Author: Chalian Meline

STATE DEPARTMENT CONGRATULATES PEOPLE OF ARMENIA ON OCCASION OF ACTIVE AND COMPETITIVE ELECTIONS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 25, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 25, NOYAN TAPAN. The State Department of the United
States of America has made a statement, in which it has congratulated
the people of Armenia "on the occasion of the February 19 active
and competitive elections." This information is reported by the
Radio Liberty.

"We congratulate the people of Armenia on the occasion of the February
19 active and competitive presidential elections and take into
consideration the preliminary mark of the OSCE Office for Democratic
Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) and the Parliamentary Assembly,
according to which the elections "have mainly corresponded to the
committments and standards of the OSCE and the Council of Europe
concerning democratic elections," Tom Keisy, the Vice Speaker of
the State Department declared and added: "At the same time, we also
mention that the international observers have recorded essential
problems connected with electoral procedures."

Giving a positive mark to the response of the electoral bodies of
Armenia and the recalculation held in a number of electoral districts,
the State Department persuades the government of Armenia "to provide
a complete and transparent implementation of those recalculations,
to investigate all the claims concerning the infringements and take
steps for the purpose of improving the further elections."

"We also call the political forces to continue to follow the law and
work peacefully and with responsibility for a democratic Armenia,"
is said in the statement of the Vice Speaker.

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
Feb. 25, 2008

Accounts of Fraud During Presidential Elections in Armenia: ICG
25.02.08 14:40

Azerbaijan, Baku 25 February / corr TrendNews K.Ramazanova / There
have been accounts of fraud in the Armenian elections including
ballot stuffing and problems in the vote count and compilations, the
International Crisis Group (ICG) considers.

`It is extremely important that the CEC and courts review all
complaints and appeals,’ Sabina Freizer, the ICG European Programs
Director, told TrendNews over the telephone on 25 February.

Presidential elections were held in Armenian on 19 February with the
participation of nine candidates. According to preliminary accounts
by the CEC, the Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian won the
election during the first round of polls gaining 52.86% of votes.
Supporters of the former Armenian President Levon Ter Petrosian, who
was second due to the amount of votes, continues endless protest
action in the center of Yerevan. Organizers and participants in
opposition actions express their disagreement to the results of the
polls published by the CEC.

According to Freizer, election officials involved in fraud need to be
held accountable, in other words they need to be sentenced through
the courts if they have done anything criminal in the elections
process.

Protestors who are now demonstrating peacefully should be allowed to
continue to do so, Freizer said.

Today, Azerbaijan
Feb 20 2008

Araz Azimov: "Baku expects the new Armenian leadership to recognize
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan"

20 February 2008 [13:44] – Today.Az

Official Baku expects the new leadership of Armenia to recognize
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and undertake steps for
achievement of peace.

The due announcement was made by Azerbaijan’s deputy foreign
minister Araz Azimov, Interfax-Azerbaijan referring to ATV channel.

"We expect the President of Armenia to undertake steps in the
framework of international norms. Due steps should be taken for the
conflict resolution and it is necessary to understand that peace with
Azerbaijan has no alternative. Territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
should primarily be recognized", Azimov said.

He also noted that unilateral recognition of Kosovo’s independence
contradicts to international norms and is not a precedent for
conflict around Nagorno Karabakh.

URL:

PRESS RELEASE
EUROPEAN ARMENIAN FEDERATION
for Justice and Democracy
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B-1000 Bruxelles
Tel/ Fax: +32 2 732 70 27/26
Website :Eafjd

RAPID COMMUNICATION – EAFJD ON AIR

Euronews is going to broadcast a reportage on minorities in Turkey in
the framework of the magazine ‘Parlemento’. Among others, this
reportage will feature Laurent Leylekian, Executive Director of the
European Armenian Federation.

Broadcast are scheduled on :

Saturday 23 February, 7:15 – 11:15 – 20:45
Monday 25 February, 12:15 – 16:15 – 21:45
>From Tuesday 26 to Friday 29 February, 12:15 – 16:15

OPPOSITIONISTS STARTED MARCH ALONG YEREVAN CENTRAL STREETS

PanARMENIAN.Net
24.02.2008 17:45 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Opposition rally participants under the age
of 45 have launched a peaceful march along the central streets of
Yerevan. Elder people intend to remain at Liberty Square and continue
the protest action.

The demonstrators will march down Mashtots avenue, Amiryan street,
Republic Square, Nalbandyan street, Tumanyan street and return to
Liberty Square again.

The march was organized to protest arrests of some members of the
opposition movement led by Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

Former deputy prosecutor general Gagik Jahangiryan, ex-minister of
state incomes Smbat Ayvazyan and New Times opposition party leader
Aram Karapetyan were detained.

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE DEVOTED TO 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF MASSACRE OF ARMENIANS IN AZERBAIJANI TOWN OF SUMGAIT UNDERWAY IN YEREVAN

arminfo
2008-02-25 12:54:00

ArmInfo. International conference is underway in Yerevan. Before
opening the event, the participants observed a minute of silence
for the victims of the pogroms in the Azerbaijani town of Sumgait in
February 1988. The goal of the conference is to make a retrospective
analysis of the reasons of the national movements, ethnic purges and
violence in the Soviet and post-Soviet space. The participants will
touch upon prevention of vengeful aspirations.

Director of Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Hayk Demoyan will make
a welcoming speech. Armenian Parliamentary Speaker Tigran Torosyan,
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan, Ombudsman Armen Haroutunyan,
President of Armenian National Academy of Sciences Radik Martirosyan,
Director of Caucasian Media Institute, political expert Aleksander
Iskandaryan, and political expert Levon Melik-Shanhazaryan, participate
in the event. Experts from Russian and Great Britian also participate
in the event, The conference will result in the resolution against
the growing intolerance and xenophobia in the South Caucasus. The
resolution, in particular says that NGO representatives calls on the
governments and parliaments of their countries not to allow displays of
intolerance to the history and historical heritage of other countries
and peoples, as well as the attempts to rewrite history. They also call
for taking measures to prevent destruction of cultural heritage in the
region that has become large-scale and is backed by the authorities
of the destroyer-country. The conference also calls for boosting the
consolidation of civil society in the region, studying the peaceful
settlement of ethnic and political conflicts in the Caucasus as a
dominant approach, and refraining from intolerance and xenophobia in
the negotiation process. The conference also calls on the governments
in the region to exert genuine efforts to establish inter-ethnic
peace and inter-religious accord in the region, the resolution says.

SOON HEADS OF OTHER STATES WILL JOIN

Lragir
21:15:51 – 23/02/2008

On February 23, the third day of 24-hour rallies of the popular
Movement the presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan addressed
hundreds of thousands of people and stated that the liberal forces of
other states support the popular movement, including the Union of
Rightists of Russia. Levon Ter-Petrosyan says that earlier the
ex-president of Belarus Shushkevich and the ex-president of Bulgaria
had said to support the movement. Levon Ter-Petrosyan said there is 100
percent confidence that other presidents will support the popular
Movement because they cannot ignore the fair struggle of people.

In this connection, Levon Ter-Petrosyan noted that the Movement has two
aims which stem from the tactics of the government. Levon Ter-Petrosyan
described the government’s tactics as two main aims: to frighten the
society and to encourage their supporters. Therefore, the government
spreads false information that they are going to use force to disperse
the rally. Levon Ter-Petrosyan said this tactics is natural because if
two poles fight, each of them has their plan. For their plan, Levon
Ter-Petrosyan said for 5 months now they are implementing their plan,
and despite the efforts of the government to involve them in violence,
they understand that it is not their game, and they have avoided and
they will avoid being involved in clashes.

Levon Ter-Petrosyan stated that in any other country, the resignation
of the deputy minister of defense and the deputy prosecutor general and
joining the popular movement would be a historical event, whereas the
Armenian society and the government unfortunately do not perceive this
phenomenon in terms of statehood. Meanwhile, for Moscow, Washington,
Paris and Berlin, according to Levon Ter-Petrosyan, this fact is a
vivid source of information.

`The government machine broke down,’ announced Levon Ter-Petrosyan. He
noted that Robert Kocharyan has stated in Moscow that some hundreds of
people have gathered at the square, they will sing, dance for a few
days, they will get tired and go home. Levon Ter-Petrosyan says Robert
Kocharyan with his provincial thinking tries to mislead Russia which
has 500 years of history of statehood, which certainly has various
sources to learn about the situation in Armenia, and if Robert
Kocharyan tries to mislead Russia with 500 years of history with his
words, he shows that he is a man of great philosophy, Levon
Ter-Petrosyan noted with irony.

He called people to stay each in their place, and urge the officials
among their relatives and friends to join the popular Movement instead
of serving the government which has promoted the foul of the nation.
Ter-Petrosyan also stated that the government should not even try to
use force against the Square of Freedom. Levon Ter-Petrosyan says it
would be an encroachment against him. `Let anyone try to use force
against this square and your president,’ Levon Ter-Petrosyan stated.

INVESTIGATION INTO OCTOBER 27 CASE WAS CONDUCTED IN "CLEAN AND HONEST WAY", MEMBER OF INVESTIGATIVE GROUP SAYS

Noyan Tapan
Feb 22, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The investigation into the October
27 case was conducted in a "clean and honest way". It only remains to
start from where the investigation stopped, and the people will know
what it has been waiting for over ten years, Samvel Hovhannisian,
an investigator of especially important cases of the RA police,
stated on February 22.

According to him, at the time he was a member of the investigative
group headed by Gagik Jhangirian and he knows all the details of
the investigation.

ARMENIA LIKELY TO JOIN IDMA IN SPRING

ARMENPRESS
Feb 21, 2008

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS: Armenia is likely to join later
this year the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA)
when the world’s leading diamond manufacturers and representatives
of diamond stock exchanges meet in China’s biggest city of Shanghai
next May.

Apart from discussing the Kimberly process the world forum of diamond
manufacturers will accept also new members.

IDMA has among its members Russia, Belgium, India, Israel, the USA,
Germany, Holland, Japan, China, Sri Lanka and Thailand.

Armenia’s Association of Jewelers and Goldsmiths has sent all required
membership documents.

International diamond statistics often places Armenia among the
countries with well-developed diamond-cutting industry.

AZERBAIJANI PROTEST NOTE AGAINST ELECTIONS THAT WERE NOT HELD…
By A. Haroutiunian

AZG Armenian Daily
22/02/2008

Azeri Provocations

The Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan sent a note of protest to OSCE,
the European Council and the European Parliament in connection with
the alleged "elections of president of the Republic of Armenia on
the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh". The
Azerbaijani authorities demand Armenia to give explanations on
the issue.

The Government assures that it has indubitable proofs of elections
of the President of the Republic of Armenia held on the "occupied
territories".

Already on February 6 "Azg" had referred to this issue and even
cited an entry from the Constitution of Azerbaijan. "Azg" also tried
its best to make clear that only the citizens of the Republic of
Armenia have the right to elect the President of Armenia, and that
the citizens of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh are to elect the
President of their republic. Such arguments, evidently, seem nothing
to the Azeri authorities.

Referring to the election procedures in the Republic of
Nagorno-Karabakh, let us remind that they are absolutely independent of
those both in Armenia or Azerbaijan. Although Azerbaijani authorities
may consider the elections of the President of Nagorno-Karabakh
illegitimate, those elections are in fact legal processes that govern
the political life and development of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh.