Author: Chakhmakhchian Vatche

EU FAILS TO AGREE ON TURKEY
Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran
Brussels, Sept 29, IRNA
European Union ambassadors meeting here Thursday failed to agree on
a negotiating framework with Turkey.
A spokesperson for the European Commission, Krisztina Nagy, told
reporters that discussions on Turkey will continue till the last
moment.
According to media reports, EU foreign ministers will hold an emergency
meeting in Luxembourg on Sunday to resolve the deadlock over Turkey’s
membership bid.
EU and Turkey are expected to begin accession negotiations on Monday
in Luxembourg.
The EU deadlock follows Austria’s insistence that Turkey be offered
a special partnership with the EU as alternative to full membership.
Turkey says it will not accept anything less than full membership.
Austria is also calling for membership negotiations with Croatia to
begin simultaneously on October 3.
“Those two issues from the Commission’s point of view are not linked.
Each country will be dealt with on its own merits,” said the Commission
spokesperson.
On Wednesday, the European Parliament passed a resolution calling
on Turkey to “recognize the Genocide of the Armenians,” and said it
considers this act a “prerequisite to accession to the European Union.”

BAYKAL SLAMS EP DECISION
NTV MSNBC, Turkey
Sept 29 2005
The leader of Turkey’s main opposition party has slammed the decision
by the European Parliament calling on Turkey to recognise the so-called
Armenian genocide.
Guncelleme: 11:34 29 Eylul 2005 PerºembeLONDON – The CHP leader said
that the European Union was creating difficulties and dragging its
feet over Turkey’s membership bid.
Attending the annual Labour Party Congress in England, Republican
People’s Party (CHP) chairman Deniz Baykal said that the decision of
the European Parliament only served to further complicate matters.
Earlier on Wednesday, the European parliament voted in favour of a
non-binding resolution making recognition of the alleged massacre
of many of the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian citizens during the First
World War a pre-condition of Turkey’s entry into the European Union.
“Despite them asking us to meet many conditions, it appears there is
no condition to guarantee Turkey membership,” he said.
–Boundary_(ID_GVWtvHMpCCF1JCarst3mmw)–

NO DISCUSSION OF ISSUES DIRECTLY CONCERNING ARMENIA ENVISAGED AT PACE AUTUMN SESSION
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 28 2005
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The plenary sittings of the autumn
session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will
be held in Strasburg on October 3-7. There are no issues directly
concerning the South Caucasian region and particularly Armenia on
the draft agenda.
As Tigran Torosian, the head of the Armenian delegation to the PACE,
the NA Deputy Chairman informed the Noyan Tapan correspondent,
a meeting of heads of delegations of South Caucasian countries:
Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan is scheduled for October 4, on the
initiative of Rene van der Linden, the PACE Chairman. The four-side
meeting is dedicated to democratic developments in the region.
Besides, a separate meeting of parliamentary delegations of Armenia
and Azerbaijan connected with problems of the PACE Ad hoc Committee on
Nagorno Karabakh Issue, isn’t excluded during the session days, either.

CONTROVERSIAL ARMENIAN CONFERENCE ENDS WITHOUT MAJOR TURMOIL
The New Anatolian, Turkey
Sept 26 2005
* Conference runs peacefully despite protests
* Oran: End of another taboo in Turkey
ISTANBUL – The once postponed and then later suspended conference on
“Armenians in the Late Ottoman Era” opened in Istanbul on Saturday
under high security and amidst protests by some 300 people holding
banners and Turkish flags.
The self-avowed goal of the conference was to call into question the
official Turkish account of events. It was to be held in May but was
postponed amidst a hail of criticism, and was suspended again by an
Istanbul court on Thursday, hours before it was scheduled to start.
The scene at Bilgi University, which agreed to host the conference,
was quite typical of any controversial event in any democratic country,
with protesters chanting and rotten eggs flying, despite the air of
extraordinary sentimentality and strict security measures.
Only those with invitations were admitted to the university campus
during the conference while protestors, members of the press, and
security forces were stationed outside the gates. Some of the banners
read: “Turkish diplomats, victims of the Armenian slaughters, may
you sleep in peace for we’re on guard,” and, “One-sided thesis is
not academic.”
Professor Erdal Inonu, a senior statesman and former leader of the
Social Democrat People’s Party (SHP), who attended the conference
as a member of the audience, was heckled at the gate, while another
group of protestors shouted at Inonu, saying, “Dear Inonu, don’t go
among those traitors.”
Independent Turkish Orthodox Patriarchate representative Sevgi
Erenerol made a statement saying that Turks didn’t commit genocide
at any point in their history, and that, on the contrary, they were
victims of genocide themselves in various parts of the world.
Academics, as well as a majority of the media, expressed bitter
frustration at the judiciary’s intervention in the event. Not only did
the efforts to block the conference hamper efforts for democratization
and freedom of speech in Turkey on its road to the EU, they said,
but the persistence of these efforts also magnifies the significance
of the conference and its content.
A protestor told TNA that the goal was merely to bring the so-called
Armenian genocide to the public’s attention to stir up the country
and that the meeting was one-sided and non-academic. “It’s illegal to
say there was no genocide in many European countries,” he contested,
“but in Turkey it’s open to discussion. Are we a more democratic
country then?”
The question may be worthwhile, and the fact that the conference did
actually take place without any involved parties resorting to violence
may be a step in the right direction. As Professor Baskin Oran said
this may also be a breakthrough for Turkey in the realm of breaking
taboos and proves that things don’t go awry when people speak.

A1+
| 14:23:24 | 25-09-2005 | Politics |
DO NOT GO TO ANOTHER AREA
At about 12:45 120 citizens had visited the Kentron community electoral area
9/30. The head of the community Sargis Khachaturyan claimed that there have
been no mistakes except four in the electoral rolls, that is 4 people did
not find their names in the rolls, `We sent them to the court, but one of
the did not come back’, Sargis Khachaturyan said.
`Everything is fine, there are no errors’, announced member of the
Committee, representative of the Justice bloc Juleta Ovanesova.
By the way, at that very moment the CoE observer David Lloyd-Williams was in
the electoral area alarmed by information about violations of law there. It
turned out that an elector of another area tried to elect there.
No other violations have been recorded.

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 23 2005
THE PRESIDENT OF FINLAND TO PAY AND OFFICIAL VISIT TO ARMENIA ON
SEPTEMBER 26-28
YEREVAN, September 23. /ARKA/. The President of Finland Tarja Halonen
with her husband Pentti Arayarvi will pay and official visit to
Armenia in the framework o his regional tour on September 26-28.
According to the RA President’s Press Service, the main goal of the
visit is to stimulate bilateral international relations, discover the
perspectives for economic development. The Presidents of two
countries will discuss bilateral relations, the EU-Armenia
cooperation, regional issues and will exchange opinions regarding
issues o mutual interest.
On September 27, after the official ceremony of receiving top
officials, the Presidents of Armenia and Finland will have a
tete-a-tete conversation, after which the negotiations will continue
with participation of others.
Halonen will meet the RA NA Speaker, Prime Minister, visit the museum
after Sergei Parajanov, as well as meet the Catholicos of All
Armenians Garegin the Second. The delegation headed by Halonen will
visit the memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide of 1915,
where they will put wreaths. The President of Finland will also meet
professors, teachers and students of Yerevan State University.
Finland acknowledged the independence of Armenia on December 30,
1991. Diplomatic relations between two countries were established on
March 25, 1992. For the recent years the bilateral relations has
developed well. In October 2004 a governmental agreement was signed
between Armenia and Finland on encouragement and protection of
investments, which creates favorable conditions for the commercial
and economic cooperation. In April 2004 a memorandum on understanding
in the sphere of culture was signed between the countries. The
priority directions of cooperation with Finland are in the field of
IT, food industry and agriculture, as well as tourism and services
sector for Armenia.
According to the RA National Statistics Service, the foreign trade
turnover between Armenia and Finland in Jan-Jul 2005 made $3611,4
thsd.. (export – $665.0 thsd., import – $2946.4 thsd.) versus $1724
thsd in 2004 (export – $165.7 thsd., import – $1558.3 thsd.). Thus,
the indicator grew by $1887,4 thsd. ($1 =AMD 448,27). A.H. –0-

US ENVOY SAYS UN DISCUSSION WON’T HAMPER KARABAKH PEACE TALKS
Regnum, Moscow, in Russian
22 Sep 05
22 September: The US ambassador to Azerbaijan, Reno Harnish,
has commented on Armenia’s statement on the readiness to quit the
settlement process of the Karabakh conflict, if the UN is involved
in the discussions of the issue.
“The talks between the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents,
including the Kazan meeting [on 27 August], have been fruitful. The
two sides have reached an agreement regarding discussions of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in the UN. That is why, the discussions
in the UN are not an obstacle to the settlement process of the
conflict,” the ambassador said.
Harnish also said that the US Congress had not adopted any document
on genocide of Armenians. This issue is being discussed at the
level of [Congress] committees for the time being, he added. “The
US administration believes that this issue should be thoroughly
examined. We call on Turkish specialists to take part in this as well,”
Harnish said.
He said that the USA will render assistance to Azerbaijan in holding
a democratic election, a Regnum news agency correspondent reported.
Asked about the election situation in Azerbaijan, Harnish stressed
that under the current circumstances, it is possible to hold an
election in compliance with international standards. “The authorities,
however, should demonstrate their will and fulfil the commitments of
the presidential decree [on improving election practices] on 11 May
this year. Candidates and voters should be active during the election
and the US government is ready to give its support to ensure that
the election is conducted in a democratic way,” he added.

ALIYEV PRAISES MILITARY POTENTIAL
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Sept 22 2005
President Ilham Aliyev praised the plight of Azerbaijani military at a
meeting on the development of army-building at the Ministry of Defense
on Friday. Army building is successfully developing in the country,
its military potential is strengthening and the process will continue
to proceed rapidly in the future, Aliyev said.
“The preparedness and processes of expanding the logistics of our
military are commendable.” Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict over Upper Garabagh, he said that Azerbaijan should restore
its territorial integrity. “We are trying to solve it through peace and
negotiations. But as you know, the talks that proceeded for many years
have yielded no results. In general, a fair solution of the problem
is possible and I believe we will achieve this, as international
legal norms are on our side.
Upper Garabagh is an inseparable part of Azerbaijan and our
territorial integrity is recognized and supported by the entire
world community.” Aliyev also spoke of historic facts. “The historic
truth is on our side as well. It is common knowledge that Armenians
started coming to Upper Garabagh after 1828. I recall that in 1978, a
monument was built to mark the 150th anniversary of Garabagh Armenians’
arrival. Indeed, after Armenian separatists occupied those territories,
the monument was demolished. But this is history and everyone knows
this.” Aliyev continued that Azerbaijan has achieved significant
economic advantage over Armenia in recent years.
“Particularly, in 2004-2005, Azerbaijan’s budget considerably
increased. Considering that the country’s future economic prospects
are also very promising, this advantage will further increase.” The
President cited the ‘positive development of political processes’
around the world, in the region, as well as in international
organizations dealing with the Garabagh conflict. “Four resolutions
of the United Nations are in force. These resolutions demand Armenia
to unconditionally withdraw its armed forces from the occupied land.
Azerbaijan has lately brought the issue to the attention of UN again
and it was included in the General Assembly agenda. This is our great
diplomatic success.” Aliyev noted that the OSCE directly dealing with
the conflict delegated a fact-finding mission to the region. The report
it published indicated that thousands of Armenians are being illegally
settled in the occupied territories. “This shows how much Armenia is
ignoring the demands of the world community and international legal
norms.” Aliyev recalled that the Council of Europe passed a very
unequivocal and fair resolution on the Garabagh conflict in January. It
said that Armenia has committed aggression against Azerbaijan,
occupied Azeri land and pursued a policy of ethnic cleansing,
which turned over a million Azerbaijanis into refugees and displaced
persons. “But no matter how much we may talk of diplomatic, economic
and political success, the problem remains unresolved. What should
Azerbaijan do in this case? The country has pursued peaceful policy
for many years. But the issue has not been resolved yet. Strengthening
our military potential is therefore natural.” The President said that
first of all, Azerbaijan is a country living in a state of war. “Our
land is under occupation and this is our number one problem. Our
primary task should be strengthening our defense capabilities. On the
other hand, very efficient economic reforms underway in Azerbaijan
are strengthening our economic potential.” Aliyev emphasized that the
country’s budget is rapidly increasing. Next year’s budget will exceed
$3.5 billion and the figure is currently being specified. Military
spending is therefore growing as well. The figure was $175 million
in 2004 and will make up $300 million in 2005 and $600 million next
year, the President said. “As you know, I have set out a goal to
bring Azerbaijan’s military expenses to the level of Armenia’s total
state budget soon. It will even exceed the figure and we will achieve
this.” The President noted that Azerbaijan’s increasing military
power alarms Armenia and some international organizations. “We have
heard such statements. We are also concerned over a number of issues,
including the recent transfer of arms from Georgia to Armenia by
Russia, which is a co-chair of the [OSCE] Minsk Group. We are also
concerned over the military exercises underway in Armenia. The primary
reason for our increasing military budget is Russia’s illegal transfer
of weaponry worth $1 billion to Armenia in mid-1990s. We are therefore
taking and will continue to take adequate steps.” Aliyev said the fact
that Azerbaijani territories have remained under occupation for over 10
years should be a concern for the parties dealing with the problem,
as well as organizations and countries playing a leading role in
these entities. They should also be concerned over the fact that Azeri
citizens continue to live as refugees and IDPs and the international
community’s indifferent approach. “Our country’s increasing military
budget is our sovereign right and should not perturb anyone. This is
our business and we will pursue this as much as we deem possible in
the future”, the President concluded.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Congressional Record: September 20, 2005 (Extensions)]
RECOGNIZING RITA BALIAN
HON. JAMES P. MORAN
of virginia
in the house of representatives
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Mr. MORAN of Virginia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the
exceptional contributions of Rita Balian, a humanitarian activist and
community leader who has worked tirelessly on behalf of women and
children in the United States and Armenia.
Ever since the earthquake in Armenia in 1988, Ms. Balian has
dedicated her time, talent and expertise to help the people of Armenia.
She has realized many projects in support of women, schools, and
universities. Since 1996, she has concentrated her efforts on women’s
health, taking American technology, management skills and medical
expertise to Armenia.
She is the founder, president and chief executive officer of the
Armenian American Cultural Association (AACA), a non-profit charitable
organization incorporated in 1995 in Arlington, Virginia. Through AACA,
Ms. Balian established the Armenian American Wellness Center in
Yerevan, a humanitarian project dedicated to saving, prolonging, and
improving the lives of women through the early and accurate detection
of breast and cervical cancer and to providing primary health care
services to ensure the good health and well-being of families in
Armenia. To facilitate the Wellness Center’s work, Ms. Balian partnered
the Center with seven major U.S. medical institutions. Since the
Wellness Center’s establishment in 1997, it has screened over 60,000
women and saved the lives of over 1,500 through the early detection of
life-threatening illnesses.
Ms. Balian has dedicated herself to expanding the services offered at
the Wellness Center and providing increased access to those services.
The Center has added protocols in gynecology, family medicine, and
pathology and reaches out to Armenians living in rural areas through
monthly outreach missions and the establishment of two satellite
clinics.
Along with her work on behalf of the Wellness Center, Ms. Balian’s
accomplishments also include the establishment of a sister-city program
between the cities of Gyumri, Armenia and Alexandria, Virginia. She co-
chaired the Alexandria/Gyumri Sister City Committee for six years,
organized several municipal, cultural and educational exchanges and
established the Alexandria Armenian Day Festival, which is now an
annual celebration.
Through her work with the Armenian General Benevolence Union (AGBU),
the largest and oldest Armenian philanthropic organization in the
world, Mrs. Balian and her husband cofounded the AGBU New York Summer
Intern Program for Armenian college students from around the world. She
continues to manage the intern program, which is now in its nineteenth
year.
She has received many awards in recognition of her work with the
Wellness Center; most notably the “Spirit of Life Cancer Advocacy
Award” in September 2003 from the International Spirit of Life
Foundation and the Washington Cancer Institute, the “Outstanding
Citizen Achievement A ward” from the United States Agency for
International Development in January 2003, and the Armenian Church’s
highest medal of honor, the St. Nersess Shnorhali Medal, bestowed upon
her through a Pontifical Encyclical by His Holiness, the Catholicos
Karekin II, in October 2001.
The Armenian people have acknowledged Ms. Balian’s humanitarian work
as well. She has received honorary doctoral degrees from three
different universities in Armenia, and in April 1996, Rita and her
husband, Vartkess Balian, became honorary citizens of the Republic of
Armenia through a special presidential decree presented to them at the
Armenian Embassy in Washington, DC.
She has also been honored by the United Nations for her advocacy on
behalf of women’s and children’s rights and by the American Red Cross
for her leadership in obtaining humanitarian assistance for the victims
of the 1988 earthquake in Armenia.
Since March of 2004, Ms. Balian has served as a member of Governor
Warner’s Virginia/Armenia Advisory Commission.
Mr. Speaker, I am proud to recognize the numerous accomplishments of
Rita Balian. Her dedication to the people of Armenia and her efforts to
increase international understanding reflect a deep sense of purpose
and remarkable ability to achieve difficult and worthy goals. Her work
serves as an inspiration to us all.

ARMINFO News Agency
September 21, 2005
INDEPENDENCE IS NOT FOR SALE – IT IS LIFESTYLE: ARMENIAN PM
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 21. ARMINFO. Life itself has proved the necessity
of independence. Independence is inevitable. It is not for sale – it
is a lifestyle, Armenia’s Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan said at
Yerablur Memorial today.
Now the key tasks of independent Armenia are to ensure frontier
security, to improve living standard and to create conditions for
repatriation.
Armenian Parliament Speaker Artur Bagdassaryan said that Armenia is
slowly but steadily moving towards its goal. Of course we would like
the progress to be quicker and so each year we come to Yerablur to
swear to the graves of our comrades that we will do our tasks quicker
and better, Bagdassaryan said.