Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

Panorama.am
14:33 09/06/06

DID EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT VICE SPEAKER GIVE EMPTY HOPES?
Just two days ago the Vice Speaker of the European Parliament said
that he does not see any obstacles for Armenia to join EU within next
10 years. Speaking about this statement, Armenian Republican Party
member Armen Ashotyan told a press conference today saying that `the
statement was made to establish some positions in the Armenian
political market. It is obvious that Armenia cannot manage to meet
Copenhagen standards neither in economy nor in politics or law.
Besides, there are unresolved conflicts in the region. Those people
who believe in such statements are hopelessly optimistic.’
He noted that in near future three groups of countries can join EU –
developed European countries that have failed to join the organization
thus far, Baltic states which are in the stage of negotiations and
countries which are already in the process of membership, including
Turkey.
Ashotyan had made earlier forecasts saying that Armenia may join EU
only after 50 years. Those forces which promise membership to EU in
nearer future are only collecting votes, the young politician had
said. /Panorama.am/
From: Baghdasarian

AZERBAIJAN DOESN’T SUPPORT ANY MILITARY OPERATION AGAINST NEIGHBORING IRAN
Author: E.Huseynov
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
June 7 2006
“We don’t support realization of any military operation against
neighboring Iran,” told Azerbaijan president Ilham Aliyev in his
interview to the American television NBC, Trend reports.
“The position of Azerbaijan is clear. I consider that all
question should be resolved peacefully and diplomatically,” told
president. He noted that the international community recommended to
resolve Azerbaijani-Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peacefully and
Azerbaijan has been holding negotiations for more that ten years. “We
recommend not to consider the military force. We consider that still
there are opportunities to peacefully resolve the conflict and this
process should be continued until the final moment,” told Aliyev.
The Azerbaijani president considers that the opportunities to
peacefully resolve the conflict haven’t finished yet. “These
opportunities should be researched and a decision should be made. And
the made decision shouldn’t violate the stability in the region,”
stated Aliyev.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT URGES KARABAKH’S INTEGRATION INTO WORLD COMMUNITY
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
6 Jun 06
[Presenter] Bucharest or another Rambouillet. After the 4 June meeting
that lasted for more than three hours in Bucharest, the face-to-face
meeting between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents, Robert
Kocharyan and Ilham Aliyev, continued on 5 June. The meeting lasted
for one hour.
The co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group hope that these meetings will
make it possible to make progress on the settlement of the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict. They said that the meetings were held in a good
atmosphere. After yesterday’s meeting, the presidents were expected to
make a statement on the results of the talks, but they left Bucharest
without saying anything to journalists. Prior to the second round
of the negotiations, Kocharyan and Aliyev spoke about the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict in their speeches at the Black Sea summit.
The Armenian president insisted on the Karabakh people’s right to
self-determination, while his Azerbaijani counterpart defended his
country’s territorial integrity. The Armenian president said that
in fact, the Karabakh people have already exercised their right to
self-determination and it is necessary to try to fully integrate
Nagornyy Karabakh into the international community.
[Kocharyan, speaking in English with Armenian voice-over] I would like
to briefly touch on the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict and our view of
its resolution. The people of Nagornyy Karabakh have in fact exercised
their right to self-determination. This has happened in line with norms
of international law. The results of the referendum on independence
were also supported during the war that was thrust upon them. These
events happened during the downfall of the Soviet Union. This is
a classic example of independence by means of secession. Now the
Nagornyy Karabakh republic has been continuing to prove its right to
independence with its achievements in the establishment of statehood
in the last 15 years.
A new generation is growing in Nagornyy Karabakh and they regard
themselves as defenders of this statehood. We are sure that it is
necessary to make an important attempt to integrate this republic
into the international community.
From: Baghdasarian

AZERI PARTY FAILED TO ADMIT OSCE OBSERVERS TO ITS FRONTLINE
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
June 6 2006
June 6, pursuant to an earlier agreement with the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic leadership, an OSCE mission conducted a planned monitoring
of the Nagorno Karabakh and Azeri Armed Forces’ contact line to the
east of the settlement of Seysulan, NKR Martakert region.
The OSCE Chair-in-Office’s Field Assistants Peter Key (the UK) and
Irzhi Aberle (the Czech Republic) conducted the monitoring from the
NKR Defense Army’s positions, NKR MFA reports.
The monitoring passed according to the schedule, no cease-fire
violation was fixed. However, the Azeri party again did not admit
the OSCE observers to its frontline.
>From the Karabakh party the mission was accompanied by the
representatives of the NKR MOD and MFA.
From: Baghdasarian

DO SHAVED HEADS HATE …CHEAP LABOR FORCE
Panorama.am
16:54 06/06/06
Today the vice minister of foreign affairs Gegham Gharibjanyan spoke
about the murder of Armenian nationals in Russia in the Armenian
parliament. “We have delivered our concern to the press secretary
of Russian foreign ministry who is in Yerevan now. The issue is very
serious and we are watchful for the process,” he said.
Gharibjanyan assured that he will discuss the issue with his Russian
counterpart soon. “We will raise the issue during high rank meetings
and we must ensure that such cases are not repeated with our citizens,”
he said. He is sure that Russian chief prosecutor should seriously
engage in inter-ethnic conflicts. He also thinks that former Russian
chief prosecutor was dismissed from his post on that ground.
Replying to the question if it is possible that Russian-Armenian
relations deteriorate because of such cases, Gharibjanyan answered,
“Armenian-Russian relations are not based on several individuals. They
are serious strategic relations.” He also advised not to politicize
the issue since similar problems arise in many countries where cheap
labor force appears.
From: Baghdasarian

NALBANDYAN REACHED THE SEMI-FINAL
A1+
[02:02 pm] 07 June, 2006
In the quarter-final of Roland Garros tennis tournament, one of the
four Grand Slam tournaments, David Nalbandyan beat Nikolay Davidenko
from Russia 6:3, 6:3, 2:6, 6:4. Nalbandyan reached the semi-final
where he will play with the first racket of the world Roger Federer
from Switzerland. The latter beat Mario Anchich 6:4, 6:3, 6:4 in
the quarter-final.
The semi-final will take place on June 9 at 03:00 PM by Yerevan
time. During the last four years these sportsmen have played 11 times
with each other. David won in six of them whereas the other five were
won by Federer.
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN CHESS PLAYERS ARE THE BEST IN THE WORLD
A1+
[12:57 pm] 05 June, 2006
In the last 13th round of the 37th World Chess Olympiad In Turin the
Armenian chess players tied with the team of Hungary 2:2 and became
the winners of the Olympiad with 36 points. All the four players tied
very quickly as the Armenians needed only one point to be beyond the
reach of China.
The names of the winners are – Levon Aronyan, Vladimir Hakobyan,
Karen Asryan, Gabriel Sargsyan, Smbat Lputyan, Artashes Minasyan and
coach Tigran Nalbandyan. The first four players participated in all
the rounds celebrating a number of impressive victories. And Gabriel
Sargsyan participating in all the 13 rounds gained 10 points which
was a record in the Olympiad.
Congratulations on this unprecedented victory!
From: Baghdasarian

FRANCE SUPPORTS TURKEY CANDIDACY FOR EU ACCESSION
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.06.2006 15:13 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “France supports Turkey’s candidacy for accession
to the EU. Turkey approaching European norms will have an undisputed
stabilizing effect in the region as a whole. Everyone will benefit
from it, first of all Armenia,” French Ambassador to Armenia Henry
Cuny stated in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net. He said the EU is
a club with clear, detailed rules, which are compulsory for everyone
without exceptions. “Democracy, freedom of expression of opinions,
beliefs, including religious ones, human rights, including national
minority rights, lifting blockades of borders, liberalization of
economy, establishment of normal relations with neighbors are the
core of that club,” Henry Cuny remarked.
As of demonstrations against establishment of monuments to Armenian
Genocide victims in some French towns lately, the diplomat called these
“unacceptable” and “anachronistic.”
“While one of Turkish TV channels showed Ararat film on the events in
1915 with the consent of 71% of the audience, demonstrations denying
the Armenian Genocide were held in France. These demonstrations are not
in line with the evolution of the Turkish mentality,” he underscored.
From: Baghdasarian

RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTER SAYS PEACEKEEPERS ROTATION GOES AHEAD IN SOUTH OSSETIA
NTV Mir, Moscow
31 May 06
[Presenter] Peacekeepers may be deployed in the zone of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in Nagornyy Karabakh, Russian Defence
Minister Sergey Ivanov said today. He is visiting Baku. “The uncertain
situation cannot last forever,” he said. The minister also detailed
the plans to rotate the Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia and
specified the reasons for their stay there.
[Ivanov] As far as our peacekeepers are concerned, they are acting on
the basis of agreements. Speaking of South Ossetia, it is within the
framework of the Joint Control Commission. The agreement to this effect
did not say anything about visas for peacekeepers, and we have no plans
to cancel the rotation. It will be carried out in the same way as it
has been carried out in recent years, through the Roki Pass [Tunnel]
[Presenter ] At least 500 Russian peacekeepers arrived in Tskhinvali
yesterday within the framework of rotation, and the Georgian Defence
Ministry has protested at the arrival. The ministry described the
peacekeepers as criminals because the servicemen crossed the Georgian
border without visas. Besides, the peacekeepers did no go past the
Verkhniy Lars checkpoint, but they used the Roki Tunnel, which,
according to the Georgian side, is a violation of rules.
The joint peacekeeping contingent has been stationed in South
Ossetia since 1992. It comprises Russian, Georgian and North
Ossetian battalions, with 500 men in each. In all the previous years
peacekeepers and hardware arrived in the conflict zone through the
Roki Tunnel.
[Interfax said at 0830 gmt that 500 servicemen of the 526th motor-rifle
Battalion of the 131st Maykopskaya Motor-Rifle Brigade is replacing
the 529th motor-rifle battalion of the same unit.]
From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF FRANCE PLAYS SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN PARIS SPECIAL INTEREST TOWARDS YEREVAN
PanARMENIAN.Net
01.06.2006 15:09 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The example of the Armenian community of France is
notable, as the French having Armenian origins are fully integrated
into all fields of the French society, French Ambassador to Armenia
Henry Cuny stated in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net. In his words,
Armenian community members are represented in politics, professional
activities, education, economy. “The only characteristic that
distinguishes them and is quite understandable is their attachment to
the fatherland of their ancestors. This is one of the causes explaining
France’s interest towards Armenia and development of relations between
our countries,” the French diplomat noted.