Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

ARMENIA CONCERNED OVER AZERBAIJAN’S INCREASING MILITARY POWER
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Oct 13 2005
Baku, October 12, AssA-Irada
Azerbaijan’s recent warnings of war and its decisiveness to continue
building military power ‘serve the election campaigns’ and the
country’s stance on the Upper Garabagh problem will be clear in two
months, Armenian minister for defense has claimed.
“Azerbaijan’s ruling New Azerbaijan Party is likely to win in the
upcoming parliamentary elections”, Serzh Sarkisian told a news
conference on Tuesday.
Asked whether the ruling party’s victory is possible through
falsifications, Sarkisian said ‘it is impossible to win elections by
falsifying them, but if it happens, international organizations will
express their attitude on this’.
Commenting on possible tensions in Upper Garabagh during the November
polls, the Armenian official said the situation is ‘quite tranquil
and tensions are not likely to mount in the conflict zone’.
Deputy foreign minister Araz Azimov has dismissed the statement, saying
that strengthening military power is an internal affair of Azerbaijan
and that Armenian officials are not entitled to making any statements
expressing objection over this. “The development of Azerbaijan is based
on its national resources and capabilities. The steps being taken by
the government, which is working to develop the country, at improving
the armed forces, are natural. The country has ensured its security.”
Azimov noted that all the processes ongoing in Azerbaijan ‘should be
viewed within its sovereignty’.
The deputy foreign minister added that the mentioned statements by
Armenian officials will not affect the negotiating process on the
conflict settlement.*

ARMENIA CANNOT STAY INDIFFERENT TO EUROPE’S PROBLEMS: ARMENIA’S DM
ARMINFO News Agency
October 11, 2005
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 11. ARMINFO. As a country seeking to integrate into
Europe Armenia cannot stay indifferent to its problems just like
Europe cannot be indifferent to ours, Armenia’s Defence Minister Serzh
Sargsyan said while awarding the first group of Armenia peacekeepers
in Iraq today.
Sargsyan thanked the peacekeepers for successfully fulfilling their
hard mission. “By your effective actions you have raised the prestige
of our Fatherland,” he said.
Concerning the Karabakh conflict Sargsyan said that during the Karabakh
war the Armenian army asserted Karabakh’s right to be independent
and secure and now by its high fighting capacity it should ensure the
peaceful resolution of the conflict. Now the situation is much like
early 90 – inspired by oil profits Azerbaijan is beginning to sing
the old song about getting Karabakh back but in early 90 we already
proved that this is a myth, Sargsyan said noting that his words are
well-grounded – “our ground is our army, its effective troops, you
and your service on our borders and within international missions.”

PRESENT MAYORS RE-ELECTED
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| 14:14:23 | 10-10-2005 | Politics |
Main struggle was for the posts of aldermen
The elections of the Abovyan mayor were held peacefully and without
any violations, as the only candidate was the present mayor Karapet
Israyelyan.
As for the villages, there too the only candidates for the posts of
mayors were the present officials.
The main struggle in Abovyan was among the 39 candidates for the posts
of aldermen. Although there were no grave violations recorded by the
Central Electoral Committee, there were some slight violations.
13 578 of the 39 567 electors have participated in the elections. By
preliminary data, Karapet Israyelyan has been re-elected with 12
518 votes.
In Ptgni Araqel Virabyan has been elected with 587 votes, and in
Balahovit – Kamo Grigoryan with 1 467 votes.
In Verin Ptgni Gevorg Pogosyan has been elected with 406 votes,
in Arinj – Gagik Sargsyan with 2 844 votes, in Dzoraghbyur – Arayik
Muqayelyan with 1020 votes, and in Mayakovski – Vahagn Barsegyan with
all the 1050 votes.

OPPOSITION RALLY DISPERSED IN BAKU
Pan Armenian
10.10.2005 12:39 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Azeri police prevented a rally initiated
by Azadlyg opposition bloc in Baku. The National Front Party of
Azerbaijan, Musavat Party and the Democratic Party serving on the
bloc intended to hold a rally on Sunday and urge free and fair
parliamentary election on November 6. The oppositionists were going
to deliver speeches simultaneously in three parts of the city. However
several hours before the beginning of the action police dispersed the
ralliers. The chief police department was reported to have detained
28 participants of the unauthorized rally, Russian media say.

HOVANNISIAN SAYS TURKEY’S EU TALKS ‘IN ARMENIA’S INTERESTS’
By Anna Saghabalian
Armenialiberty.org, Armenia
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Oct 5 2005
Raffi Hovannisian, a prominent opposition politician, welcomed on
Wednesday the launch of membership talks between Turkey and the
European Union, saying that they could pave the way for Armenia’s
eventual accession to the affluent Western bloc.
Hovannisian, who served as independent Armenia’s first foreign
minister in 1992, chided the authorities in Yerevan for their less
than enthusiastic reaction to what promises to be a lengthy negotiation
process that got underway on Monday.
“It must be stated clearly and loudly that Turkey’s aspiration to join
the European Union correspondents to the political interests of the
Republic of Armenia,” he said in a speech at the Armenian Center for
National and International Studies, a think-tank which he founded 11
years ago. “It can be predicted that even in the best-case scenario
Turkey may become an EU member only together with Armenia.
Turkey will also have to undergo serious and irreversible reforms.”
The administration of President Robert Kocharian believes that the EU
should admit Turkey only if the latter opens its border with Armenia
and recognizes as genocide the 1915 mass killings of Armenians in
the Ottoman Empire. Armenian leaders have repeatedly urged the EU’s
governments and executive Commission to include the two issues on the
agenda of the accession talks. In a statement on Tuesday, the Armenian
Foreign Ministry expressed hope that Ankara will now be more interested
in normalizing relations with Yerevan and admitting to the genocide.
Armenian Diaspora organizations in Europe and France in particular
take a harder line, saying that Turkey is not prepared for even being
considered for EU membership. Scuttling Turkish entry into the union
is now a key goal of their activities.
However, some political groups in Armenia believe that the prospect
of Turkey joining the EU could benefit their small landlocked country
and lessen the perceived Turkish threat to its security.
Hovannisian appeared to agree with them, saying that the accession
process makes Armenia’s future membership in the EU more realistic
and represents a chance for Turkish-Armenian rapprochement. “Enmity
can and should turn into partnership,” he said.
In his speech, Hovannisian also attacked the Kocharian administration’s
domestic policies which he said have resulted in “unbridled and
worsening corruption, legalized arbitrary practices and persisting
poverty.” He reaffirmed his Zharangutyun (Heritage) party’s rejection
of constitutional changes that will be put to a national referendum
on November 27.
“[Sweeping constitutional reform] can be put into practice only by a
government that received a popular vote of confidence in a free and
fair election,” he said. “Constitutional reforms [sought by Kocharian]
remind of an unsuccessful attempt to hastily hide cracks in an old
and decayed structure.”
Speaking to reporters separately, Hovannisian said Zharangutyun has
yet to decide whether to campaign against the passage of the draft
amendments jointly with other major opposition parties that are also
against the reform. He said the decision will be made after talks
with his opposition allies.
Armenia’s largest opposition alliance, Artarutyun, and eight other
opposition groups plan to conduct a joint “no” campaign ahead of the
November vote.

NKR PRESIDENT HELD CONSULTATIONS ON ISSUE REFERRING TO EFFECTIVENESS OF USE OF INVESTMENTS
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Oct 4 2005
The issues referring to raising economic effectiveness of a number of
large companies established due to foreign investments in the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic (NKR) agrarian, industrial and banking sphere were
discussed in the course of the working meeting at the NKR President
Arkady Ghoukasyan.
According to De Facto own correspondent in Stepanakert the participants
of the meeting discussed the issues relevant to capital construction,
agriculture, crediting and the proposals on their solution.
Having noted the importance of foreign investments for restoration
and reestablishment of the Republic’s economy, the NKR President paid
attention to prolongation of commissioning of the hotel in the center
of Stepanakert and modernization of the city stadium.
Arkady Ghoukasyan pointed out the necessity of enlisting serious cadre
potential for the organization of economic activity. The President
stated the Republic leadership was ready to render consulting and
professional aid for effective use of investments in the above –
mentioned fields. He requested that control should be established
over timely implementation of works.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKEY CLOSER TO DECADES-OLD EU DREAM, BUT NO ONE’S CELEBRATING
By Suzan Fraser
The Associated Press
10/04/05 08:42 EDT
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) – There were no street parties, no firework
displays. When Turkey took a huge step toward fulfilling its
decades-old dream of membership in the European Union by opening
accession talks Tuesday, no one was in the mood to celebrate.
The negotiations were meant to be a straightforward affair – all 25
EU members had agreed in December to beginning talks with Ankara on
Oct. 3. Instead, they opened only after EU ministers held painful
crisis talks Sunday and Monday in Luxembourg, and nearly foundered
as Austria insisted that Turkey be offered a lesser partnership as
an alternative to full membership. Turkey refused and said it would
prefer to walk out.
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan described the agreement to launch
talks with predominantly Muslim Turkey as a victory over prejudice
in the mainly Christian bloc.
“We stood firm and got results,” Erdogan said. “Common sense prevailed
over prejudice. From time to time there were moments when they made
us lose our tempers, when we were made to feel really tired, when we
went through difficult moments.”
It is not unusual for Turks to take to the streets for spontaneous
street parties to celebrate sporting victories or major milestones.
Hundreds celebrated in Ankara in December when EU leaders set Oct. 3
as the date for starting entry talks.
But there were no celebrations to mark the start of the talks.
“I am not anti-EU, I want EU membership,” said Seher Besyaprak, a
24-year-old employee at an Ankara pharmaceutical company. “But Europe
has never been fair to us. We are always having to make concessions,
concessions, concessions.”
There were numerous hurdles in the final days leading up to Oct. 3.
Several countries pushed Turkey to recognize EU-member Cyprus, and
the European Parliament called on Turkey to recognize the killing of
Armenians by Ottoman Turks at the beginning of the 20th century as
genocide – further angering Turks who thought they had an agreement.
“Turkey is starting full membership talks. But it is clear that this
is not taking place in a festival atmosphere,” columnist Semih Idiz
wrote in Milliyet newspaper. “This step is unfortunately being taken
in a brokenhearted atmosphere.”
Deniz Baykal, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s
Party, criticized the terms. He complained Turkey was treated
differently than other countries that had joined – including being
given no guarantees of joining after 10 years of talks.
“The EU approach toward Turkey is different from its approach to the
25 other members,” Baykal said. “This is cause for concern.”
Those concerns were also heard on the streets of Istanbul.
“They’re not tolerant of us,” said Ozlem Aydin, 34, who works at
a store selling Italian designer clothes in a wealthy Istanbul
neighborhood. “We can be crushed. We’ll be insulted. They’ll look
down on us. It can be bad for us.”
But Sukru Ozdemir, 50, a street vendor selling sesame-seed rolls,
said “we’re going to better days. It will be good for us. We’ve been
waiting for this.”
Turkey’s ardent striving for EU membership is the legacy of Mustafa
Kemal Ataturk, who founded the secular and modern Turkish republic
from the ashes of the Islamic Ottoman empire 82 years ago – and set
Turkey’s course toward the West. Turkey has been trying to join what
started out as the Common Market since 1963.
“We passed the most important phase on the way to reaching our 40-year
goal and the founding principles of our republic,” Erdogan said.
No one expected Europe to greet Turkey – a predominantly Muslim and
largely poor country of 70 million – with open arms. But last-minute
hurdles disheartened even the strongest EU supporters.
There were efforts “to prevent membership and make Turkey accept
several heavy conditions,” said Sami Kohen, a foreign affairs analyst
for Milliyet.
Newspapers and the stock market were upbeat. The Istanbul benchmark
stock market index, the IMKB-100, rose 2.9 percent Monday, reaching
a record 34,300 point after news of a breakthrough in Luxembourg.
Radikal newspaper printed the headlines “Happy ending: Turkey-EU at the
negotiation table,” and “The journey has begun.” Hurriyet newspaper’s
headlines read “Hello Europe,” and “Turkey’s 42-year-old EU dream
is coming true.” Ulkede Ozgur Gundem, a newspaper that supports more
rights for Kurds, said: “The EU door has opened.”
Associated Press writer Benjamin Harvey in Istanbul contributed to
this report.

Agence France Presse
29 septembre 2005 jeudi
Erevan salue la résolution de l’UE appelant Ankara à reconnaître le génocide
EREVAN 29 sept 2005
L’Arménie a salué jeudi la résolution adoptée la veille par laquelle
le Parlement européen appelle la Turquie, en négociations pour entrer
dans l’Union européenne, à reconnaître le génocide arménien sous
l’empire ottoman.
“C’est une décision positive et naturelle. Si la Turquie veut devenir
membre de l’Union européenne, alors elle doit se mettre au diapason
avec les pays-membres de cette organisation”, a commenté le ministre
arménien des Affaires étrangères, Vardan Oskanian.
“Et cela signifie que la Turquie doit avoir des frontières ouvertes
avec l’Arménie, admettre et correctement évaluer son passé et la
situation de 1915”, a-t-il ajouté lors d’une conférence de presse au
côté de Heikki Talvitie, représentant spécial de l’Union européenne
pour le Caucase du sud.
L’économie arménienne est fortement pénalisée par la fermeture des
frontières imposée par la Turquie, mais aussi par l’Azerbaïdjan
voisin.
Le Parlement européen a adopté mercredi une résolution appelant la
Turquie à reconnaître le génocide arménien sous l’empire ottoman,
considérant “cet acte comme un préalable à l’adhésion à l’Union
européenne”. Cette résolution est non-contraignante pour l’ouverture
des négociations d’adhésion de la Turquie à l’Union européenne, le 3
octobre.
Les Arméniens affirment que jusqu’à 1,5 million des leurs ont péri
dans un “génocide” orchestré par l’empire ottoman (1915-1917), auquel
a succédé la République turque en 1923.
Ankara soutient que 300.000 Arméniens et au moins autant de Turcs ont
été tués au cours de troubles suscités par des soulèvements
d’Arméniens et leur ralliement aux armées russes en guerre contre
l’empire ottoman, et lors des déportations qui ont suivi.

The Associated Press
September 30, 2005, Friday, BC cycle
Local Flavors: Hash for breakfast – in Armenia, it’s not what you
think
By MIKE ECKEL, Associated Press Writer
YEREVAN, Armenia
Cow’s hoof soup for breakfast: Is this the right way to begin the
day?
For an American brought up on cornflakes and orange juice, the
prospect is daunting – not to mention that the concoction is ritually
accompanied with vodka.
But for people in the Caucasus, it’s as much of a treat as a
champagne brunch.
During a trip to Armenia, my colleagues Avet, Gevorg and Misha talked
about it with the obsessive enthusiasm of stamp collectors or
antique-car buffs. The dish seemed to have deep emotional resonance
for them.
After two days of listening to them, I was determined to experience
the mystique – or at least choke down the chow, which is called hash
(wheeze heavily on the first “h” to sound like a local).
Just after 8 a.m., we sat down at Yerevan’s Kavkaz restaurant in a
booth of elaborately carved wood with floor-to-ceiling pictures of
the Caucasus capitals. Avet negotiated with the waitress, then waxed
poetic on the meaning of hash.
“It’s not just a dish. It’s a union of harmony and digestion,” he
said. “From this process, you get deeper contact with the food, the
ingredients, your culture.”
It used to be considered poor man’s food: The wealthy ate the best
parts of the cow, then threw the castoffs to the poor. Legend has it
that children of the poor became hardier stock than those of the rich
and the dish eventually became a classless culinary custom.
Gevorg swore that if you broke a bone, you should eat hash five times
a day to mend your bones faster. Misha said his Georgian grandmother
ate hash to alleviate her arthritis.
Appetizers arrived: parsley greens, scallions and radishes; warm
flatbread called lavash; a plate of cold, crisp lavash; pickled
cucumbers; and the vodka. We were on our second round of toasts at
about the same time I’m usually on my second cup of coffee.
Avet began building a chest-high mound of crisp lavash pieces;
essential to the process, he said. I made a mess of it, sending
lavash confetti everywhere. Avet, meanwhile, regaled us with
childhood memories of having to prepare the cow’s hoof by cleaning it
of hair, dirt and manure.
Then it arrived: two shallow, clay-fired bowls for each of us, one
resting on the other. The lower held hot coals. The upper held a
yellowish bouillon with puddles of oil and a six-inch piece of
blanched bone wrapped in jiggling, yellow folds of skin.
Avet and Gevorg called it “meat.” I called it “indeterminate,
cholesterol-enhancing meat product.” I was instructed to put it aside
and cover it with the soft lavash for later.
We started adding lavash pieces, alternating salt with minced garlic.
Avet added his entire mound and spent 10 minutes adjusting the salt
and garlic taste.
Finally, we could eat. The hash was rich and oily, but not at all
heavy. The soggy bread gave the soup heft, while the salt and garlic
added an unusual layer of flavors complemented by the garnishes.
At Avet’s request, the waitress brought out a plate of quarter-sized
pieces of cow’s stomach – an alternative, he said, to the standard
cow’s hoof. They were rather like undercooked chicken skin. More
vodka seemed advisable.
It was time, finally, for the hoof. Avet and Gevorg removed their
lavash and began gnawing at theirs. Misha refused to touch his. I
glared at mine.
“Eat it! Eat it! Don’t be afraid!” they said, laughing.
The hoof was bland and extremely chewy. I gave up after several
minutes and then was directed to nibble radishes which, along with
the garlic, purportedly helps cut the cholesterol assaulting your
arteries.
I was unsure whether I’d had the true hash experience and Avet
hastened to assure me.
He pressed his thumb and two fingers together, then tried to pull
them apart. They were stuck together by the gluey bouillon.
“There you go,” he said smiling. “That’s some good hash.”

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| 16:45:30 | 29-09-2005 | Politics |
ARMENIA SUFFERS BECAUSE OF AZERBAIJAN
The European Union will not launch the New Neighbors Program with Armenia
because of Azerbaijan. EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus
Haeikki Talviie without going into detail informed that Azerbaijan has
problems with one of the EU member-states and the program will not be
launched until these problems are settled.
Mr. Talvitie hopes that during 1.5 month the problem with Azerbaiajan will
be resolved. `The EU intends to pursue balanced policy in the region’, he
said adding that the regional cooperation proceeds not only from the EU
interests but also from the interests of the Transaucasian states. According
to the EU Special Representative, today the EU member-state pay much
attention to the region.
During today’s joint press conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Heikki
Talvitie touched upon the constitutional reform. In his words, the
international community does not persuade Armenia to adopt the amendments,
but it would be advisable to adopt them.
Vartan Oskanian and Heikki Talvitie positively assessed the demand on the
Armenian Genocide recognition by Turkey advanced by the European Parliament
yesterday. The Armenian FM voiced hope that the EU-Turkey negotiations will
be useful for Armenia and the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border will be
also discussed.
Upon completion of the press conference Mr. Talvitie noted that Turkey’s
accession to the EU depends on the negotiation process, which should `start
and finish’, adding jokingly that Armenia may join the EU even earlier than
Turkey.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress