Author: Chatinian Lara

Pan Armenian News
ARMENIAN ISSUE BOOK ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE 90-TH ANNIVERSARY PUBLISHED IN
ESTONIA
12.04.2005 03:02
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Professor Lembo Tanning the Armenian Issue book, devoted
to the 90-th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide is published in Estonia,
reported the commission for organizing measures devoted to the 90-th
anniversary of the Genocide. The book presentation was held at the National
Library of Estonia. Art figures, deputies, members of the Council of
Estonian Churches, representatives of the European Parliament and the
Armenian community of Estonia were present at the event.

Armenpress
ARMENIAN AND BULGARIAN FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTERS EXCHANGE CONGRATULATION
MESSAGES
YEREVAN, APRIL 11, ARMENPRESS: Armenian Foreign Affairs Minister Vartan
Oskanian and Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Minister Solomon Passy exchanged
congratulation messages on the occasion of 10th anniversary of the agreement
on good relations and cooperation signed between Armenia and Bulgaria April
10, 1995.
According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry press services, Oskanian
underscored the importance of the agreement which became the basis of the
cooperation with Bulgaria in different spheres and expressed assurance that
Armenian-Bulgarian cooperation will continue to beef up and will include new
spheres of cooperation which is becoming more important from the point of
view of European neighborhood policy.
On his part, Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Minister Solomon Passy expressed
hope that the cooperation between Armenian and Bulgarian Foreign Affairs
Ministries which is promoted by Armenia’s strive to enter the European
family will continue to develop dynamically.
The letter to the Bulgarian Foreign Affairs Minister was handed by
Armenian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Armen Baiburtian and from the
Bulgarian side it was handed by Bulgarian ambassador to Armenia Stefan
Dimitrov.

Civil Georgia, Georgia
April 11 2005
U.S. Officials Visit Abkhazia
U.S. Senior Advisor for Caspian Basin Energy Diplomacy Ambassador
Steven Mann, who is also the Special Negotiator for Nagorno-Karabakh
and Eurasian Conflicts, and U.S. Ambassador to Georgia Richard Miles
arrived in the Abkhaz capital Sokhumi on April 11, according to the
U.S. Embassy in Georgia.
The U.S. diplomats will hold talks with the leadership of
unrecognized republic, but no details of the purpose of this visit
have been reported yet.

Incirlik preparing for new era
The Anatolian Times
4/9/2005
Turkey has yet to convey its official response for the request of its
close ally, the U.S., to use Incirlik Airbase for logistical purposes
during its operations against Afghanistan and Iraq, but preparations
for the airbase’s new era are already in progress. Sources told The New
Anatolian that although the General Staff office has some reservations,
it has submitted a positive response to the government.
It’s known that in the wake of a series of talks, the government
adopted the idea of allowing the U.S. to use Incirlik as a logistical
base. But this view has yet to be officially voiced.
Despite all, the U.S. has already started preparations for Incirlik’s
new future.
Maintenance of the main runway, ruined due to the base’s heavy
schedule, is to be carried out between April 29 and May 13.
Meanwhile, the barracks, built instead of a tent city, is also
undergoing maintenance. In addition to all this, an aircraft hangar
is being kept on alert for a possible troop transfer. The hangar
can hold around 1,000 soldiers. There’s also international call and
Internet access from the hangar.
Debate is on
The government is reportedly waiting for April 24 to make its final
decision on the Incirlik Airbase. Although this was denied by the
government sources, it’s been claimed that the government is holding
this card against the possibility official recognition of the so-called
Armenian genocide.
On the other side of the coin, uncertainty about the details continues.
It’s claimed that government will allow the U.S. to use Incirlik
as a logistical base through a secret resolution dated June 23,
2003, while others insist that the Defense and Economic Cooperation
Agreement, dated 1980, allows the government to give permission to
the United States.
Legal experts had been saying that the agreement was signed as part
of a NATO agreement and does not allow the government to let foreign
troops on Turkish soil.
Ammunition depot
If the government allows Incirlik to be used as a logistical base,
the Adana Airbase will turn into a ammunition depot.
In addition to food, supplies, etc. there would be various kinds of
ammunition in the base. Bombs, tank shells, and different kinds of
rockets would be brought to Incirlik for their transfer to Afghanistan
and Iraq.
Source: TNA

Azeri Defence Ministry reports more Karabakh truce violations
Turan news agency
8 Apr 05
Baku, 8 April: Armenian troops fired at Azerbaijani positions near
the village of Sixlar in Agdam District from 0005 to 0045 on 8 April
[1905-1945 gmt on 7 April].
The fire was opened from positions located at a distance of 1.5 km
from the village.
Azerbaijani positions near the village of Mahrizli in Agdam District
came under fire from 0110 to 0120 [2010-2020 gmt]. The fire was opened
by Armenians from the village of Saricali in the same district.
The enemy used assault rifles and machine guns in both cases. The
Azerbaijani side opened retaliatory fire, no casualties are reported,
the Defence Ministry press service reported.

KARS -AKHALQALAK-BAKU RAILWAY ESTIMATED $400 MILLION
AZG Armenian Daily #063, 09/04/2005
Region
Georgian Civil online newspaper informed that in Baku Georgia,
Azerbaijan and Turkey signed a treaty on construction of
Kars-Akhalqalak-Tbilisi-Baku Railway. The newspaper said that
a Georgian-Azeri-Turkish united company will be established in
Istanbul. It will carry out the construction of the railway. According
to preliminary indicators, the program will cost $400 million.
Kars-Akhalqalak newly built section of the railway stretches for 98kms,
30kms pass through Armenian-populated Javakhk. Though there used to
work Akhalqalak-Tbilisi railway it still needs to be renovated.
It’s worth reminding that there is a railway connecting Turkey with
Azerbaijan (Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi-Baku). It doesn’t function since 1993
when the Turkish government decided to impose a blockade on Armenia.

ARMENIAN DRAM’S RISE IS RESULT OF STRENGTHENED ECONOMY
YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. At the April 5 press conference, the
European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) representatives
expressed an opinion that the growth of the Armenian dram’s exchange
rate against the US dollar and the euro is the result of the
strengthened economy. According to the bank’s regional director Mike
Davey, the exchange rates of currencies in Armenia are also influenced
by substantial amounts of remittances coming into the country from
abroad. In his view, the RA Central Bank’s policy should be cautious
in this regard, which, however, is not the case.

SHAVARSH KOCHARIAN DOES NOT EXCLUDE ARMENIA TO BE INVOLVED IN PROCESS OF CREATION OF “SANITARY CORDON”
YEREVAN, APRIL 6, NOYAN TAPAN. Shavarsh Kocharian, an RA National
Assembly MP from “Ardarutiun” (Justice) fraction, a member of the
Parliamentary Delegation of Armenia at the Parliamentary Assembly of
the Council of Europe, does not exclud that “Armenia can be involved in
a really implemented plan of creation of so called “sanitary cordon”
aroud Russia.” In an interview with the Noyan Tapan correspondent,
Mr. Kocharian mentioned that after the break-up of the USSR, fear of
the West of potential nuclear threat from the USSR automaticly passed
to Russia. At first, the main reason of aspiration of the West to
include in its orbit as many countries bordering Russia, as possible,
was its concern caused by the nuclear factor. Today, in his opinion,
the West also sees a threat “coming from agressive Russia which
is the centre of assistance to authoritarian regimes.” According
to Kocharian, in order to keep influence on Post-Soviet countries
“Russia, unfortunately, doesn’t see any other way, except for assisting
in keeping in power this or that authoritarian leader, whom society
does not accept and who exists on account of the Russians.” “Russia
has a sad experience: those countries, which went in the democratic
way of development, unequivocally left its bosom. Russia must treat
it more flexibly. Unfortunately, it did not happen in the case of the
Ukraine. Such a perception still exists in Russia and it can relate
to Armenia, too,” Shavarsh Kocharian stated.

PARTICIPANTS OF GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR TO RECEIVE FREE CARDS OF INTERNET
CONNECTION
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, NOAYAN TAPAN. ArmenTel promises to give free cards of
Internet-telephone connection to participants of the Great Patriotic
War. As Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed from the company’s
Public Relations Department, the goal of this action on the occasion of
the 60th anniversary of the Victory is to give veterans opportunity to
contact over the telephone with their martial friends living in other
countries or cities. The action is envasiged to held in late April
but ArmenTel will give additional information concerning the exact
term. Later it will informe on how many free minutes’ of telephone
connection the war participants will receive.

TIGRAN SARGSIAN ELECTED INTERSTATEBANK BOARD CHAIRMAN
YEREVAN, APRIL 5, NOYAN TAPAN. At the Interstatebank’s annual meeting
in Moscow on April 1, Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA)
Tigran Sargsian was elected Chairman of the Interstatebank’s Board at
the suggestion of the RF Central Bank’s Chairman Sergei Ignatyev.
Interstatebank was founded on January 22, 1993, by Armenia,
Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrghyzstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation,
Tadzhikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine. The highest
body of Interstatebanks’s management is its board, with operative
management being implemented by chairman appointed by the board.
Interstatebank is an international intergovernmental organization
that fulfils various banking functions in the CIS countries, has
correspondent relations with the central banks – its members, as well
as with a number of commercial banks such as Ost-West, Handelsbank,
Donay Bank, CITIBANK. Interstatebank carries out investment and
credit activities in the CIS countries and has offices in Armenia,
Kyrghyzstan and Belarus. According to the CBA press service, T.
Sargsian will participate in the 16th congress of the Union of Russian
Banks in Saint Petersburg on April 5.