Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

PRESIDENT OF THE NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY MEETS AZERBAIJANI PARLIAMENTARIANS

Azeri Press Agency
March 5 2008
Azerbaijan

Baku. Elbrus Seyfullayev-APA. Jose Lello, President of the NATO
Parliamentary Assembly met members of Parliament’s Standing Commission
on International Relations and Inter-Parliamentary ties, APA reports
Samad Seyidov, Chairman of the Commission stated that Azerbaijan paid
serious attention to security, defense and development of democracy at
the meeting. He touched upon the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and stressed
that Armenia taking non-constructive position in the settlement of the
conflict violated cease-fire again. Azerbaijani parliamentarians called
NATO to take serious measures against terrorist Armenia. Jose Lello,
President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly noted that it was very
difficult and important issue to form foreign policy on South Caucasus
combined by West and East. The guest stressed that he recognized
Azerbaijan as a democratic and stable country in the region. Mr. Lello
also met members of political parties of the Parliament today.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN DELEGATE NOT TO PARTICIPATE IN MEETING OF PA NATO IN BAKU

TREND News Agency
March 4 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 4 March / corr TrendNews K.Ramazanova, I.Alizade /
Representative of Armenia will not participate in the 68th Rose-Roth
workshop of the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO due in Baku.

"MP Rafin Hovanesian, who represents Armenia, cannot participate in
the PA NATO workshop to be held in Baku due to the resistance and
clashes and the emergency situation announced in the country after
the recent presidential elections," PA NATO told TrendNews on 4 March.

The presidential elections in Armenia were held on 19 February and
Serj Sarkisyan, a candidate from the government won the elections by
polling 52.82% of the votes. Some nine candidates were nominated for
the presidential elections. Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the former President
of Armenia was second in the elections with 21.5% of the votes.

The President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan decreed on 2 March to
impose a state of emergency for 20 days after the demonstration of
the opposition against the false outcome of the election that lasted
for many days which flared into a confrontation with the police.

According to the Health Ministry of Armenia of 3 March, the general
number of those injured during the clashes in Yerevan on 1 and 2
March totaled 131 and 8 people were shot dead.

The NATO’s 68th Rose-Roth workshop will be held in Baku from 4 – 8
March. Joze Lolo, the PA NATO President, will visit Azerbaijan this
evening (4 March) to participate in the meeting.

The security in Caspian region and Central Asia, the political and
military situation, energy security and relations between Western
and Central Asia countries will be discussed in the NATO PA seminar.

Members of international organizations from over 25 countries
cooperating with NATO will take part in the seminar.

In line with the international law and obligations, Azerbaijan,
as an organizer of the event, has invited delegates from Armenia to
join the workshop.

Since 1991 Azerbaijan and Armenia have not had any cooperation,
including mutual visits, due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Azerbaijan cooperates with NATO within the framework of the NATO
Individual Partnership Program (PfP)
From: Baghdasarian

NO-ONE WILL BENEFIT FROM PRESENTING ULTIMATUMS TO AZERBAIJAN – PRESIDENT

TREND News Agency
March 4 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Khanlar, 4 March /Trend News corr A. Ismayilova/
No-one will benefit from presenting Azerbaijan with ultimatums, the
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said when meeting with the local
population on 4 March in the Azerbaijani Khanlar region

Speaking on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the President noted that
the country’s military potential is increasing and that would have
an impact on settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "The invading
country now realizes that Azerbaijan is not a country that one can
occupy," President Aliyev said.

The President said that the on-going conflict is a result of
Azerbaijan’s principled stand based on international standards. "The
separatist forces will not achieve any compromise. We will not let
Nagorno-Karabakh be separated from Azerbaijan," he said.

"The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be settled by Azerbaijan observing
its territorial integrity. Azerbaijan will continue negotiations in
order to settle the conflict in a peaceful manner, but simultaneously
strengthening its army," the President said.

"Several international organizations have criticized us for
strengthening our army. That is our personal issue. When we were weak,
no-one extended a helping hand to us," Ilham Aliyev said.
From: Baghdasarian

Georgia’s President expresses his support

armradio.am
02.03.2008 16:33

RA President Robert Kocharyan today had a phone conversation with
the President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili.

RA President’s Spokesman Vladimir Karapetyan told Mediamax that the
Georgian President was interested in the situation in Armenia after
the disorders incited by the opposition supporters yesterday.

"The Georgian President expressed his support to the people of Armenia
and the authorities," Viktor Soghomonyan informed.
From: Baghdasarian

ALTAI SKINHEADS GET LONG JAIL TERMS FOR HATE-MOTIVATED MURDERS

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS
February 27, 2008
Russia

The Altai Territorial Court has found a group of young men guilty
of killing ethnic Armenians and Azeris, and sentenced them to long
terms in jail.

A jury handed down a guilty verdict on two residents of Biisk on
charges of committing a hate-motivated attack and the murder of
several people, as well as instigating ethnic hate and enmity.

The accused got 17 and 15 years in a high security prison, the Altai
Territorial Prosecutor’s office announced on Wednesday.

During a trial the suspects pleaded partially not guilty, arguing
that they had been driven by mercenary motives, not by ethnic hatred.

"According to the investigation, ethnic Armenian Grachik Bagramian, 50,
was attacked on October 15 2006 in Biisk and ethnic Azeri Ziyadkahn
Eivazov, 39, on November 1. Initially, the two cases were being
investigated separately, but they were subsequently combined into one,"
the Altai Territorial Prosecutor’s Office reported on Wednesday.

In both cases the victims were attacked by several people, who hit
them on the head and then kicked and beat them.

"Both victims died of sustained injuries," prosecutors said.
From: Baghdasarian

OSCE CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE CALLS AUTHORITIES AND OPPOSITION FOR ACTING WITHIN LAW

Noyan Tapan
Feb 26, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. OSCE is going to very attentively
keep up with the post-electoral processes in Armenia. Ilkka Kanerva,
the Foreign Minister of Finland, the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, stated at
the February 26 joint press conference with Armenian Foreign Minister
Vardan Oskanian.

According to him, the preliminary report of the OSCE/ ODIHR observation
mission includes both positive and negative elements. I. Kanerva called
both sides, both the authorities and the opposition for following the
recommendations made in the report of the OSCE observers. He expressed
the hope that the Armenian government will improve the shortcomings
of the elections.

In response to the question of whether the OSCE Chairman-in-Office is
aware of many facts of throwing in ballot-papers into ballot-boxes,
beatings of empowered people of the opposition candidate, as well as
armed attacks upon polling stations, Kanerva said: "I am rather well
informed about the details, which took place not only on the elections
day, but also after the elections." He added that naturally he is not
familiar with all details of the facts. Ilkka Kanerva said that he is
very well acquainted with the preliminary report of the OSCE/ ODIHR
observation mission and supports everything written in it. Kanerva
regretted to say that the mission’s final report will be ready only
in April. At the same time, according to him, a report made within a
long time is worthy of much more confidence than a report made within
one or two days.

Ilkka Kanerva characterized the post-electoral situation in Armenia
as complicated, as the opposition does not accept the results of the
elections and is going to appeal against them. He called both the
authorities and the opposition for finding a way out of the formed
complicated situation through organization of a dialogue. "I am sure
that all sides will act in the constructive spirit and within the
law. This is the only way, which will lead to a successful solution
of the problems," the Foreign Minister of Finland stated. He also
said that he is going to meet with Levon Ter-Petrosian.

Vardan Oskanian positively estimated the results of the visit of the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office to Armenia. He said that issues concerning the
elections, the situation in the South Caucasian region, the issue of
peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict were discussed
during the meeting.
From: Baghdasarian

I REACHED THE COURT ALONE BECAUSE NOBODY "BACKED" ME
Edward Ghahramanyan

KarabakhOpen
26-02-2008 10:14:54

Dear editorial board of Karabakh-Open.com!

I read the interview with the minister of health and I must comment on
the answer of Mr. Khachatryan to the question "Do you have any data
how many doctors were tried over the past few years? And generally,
what is the punishment of the doctor who has made a mistake?", since
the answer concerned me personally.

Firstly, during 15 years of practice as an obstetrician-gynecologist
I cannot recall a single case when a doctor working at the hospital
was tried.

Therefore, I think it is the first and the last case in the history
of medicine of NKR.

Secondly, the maternity ward has worked in accordance with the protocol
of obstetrics since 2000, and the patient for whose death I was tried
was treated in accordance with the protocol.

Thirdly, of all the doctors who treated that patient only I reached
the court because I had nobody to "back" me.

I hope you will publish my letter.

I also want to thank the editorial board for supporting me in April
2007 (the days of the trial).
From: Baghdasarian

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Feb. 24, 2008

Ali Ahmadov: Strength is the main factor in the settlement of
Karabakh conflict

[ 24 Feb 2008 12:39 ]

Goranboy. Teymur Guliyev-APA. Azerbaijan will ensure its territorial
integrity, despite double policy of a number of international
organizations, Executive Secretary of New Azerbaijan Party (YAP) Ali
Ahmadov told journalists in Goranboy region.

He said the instigators of Khojaly genocide and of all the tragedies
committed against Azerbaijan will be punished.

?We will inform the world of the truths and achieve punishment of
those who are responsible for the tragedies. I think that the will of
Azerbaijani people will make the murderers answer for all the murders
and crimes,? he said.

Touching upon the ongoing political-economic processes in Azerbaijan
Ali Ahmadov said positions change in the world.

?Now Azerbaijan is recognized by the international community
differently, because Azerbaijan is strengthening. I think that
strength is the main factor in the settlement of this conflict. Our
main aim is that all forces of Azerbaijan, all its citizens should
unite and struggle for eliminating serious results of the conflict,?
he said.
From: Baghdasarian

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Feb 20 2008

Azerbaijani Public Representatives to Visit Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh
20.02.08 20:49

Azerbaijan, Baku, 20 February / Trend News corr S. Ilhamgizi / In
March 2008, the delegation including the Azerbaijani NGO
representatives, human rights activists and experts will visit
Armenia as well as the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, the Chair of the
Azerbaijani National Committee of the Helsinki Civil Assembly Arzu
Abdullayeva said to Trend.

According to Abdullayeva, the delegation will include 7-10 members –
the experts on the Nagorno-Karabakh, NGO heads, as well as the
journalists. Mainly, Nagorno-Karabakh residents will be included.

Initially, the delegation will visit Armenia, where it will
participate in the conference `Prospects for conflict settlement
within the framework of integration into Europe’, which is going to
take place in Yerevan. After the conference, the Azerbaijani
delegation will leave Armenia for Nagorno-Karabakh.

`We wanted to go to Karabakh via Azerbaijan and applied to the
Foreign Ministry for the purpose. But the Ministry stated that it was
not in its mandate and advised us to apply to the Border Troops. And
the Border Troops said that it is not expedient to visit the occupied
territory via Azerbaijan,’ she said.

According to Abdullayeva, the visit of NGO representatives to Armenia
will aim at `national diplomacy’. Its goal is to form a positive
opinion about Azerbaijan and to show a civil attitude of Azerbaijanis
to them.

`We hope that we will be able to coordinate some model for the
peaceful regulation of the conflict. We need to exchange opinions
with Armenians in this regard. We know that we can not achieve
serious progress in the first stage, but hopefully our efforts will
be success,’ the human rights activist.

He said that the meetings will be held with the ordinary Armenians
and the talks are expected to be held with the officials as well,
during the visit.

Abdullayeva said that the discussions and consultations will be held
with the representatives of government bodies, Azerbaijani parliament
and international organization, before the visit to Armenia.
From: Baghdasarian

JAN KUBIS TO ARRIVE IN YEREVAN

Panorama.am
21:15 22/02/2008

On February 25 Chairman of Council of Europe Ministers’ Committee,
Foreign Minister of Slovakia Jan Kubis and the delegation spearheaded
by him will arrive in Armenia.

The Armenian foreign ministry press and information department
informs that visits of Kubis are planned with Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan, NA Chairman Tigran Torosyan, Prime Minister Serzh
Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan.

On the same day OSCE chairman in office, foreign minister of Finland,
Ilkka Kanerva and the delegation spearheaded by him will arrive in
Armenia. According to the source, OSCE chairman’s in office meetings
are planned with President Robert Kocharyan, Prime Minister Serzh
Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan.
From: Baghdasarian