Author: Badalian Vardan

AUTO-FOCUSING SYSTEM FOR LASER CUTTING AND ENGRAVING AUTOMATED CONTROL SYSTEMS DEVELOPED AT YSU OPTICS DEPARTMENT
Noyan Tapan
Oct 30 2006
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 30, NOYAN TAPAN. A group of scientists of the
Optics Department of Yerevan State University (YSU) developed an
auto-focusing system for laser cutting and engraving automated control
systems. Artur Galstyan, a scientist of the department laboratory,
stated this. According to him, the auto-focusing system will solve
the problem of surface cutting without leaving burning marks. It can
be used during development of material of organic origin, as well
as metal surfaces with some initial curvature. Besides, the system
can be used in machine-tools with laser lamps which were produced in
the Soviet time and are not produced now. Their current price is 150
dollars, whereas only six months ago they cost 100 dollars. It was
noted that the cost price of the laser focusing system developed at
YSU makes 600 dollars and it can be sold at 1,000 dollars, while new
foreign machine-tools with an auto-focusing system cost as much as
50-150 thousand dollars. A. Galstian said that the Optics Department
of Yerevan State University has developed the laser auto-focusing
system in cooperation with Rubin Ltech CJSC (Armenia).

A MEETING DEVOTED TO ISSUE OF PEACEKEEPING CONTINGENT OF GUAM MEMBER-STATES LIKELY TO BE HELD IN BAKU
Author: E.Javadova
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 30 2006
The first issue that was raised and discussed during the meeting
held with Armenian Defence Minister Serg Sarkisyan was an issue
on withdrawal of the Armenian occupation forces from the occupied
territories of Azerbaijan, Safar Abiyev, Azerbaijan`s Defence Minister
told today, Trend reports.
He also told that a meeting of the Defence Ministers of CIS
member-states is expected to be held in a week where the Azerbaijani
Defence Minister will also participate. In addition, an issue
on holding a meeting of the Chiefs of the General Staffs of GUAM
member-states inn Baku to discuss an issue on forming a peacekeeping
element within this organization is under consideration now as well.
At present, works on the status of this element are underway. Issues
connected with the staff of the forthcoming element are under on
consideration now.

HEAD OF DEPARTMENT OF EUROPEAN UNION OF RA FM IS APPOINTED CONSUL GENERAL OF ARMENIA TO LOS ANGELES
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 30 2006
By the order of RA FM, Vardan Oskanyan, the Head of the Department of
the European Union of RA Foreign Ministry, Armen Liloyan, is appointed
today to the post of the Consul General to Los Angeles.
As ArmInfo was told in the RA FM’s press-service, Armen Liloyan was
born in 1971 in Yerevan. He has graduated from the Yerevan State
University, the Faculty of Oriental Studies. He received the master’s
degree in the London Academy. A. Liloyan has been working in the
system of Armenia’s Foreign Ministry since 1995. He had been working
in the diplomatic mission to Great Britain in 1998-2002. A. Liloyan
heads the Department of the European Union since 2002.

HISARCIKLIOGLU ON FRENCH RESOLUTION
Turkish Press
Oct 25 2006
PARIS – “I am having difficulty in understanding why a country like
France, which is a pioneer in democracy, secularism and freedom of
expression, has brought up a resolution on making denial of the
so-called Armenian genocide a crime,” said Rifat Hisarciklioglu,
the Chairman of the Union of Chambers & Commodity Exchanges of Turkey
(TOBB).
Hisarciklioglu, who is actually in French capital of Paris to
lobby against the resolution presented by the Socialist Party, met
representatives of Movement of French Enterprises (MEDEF) and French
chambers of commerce at a dinner last night.
After the dinner, Hisarciklioglu told Turkish reporters that he
expressed their concerns over the resolution.
Hisarciklioglu stated that Turkish-French relations would be hurt if
the resolution is adopted.
“I told my French colleagues that they should behave with common
sense and logic, and not with their feelings,” he added.

REPORT REGARDING NAGORNO-KARABAKH DELIVERED IN NATO PA ROUZ ROUT SEMINAR
Author: J.Shahverdiyev
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Oct 25 2006
The delegation of Azerbaijan delivered a report regarding the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at the 64th Seminar Rouz Rout held within
the framework of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, a member of the
Azerbaijani delegation in NATO PA, MP Zahid Oruj told Trend.
Azerbaijan was represented at the seminar by the deputies of the
Azerbaijani Parliament Zahid Oruj and Elman Mammadov. The seminar
focused on the role of the international community in settling the
conflict in Pridnestrov, reforms with regard to defense in Moldavia
and other issues.
Oruj stressed that the report had been prepared on the basis of the
speculation of Armenia regarding human rights and democracy to bring
its independency into legal frameworks. “After the speech of the OSCE
representative, Elman Mammadov delivered a report. He spoke about
the inactive position of OSCE in this process and stressed that it
helps the aggressive policy,” Oruj stated.
In addition, he pointed out that no documents have been adopted in such
seminars. Such seminars serve the study of the positions and implement
the function of brain center. “Necessary opinions are collected, the
speeches are systematized and on the base of it, NATO forms its policy
from these regions,” the Deputy said. Furthermore he underlined that
the Armenian delegation did not participate at the seminar. Only the
French Ambassador to Moldavia, Armenian by origin, attended the event.
Oruj stressed that such seminars take place in various venues.
Previously such a seminar was held in Crimea. “It is planned to
hold such a seminar in Georgia. But the date of the seminar is not
confirmed as yet,” he emphasized.
It should be mentioned that the 64th Rouz Rout Seminar took place in
Kishinev from 19 – 23 October.

ARMENIA MAY HAVE NATIONAL ANTHEM WITHOUT LYRICS
AZG Armenian Daily
24/10/2006
After long-lasting public discussions and debates of musical experts,
the commission formed for selection of Armenian new state anthem
approved the music composed by the great Armenian composer Aram
Khachaturian for the anthem of the Soviet Armenia. At the same time,
the commission disapproved of all of the 85 texts for the anthem
submitted for the commission’s consideration.
At present, in case, RA Government and RA National Assembly approve
the abovementioned decision of the commission, our country may have
an anthem without any lyrics for a while, until a new competition
for the anthem text is announced. The royalties for the best music
amounts to AMD 700, 000. Most likely this sum will be transferred to
Aram Khachatrian’s Memorial House.
It’s worth mentioning that the majority of the Armenian intelligentsia
have disapproved the previous anthem.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT TO PAY WORKING VISIT TO RUSSIA OCTOBER 30-31
PanARMENIAN.Net
24.10.2006 13:31 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian will pay a
working visit to Russia October 30-31, reports the Press Office of
the Russian Embassy to Armenia. The recurrent visit of the Armenian
leader is to enhance Russian-Armenian relations of complex partnership.
2005 was marked by the Year of Russia in Armenia, while 2006 is the
Year of Armenia in Russia. The Embassy noted that implementation
of large-scale events and actions promoted activation of relations
and cooperation. Urgent matters of bilateral cooperation will be
discussed during the visit of the Armenian leader. The implementation
of agreements at the highest levels for further building of the
Russian-Armenian interaction, specifically in energy, fuel and
transport will also be under consideration.
Exchange of views is planned to strengthen cooperation within the
CSTO. The meeting will also focus on CIS issues, specifically matters
of coordination of efforts to make situation in the Caucasus healthier,
build confidence to arrange cooperation in the region and conflict
settlement.
The solution of the Karabakh issue will be specially accentuated during
the talks in Moscow. “Welcoming the Armenian-Azeri dialogue at various
levels, first of all between the Presidents, Russia proceeds from
the conflict parties themselves should find a mutually acceptable
solution to the conflict. Russia is ready to actively assist it –
both bilaterally and as an OSCE MG co-chair,” the release says.

“First Dynasty Mines” Company of Canada invested US $22, 1 in gold extraction in Azerbaijan territories
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 20 2006
[ 20 Oct. 2006 18:11 ]
“First Dynasty Mines” (FDM) Company of Canada invested US $22, 1 in
gold extraction in Nagorno Garabagh, occupied Azerbaijan territories.
It plans to invest US $12mn in Armenia’s gold extraction by the end of
next year,” Arif Iskenderov, the chief of Ecology and Natural Resources
Ministry Ecology and Nature Protection Policy Department told the
APA. He said that Armenian government negotiates with International
Financial Corporation of World Bank and other foreign banks. FDM
invested US $4mn in geological exploration in Armenia and occupied
Azerbaijan territories. The company plans to extract over five tones
of gold in Kelbejer, occupied Azerbaijan region. It established a lab
of US $70 00 in Soyudlu field in Kalbajar. It plans to establish the
same in Ararat gold extraction.
73 percent of Soyudlu field is situated in occupied Azerbaijan
territory. The exploitation of the field was stopped in 1992. US
specialists began geological exploration of the field in 1996.
Armenian Industry and Commerce Ministry and FDM Company signed a
contract of US $63, 3mn in 1997. Sterlite Gold Ltd owns assets of
FDM Company. The same company bought stocks of Ararat Gold Recovery
Company in 2002 and became its owner.
12 000 employees of FDM work in Armenia and occupied Azerbaijan
territories. Their average monthly salaries are US $150-160. /APA/

RF DUMA WORKING GROUP TO VISIT RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES IN ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.10.2006 14:34 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Russian State Duma working group led by deputy
chair of the defense committee Mikhail Babich will visit the Russian
military bases in Armenia October 17-20. The Babich administration said
the delegation includes defense committee member Nikolay Bezborodov,
members of the committee on CIS Affairs Konstantin Zatulin and Vasiliy
Teterin and the RF Defense Ministry’s representatives. The delegation
members will meet with the administration of military units of the
Russian Armed Forces in Armenia and attend the military base in Gyumri
and the aviation base in the Erebuni airdrome, reports Interfax.

DEBATE NEEDED
By Tulin Daloglu
Washington Times, DC
Oct 17 2006
Today’s Columnist
A few months ago, I came across an article in the Middle East Quarterly
entitled “Armenian Massacres: New Records Undercut Old Blame.” Its
author, Edward J. Erickson, a retired U.S. Army officer, categorically
dismissed the claims of genocide perpetrated against the Armenians
by the Ottomans during World War I. “In bitter internecine fighting,
many civilian Turks, Armenians, and other ethnic groups were massacred
indiscriminately,” Mr. Erickson wrote.
The claim of Armenian genocide is an incredibly emotional subject,
fraught with political and violent undertones. Only a small number
of scholars dare to question the notion that what happened was
genocide. When Stanford Shaw, a pioneer scholar and former UCLA
professor, disputed it in 1977, a bomb exploded in front of his house.
Recently, two researchers have debated the nature of World War I
Armenian massacres, Dr. Erickson wrote. The first, Vahakn Dadrian, is
director of genocide research at the Zoryan Institute for Contemporary
Armenian Research and Documentation. Mr. Dadrian wrote that Stange
(a Prussian artillery officer known in records only by his last name)
was the “highest-ranking German guerrilla commander operating in the
Turko-Russian border” area and the Ottoman government ordered him to
deport Armenians. Stange and his soldiers became principals in the
Armenian massacres, Mr. Dadrian found.
But last year, Guenter Lewy, a professor emeritus of political science
at the University of Massachusetts, challenged Mr. Dadrian’s claim,
concluding that Stange’s unit did not even operate in the area. “Tribal
Kurds or Circassians may have deported the Armenians in the spring
of 1915,” Mr. Erickson wrote.
The debate over the historical record goes on, and Turkey has finally
begun to allow its citizens to engage in controversial debates. This
makes one wonder what the members of the French Parliament were
thinking last week when they made it a crime to question the claim
of Armenian genocide. The lower house decided that the punishment
for denying the genocide would be one year in prison and a fine of
45,000 Euros. It would only take effect if it passed the upper house
and was agreed to by French President Jacques Chirac.
According to Turkish media reports, Mr. Chirac called Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and said he would do his best to keep
the legislation from becoming law.
Making it a crime to dispute the idea of an Armenian genocide is so
outrageous that senior European Union officials sided with Turkey.
“This is not the best way to contribute to something we think is
important,” said Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European
Commission. Oli Rehn, the EU commissioner for enlargement, agreed,
saying, “We don’t achieve real dialogue and real reconciliation by
ultimatums, but by dialogue. Therefore this law is counterproductive.”
Indeed it is. This law displays the aggressive tactics of the Armenian
diaspora to prevent any objective re-examination of history.
They demand that Turkey accept that what happened was genocide. But
is the goal to find the truth, or to make political arguments? Mr.
Erdogan offered to open the Turkish archives to study the matter,
and called for Armenians to do the same. They denied his request. The
other side can’t stand the idea of questioning whether what happened
was genocide.
Turks have done a poor job in dealing with the claims. They let one
narrative dominate the world’s understanding of the incident.
They did not write about the Armenian attacks on Muslim villages. But
now Turks are paying attention. They are angry. But they are not
hateful like the Armenians who killed almost four dozen Turkish
diplomats over “history.”
I sat down with Turkish Ambassador Nabi Sensoy in Washington,
and asked him whether the French Parliament’s vote will make it
more difficult for him to deal with the resolutions likely to be
presented this year in the U.S. Congress, calling for recognition of
Armenian genocide. Sixteen countries have already passed legislation or
resolutions to recognize the Armenian genocide, he said. “The Congress
has never been affected by the decisions of the foreign parliaments,”
he said. “The U.S. knows to think independently in its own democracy,
and they know their own responsibilities.”
The French Parliament’s law is even more absurd than the section of
the Turkish penal code that calls for Turkish citizens to be punished
if they insult “Turkishness” — by accepting the genocide claims, for
example. Orhan Pamuk, this year’s Nobel Prize winner for literature,
was charged under that law. The charges were dropped, and no one has
been punished.
But even the existence of such a law is embarrassing to a country
wrestling with how to deal with freedom of expression. What Mr. Pamuk
said about the Armenian genocide claims is irrelevant. What’s important
is that he should feel free to say whatever he thinks. But historians
should have the definitive say on the issue — and they haven’t
written the final chapter yet.
Tulin Daloglu is a free-lance writer.