Author: Badalian Vardan

FBI agent probing Azeri journalist’s murder leaves Baku
Space TV, Baku
9 Mar 05
[Presenter] US Ambassador to Azerbaijan Reno Harnish has said when
speaking about his country’s position on the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict
that Washington stands ready to provide Azerbaijan with all necessary
assistance to find a fair solution to the conflict.
[Harnish shown talking to camera in English, an interpreter translating
into Azeri] The position of the United States on this issue is quite
clear. We don’t recognize the self-proclaimed Karabakh republic. The
USA respects Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and is ready to assist
Azerbaijan in finding a fair and lasting solution to this problem.
[Presenter] The ambassador also said that the FBI agent who came to
Azerbaijan to help investigate the murder of the editor-in-chief of
the Monitor magazine, Elmar Huseynov, has already left the country.
[Harnish] The FBI agent spent four days here working alongside
representatives of the prosecutor’s office, the interior and
the national security ministries. The FBI agent and I met the
prosecutor-general yesterday [8 March] to discuss future directions
of the investigation. He has already left Azerbaijan and we are now
awaiting further advice from the investigation group as to how else
the FBI can help.

“IF A WAR BREAKS OUT, I WILL BE THE FIRST TO GO”
Azg/arm
10 March 05
More than 100 women have their own contribution to the victory in
Artsakh war and the army formation. They neglected hardship and
hazards and joined the army in Artsakh war leaving behind their
families. 17 female fighters died in the war and more than 40 became
disabled. “No one ever thought during the fights that we will appear
in such a condition. Victory was our only goal as we were sure that
even if we are killed our children will be cared for. Who could
imagine that the state will pay no attention to us”, major Aida
Serobian says. She founded the Republican Social Council of Artsakh
War Women and began protecting the rights of her former companions in
arms. “One of the aims of the organization is to support those women
who participated in the war and those still serving in the army. I
turned many times to our wealthy compatriots for help but they did
not react”, Aida Serobian says.
Most of Artsakh war female veterans live under hard social
conditions, and Aida often helps them from her own means. Thanks to
the organizationâ~@~Ys efforts, 3 schools and a street were renamed
after the female veterans and a monument was erected. “I often visit
my perished friends graves in Yerablur. Morale was always high during
the war. I remember once Azeris shooting down at us from the hills
surrounding the village but we were celebrating one of our friends
birthday buried in the village school. But today we are even unable
to visit each other at home”, Aida Serobian says.
Major Serobian recalls that she left to the front without telling the
family members as soon as she heard on TV that Artsakh needs nurses.
She left on April 14 of 1992 and returned home in June 30 of 1994
after the ceasefire.
“I prayed to God every day of the war to see the victory. And it was
hard to believe when a soldier came up to me and said:
â~@~XCongratulations, doctor, the war is overâ~@~Y. When I was back
home my daughter kept on saying â~@~Xmomâ~@~Y after each word for
months. I understood how she missed the word â~@~Xmotherâ~@~Y”, Aida
tells. Aida is still serving at the army today trying meanwhile to
help her friends in arms. “This is not the Armenia we fought for.
Though there are many problems, be sure that I will be the first to
go if, God forbid, a war breaks out”, Aida Serobian says.
By Arevik Badalian
–Boundary_(ID_U7tTmEFbuKhn9oUY6uveNQ)–

Armenia not planning to enter GUUAM
Mar 9 2005 7:45PM
YEREVAN. March 9 (Interfax) – Armenia is not planning to enter the
GUUAM association or apply for an observer status in it, Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian said at a press conference on
Wednesday.
“We do not intend even to receive an observer status in GUUAM, because
our positions and goals differ from the positions and goals of that
organization,” the minister said.
GUUAM is composed of Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and
Moldova.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

BBC News, UK
March 8 2005
European Press Review
[parts omitted]
Police brutality endangers Turkey’s EU bid
Germany’s Der Tagesspiegel warns that a lot can still go wrong with
Turkey’s EU bid after police clamped down on a demonstration to mark
International Women’s Day.
The paper says there is continuing police brutality and torture,
Christian minorities still lack rights, and writers who speak out of
turn on the issue of Armenia are criminalised.
They won’t hesitate to use images from Sunday, and for once they
are right
Berlingske Tidende
“Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government doesn’t seem to
realise that its reforms to date only represent an intermediate stop,
not the final destination,” it says.
The paper acknowledges that on paper Turkey has reached European
standards in many fields, but it adds that the implementation of new
laws is hampered by “strong resistance in the civil service apparatus”.
The EU’s decision to open accession negotiations only marks the
beginning of a process in which Turkish “subjects” should become
“citizens”, the paper argues.
“If this doesn’t happen, then the accession talks will fail,”
it predicts.
Denmark’s Berlingske Tidende says “the version of Turkey which beat
down a women’s demonstration in Istanbul using ridiculously violent
means is not a nation which belongs in the modern European community”.
Worse than the authorities’ brutality, the paper says, is the fact
that “the image of Turkey which the police’s conduct in Istanbul
demonstrated for all of Europe may make it more difficult for the
European Constitutional Treaty to be approved in certain countries,
not least France”.
Turkey’s EU accession and the Treaty may not be related in formal
terms, it goes on, “but the debate on Turkey’s future in the EU is
still high on the agenda among opponents of the Constitution”.
“They won’t hesitate to use images from Sunday, and for once they
are right”, the daily continues.
“The Turkey we saw has no place in the EU. This has to be made crystal
clear to Turkish politicians”, the paper says.

EXPOSITIONS DEVOTED TO 90TH ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE, 60TH
ANNIVERSARY OF VICTORY IN GPW AND OPENING OF RUSSIAN YEAR IN ARMENIA
WILL OPEN AT NATIONAL PICTURE GALLERY IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, MARCH 3. ARMINFO. An exposition devoted to the 90th
anniversary of the Armenian Genocide will open at the National Picture
Gallery in Armenia on April 22. Director of the Gallery Faraon
Mirzoyan informs ARMINFO.
He says that the exposition will last 15 days and then it will be open
at the branch of the gallery in the town of Vagharshapat by the end of
the year. Works of Vardges Surenyants, Albert Parsamyan, Zhansem will
be exhibited. He says that early in May an exhibition dedicated to the
60th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War will open
at the gallery. One of the masterpieces of Tretyakov Gallery will be
presented at the gallery during official opening of the Russian Year
in Armenia. What picture is in question is unknown yet but it will
remain in Armenia by the official closing of the Russian Year.

Armenian defence minister meets CIS official
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
2 Mar 05
The secretary of the National Security Council under the Armenian
president and defence minister, Serzh Sarkisyan, has received the CIS
executive secretary, Vladimir Rushaylo.
During the meeting the sides discussed the programme of events devoted
to the 60th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Serzh Sarkisyan talked about the details of the events which will be
held in Armenia and especially noted that a monument to Admiral Isakov
will be unveiled on Isakov street [in Yerevan] on 9 May and monuments
to Marshall Babadzhanyan and Marshall Khudyakov will be erected within
the next three years.
[Video showed the meeting].

CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER VIOLATED IN ARMENIA: ASHOT MANUCHARIAN
YEREVAN, MARCH 2. ARMINFO. The constitutional order and right for
election of a citizen is violated in Armenia. Leader of Socialistic
forces of Armenia Ashot Manucharian stated during the discussions
“Expediency of constitutional reforms at the present political
conditions”.
According to him, in Armenia like in all post-soviet countries there
are criminal groups who do not allow to solve external
problems. “Seizing the power, criminal groups established their laws
here and demand to obey them”, Manucharian mentioned,. According to
Manucharian, all the instruments of economy are centralized in the
hands of the representatives of the criminal groups. In Manucharian’s
opinion, civil movement is necessary for the way out of the situation,
this movement will establish constitutional order in the country.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
March 2 2005
Ceasefire violations persist in Aghdam
Baku, March 1, AssA-Irada
Armenian military units, from their positions in the occupied
Shikhlar village of Aghdam District, fired at the positions of the
Azerbaijan armed forces located in Orta Gishlag village of the same
district with submachine guns and machine guns for two hours on
Tuesday. No casualties are reported, local ATV channel said.
The ceasefire violations by Armenia in the Aghdam District became
frequent in February. The OSCE chairman’s special envoy Anjey
Kaspshik will therefore request his organization to step up
monitoring on the Azerbaijan-Armenia frontline.*

European Neighbourhood Policy: Azerbaijan
Reference: IP/05/238 Date: 02/03/2005
IP/05/238
Brussels, 2 March 2005
European Neighbourhood Policy: Azerbaijan
The European Commission is recommending a significant intensification of
relations with Azerbaijan, through the development of an Action Plan under
the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP). This recommendation is based on
the Commission’s Country Report published today, which provides a
comprehensive overview of the political and economic situation in Azerbaijan
and the state of its bilateral relations with the European Union. The ENP
goes beyond the existing Partnership and Co- operation Agreement to offer
the prospect of an increasingly close relationship with the EU, involving a
significant degree of economic integration and a deepening of political
cooperation. It is now for the Council of Ministers to decide the next
steps.
Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy,
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, commented `The European Neighbourhood Policy gives
us an opportunity to take relations with Azerbaijan up a gear. I very much
hope that the Council will give the go ahead to negotiate an Action Plan, so
that we can work out a joint agenda for action in the coming years. Progress
in our relationship will reflect the efforts and successes of the country
itself’.
In June 2004, Azerbaijan (together with Armenia and Georgia) was included in
the European Neighbourhood Policy, at its request and following a
recommendation made by the European Commission. The Commission was invited
to report on progress made by each country with regard to political and
economic reforms. Today, the Commission provides an assessment of bilateral
relations between the EU and Azerbaijan, reflecting progress under the
existing Partnership and Co-operation Agreement and describing the current
situation in areas of particular interest for the ENP partnership: the
development of political institutions based on the values – democracy, the
rule of law, human rights – enshrined in the Agreement; regional stability
and co-operation in justice and home affairs; and economic and social
reforms that will create new opportunities for development and
modernisation, for further liberalisation of trade and for gradual
participation in the Internal Market.
Key objectives for an Action Plan should include:
Strengthening the rule of law, democratic structures and pluralism (improved
institutional division of powers, reform of local self government) and
strengthening of electoral legislation and processes so as to enhance
democratic election standards
Implementation of effective reform in field of rule of law (judiciary, law
enforcement agencies)
Enhanced protection of human rights and of freedom and independence of the
media
Increased efforts towards a balanced development of the overall economic
system
Improvements in the business climate as well as public sector modernisation
Reform of tax and customs administrations and legislation
Effective combating of corruption and fraud
Increased transparency in the management of oil revenues and in the
privatisation process
Progress in poverty reduction, sustainable development and environmental
protection
Progress in WTO accession
Progress in conflict resolution and enhanced regional cooperation.
Prudent macroeconomic policies need to be maintained to support effective
implementation of an Action Plan.
For more information on the European Neighbourhood Policy:

Armenian Speaker, senior OSCE officials discuss Karabakh, regional security
Noyan Tapan news agency
28 Feb 05
Yerevan, 28 February: Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Artur
Bagdasaryan met OSCE Secretary- General Jan Kubis on 25 February.
In the light of democratic developments in Armenia, Jan Kubis
pointed to the importance of constitutional and electoral reforms
and promised the OSCE’s support in this issue. He also outlined the
reforms to be carried out in the OSCE, and the Armenian speaker said
Armenia supported any reforms that would make the work of the OSCE
more effective.
At Kubis’s request, the chairman of the Armenian National Assembly also
touched on the Nagornyy Karabakh issue, saying that Armenia stands for
a negotiated settlement of the conflict and wants the conflict to be
resolved within the OSCE framework because this organization has the
best understanding of the history and peculiarities of the issue. The
sides pointed to the importance of meetings and negotiations between
the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents and to the involvement of
the NKR [Nagornyy Karabakh Republic] in the negotiating process.
During a meeting with the chairman of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly,
Alcee Hastings, the sides discussed issues related to security
and cooperation in the South Caucasus region. The sides stressed
the importance of democratic reforms and European integration and
pointed to the implementation of specific programmes between the
OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the Armenian National Assembly in
three areas: permanent OSCE support for Armenia’s legislative reform,
exchange of experience and information for the benefit of standing
commissions of the National Assembly and its administrative staff,
and conducting an international parliamentary conference under
the auspices of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to mark the 15th
anniversary of the Armenian parliament.
[Passage omitted: Bagdasaryan’s other meetings on the sidelines of
the visit to Austria]