, including delegates from Turkey and Azerbaijan. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

JEWISH STUDENTS CONDEMN FRENCH PARLIAMENTARIANS
AZG Armenian Daily
07/06/2006
According to “Paris Updated” website, the Union of Jewish Students of
France strongly condemned the French parliamentarians for their May
18 decision to postpone the discussion of the draft law that punishes
the genocide denials by criminal prosecution. “The excuse for the
probable consequences of Turkey’s political and economic sanctions
hurts the memory of the 1,5 million of Armenians massacred in the
Armenian Genocide in 1915,” stated the representatives of the union
at the press conference. They added that “registering the truth and
moral duty are no primary issues for the country’s political leaders.”
The French branches of other Jewish organizations, particularly,
“Crifi” and “Bney Briti” demanded that the Armenian Genocide and the
genocide in Rwanda should be acknowledged as crimes equal to Holocaust.
“Certainly, this is a very complicated issue, as it concerns the
relations of Turkey with France and Israel. But we will remain by
the side of the Armenian people until the full recognition of the
Armenian Genocide,” the “Bney Briti” representatives stated.

RAMBOUILLET REPLACED BY BUCHAREST WITH SAME UNSETTLED ISSUE, SAME EXPECTATIONS AND NO CHANGES
By Aghavni Harutyunian
AZG Armenian Daily
07/06/2006
RA president Robert Kocharian met with Ilham Aliyev, president
of Azerbaijan on June 4- 5 within the framework of Dialogue and
Cooperation Black Sea Summit. The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs,
Karel de Gucht, OSCE chairman in office, Andrzej Kasprzyk, personal
representative of the OSCE chairman in office, as well as the foreign
ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan were preset at the June 5 meeting.
Steven Mann, US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, stated that the June
4 Kocharian-Aliyev meeting was held “in friendly atmosphere.” Yuri
Merzliakov, Russian co-chair, said that as compared with the
negotiations in Rambouillet, the meeting in Romania was quite a
different one, “and the atmosphere was always good.” After the meeting,
Mr. Kocharian refused to make any comments on the negotiations,
as there had been no agreement on talking to the journalists.
Aliyev didn’t say anything at all. While Vartan Oskanian, RA foreign
minister, said that the sides failed to agree only about the issue that
remained unsettled at the Rambouillet meeting, though new approaches
were suggested for the settlement of that issue. According to unchecked
data, the issue concerns Kelbajar region.
Meanwhile, according to “Novosti Armenii,” Mr. Kocharian stated
in Bucharest that the militant statements of Azerbaijan that almost
aren’t connected with the discussed theme make the impression that the
other side isn’t that interested in taking serious decisions for the
settlement of Nagorno Karabakh issue. “We discuss a variant that will
help achieve long-lasting and peaceful settlement. But I don’t have
big expectations from the meeting with the president of Azerbaijan,”
Kocharian said. He also expressed surprise concerning the Azeris’
statements, according to which the issue should be settled within
the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and giving some
autonomy to Nagorno Karabakh.
Mr. Kocharian said that from the very first day of the establishment of
UN there has not been any nation that de facto achieved independence
due to its right for self-determination would change its mind and
return to the state they separated from. He added that the Armenian
people gave no grounds to think that they can act so.
The sides met at the Polish embassy in Bucharest. None makes any
comments on the place or the details of the negotiations. Daniel
Fried, US deputy State Secretary for European and Eurasian affairs,
said that the Nagorno Karabakh issue can and may have solely peaceful
settlement. Besides, Fried stated that the settlement depends on the
presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
At the same time, Peter Samneby, EU Special Representative to the
South Caucasus, refused to make comments on the current negotiations,
adding that at present, the sides have unique opportunity to settle
the conflict.

FORMAL PRESS CONFERENCE AT FOREIGN MINISTRY OF ARMENIA
Panorama.am
19:59 06/06/06
Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Parliamentary Assembly general
session will take place on June 7-8 in the National Assembly of Armenia
with the attendance of Leonidas Chrizantopulos, Secretary General of
the organization.
Taking chance of his visit, the Secretary General has come one day
earlier to discuss reforms proposed by BSEC with the newly elected
speaker of the parliament and the foreign minister of Armenia.
According to him, he has held similar meetings in Russian, the Ukraine,
Albania, Turkey. Chrizantopulos also met with A. Kirakosyan, Armenian
deputy foreign minister with who he held a joint press conference
today.
According to the speakers, BSEC aims economic cooperation one and
does not engage in political affairs. The organization is divided
into 17 fields with working groups established in each field. The
deputy minister of foreign affairs said that they are planning to
build a highway running among all BSEC member states around the
Black Sea. The scheme will be detailed in a working group composed
of transport ministers of the countries.
Since BSEC does not engage in political affairs, Chrizantopulos
declined from the answer on political processes, particularly on
Iran.