Author: Emil Lazarian

PanARMENIAN.Net
Armenia Disposed to Serious Work and Effective Cooperation with EU
27.10.2006 18:24 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Armenian President Robert
Kocharian met with Ambassadors of EU member states,
accredited in Armenia. During the meeting the
President welcomed the completion of consultations
over EU-Armenia Action Plan within the European
Neighborhood Policy and hoped for the Plan to be
finally adopted in November, owing to which EU-Armenia
relations will get more coordinated. «The package of
proposals of the Armenian party evidences that we are
disposed to serious work and we expect effective
bilateral cooperation,» Kocharian added. At the
instance of the diplomats the Armenian leader
presented latest developments in the Nagorno Karabakh
settlement, situation in the Russian-Georgian
relations, impact of the tension between Russia and
Georgia on Armenia’s economy. The interlocutors also
discussed the matter of the coming elections,
specially noting the need for these to be fair and
free. Kocharian said that long-term and short-term
international observation missions will be invited for
monitoring electoral processes.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PanARMENIAN.Net
CIS Council of Heads May Convene in Minsk November 28
27.10.2006 18:46 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The sitting of the CIS Council of
Heads will probably be held in Minsk November 28,
reported representative of the CIS Executive Committee
S. Ordabayev. In his words, Chair of the CIS Council
of Heads proposed the date and the hosting party –
Belarus – accepted it.
The draft agenda of the session will be arranged at
the coming sitting of the CIS Council of FMs and the
Council of Heads of the State. The Executive Committee
does not have official information on the date of
these sessions, Ordabayev reported. We remind that the
sitting of the CIS Council of Heads was earlier
scheduled October 17, but was postponed later, reports Trend.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZG Armenian Daily #206, 28/10/2006

Karabakh issue
SERGE SARGSIAN: AZERBAIJAN’S MILITARY OPTION WILL FAIL AGAIN
“Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be settled
peacefully and only through mutual concessions,”
Armenian defense minister Serge Sargsian stated in an
interview with Janes Intelligence Center that studies
military and security issues. Yet, he said that
Azerbaijan’s policy does not contribute to such a
settlement. “Today [Azerbaijani] officials are talking
about resuming the war. The country’s military
expenses were doubled last year,” the minister said.
According to neutral experts, Azerbaijan is unable yet
to resolve the conflict militarily, Sargsian said. “If
hostilities resume, Armenia will again have
advantage.” Touching upon Azerbaijan’s petrodollars
and the country’s desire to use them to bring a
solution to the Karabakh issue, the minister reminded
that in 90s Azerbaijan also had the odds as it had
more soldiers and more weaponry inherited from the
USSR. “They rounded up the Armenians of Karabakh, and
few believed that we can succeed. With all the
forecasts for big oil revenue, Azerbaijan won’t have
the odds it had 14-15 years ago. It’s military option
was a failure then and will be a failure today either.
Hopefully, sooner or later Azerbaijani authorities
will give up this approach.”
Speaking about Armenia-NATO relations, Armenia’s
defense minister touched upon Turkey underscoring that
the latter’s policy has been damaging NATO’s authority
in Armenia. “Russia’s military base in Armenia was
founded in conditions of an external threat, and to a
certain degree served as deterrent for possible
aggression. Unfortunately, the threat is still there
as there was no considerable improvement in our
relations with Turkey. This country continues its
blockade of Armenia, which is in fact an act of
animosity towards us. Turkey also backs Azerbaijan in
Karabakh issue, and stipulates that Armenia should
attend to Azerbaijan’s whim if it wants improved of
relations with Turkey,” Serge Sargsian said.
By Nana Petrosian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZG Armenian Daily #206, 28/10/2006

Home
SERGE SARGSIAN RECEIVES NATO INTERNATIONAL CONSULTATIVE GROUP
Serge Sargsian, RA Defense Minister, has received the
members of NATO International Consultative Group. The
press Secretary of RA Defense Ministry Seiran
Shahsouvaryan informed that the delegation includes
Minister plenipotentiary of Slovenia’s Foreign
Ministry Damian Bergant, the Lithuania’s Foreign
Minister James Gribovsky, the German adviser of RA
Government in security isssues, Major-General of
reserve, Holger Zamet, the representative of Defense
Ministry of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland, Major-General of reserve, John
Drevienkievich, the senior staff scientist of the
Baltic Defense College, Margis Kolgan, the
representative of the Department for contacts with
countries and political relations of the Directorate
of the Euro Atlantic Integration and Partnership,
Lorenc Mayor-Minerman, the Director of the Latvian
Institute of International Relations, Atis Leinc, the
representative of the Clement of Ohrid Sofian
University, professor Todor Tanev. In the course of
the meeting, the British representatives stated that
the consultative group welcomes all the points of the
RA National Security concept regarding the state and
civil society development. Dwelling on the security
issues, the delegation members emphasized that two of
four states, contiguous with the Republic, i.e.
Azerbaijan and Turkey, hold Armenia in blockade. The
country can be connected to the outer world solely
though the roads in Georgia and Iran. As concerning
the foreign policy of the Republic of Armenia, the
group members noted that it is mainly conditioned by
two factors, important for all of the Armenian people,
that is, the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict and the recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
The delegation members underscored in the end that
Armenia manages to conduct balanced policy from both
strategic and global, and tactical and regional
viewpoints.
By Nana Petrosian
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A1+
«THEY DID NOT BEAT US; WE LOST OURSELVES»
[07:03 pm] 27 October, 2006
`Armenia has always faced a dilemma; it used to be
between Byzantium and Persia before, and now it is
between the West and Russia’, announced member of ARF
Dashnaktsutyun Alvard Petrosyan in `Pastark’ club
during the discussion of Armenian-Russian relations.
Mrs. Petrosyan who has grown up in Russian atmosphere
and considers Russian literature one of the greatest
achievements of the world, also considers servility
and blind admiration for the Russians unacceptable.
`Once there were Russian painters in our house who
asked me if we love them. I answered that we wouldn’t
love them if we had any alternative’. Alvard Petrosyan
admits that it’s impossible to solve many problems
without Russia, but the fear that we can’t live
without them is destructive for us.
Alvard Petrosyan can’t stand it when someone comes
Armenia and calls us an outpost, «I’m not angry with
the Russians; I’m angry with us. They did not beat us;
we lost it ourselves».
According to Mrs. Petrosyan, it is fashionable today
to love France, «I highly appreciate their culture,
but France would never adopt the resolution if they
didn’t need it themselves. Protecting us, France
protects itself. At this rate the Eiffel tower will
become the highest mosque of the world».

A1+
AZERBAIJAN IS WORRIED
[09:08 pm] 27 October, 2006
Armenian armed forces have started to bring additional
weaponry and troupes to the `occupied’ Azeri
territories, Azeri Mass Media claim.
In particular, new weaponry and troupes are observed
in the Aghdam part of the border line.
According to Azeri sources, the Armenian armed forces
have been strengthening their positions in the
`occupied’ Azeri territories since December 2005,
Radio station `Azatutyun’ informs.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Panorama.am
13:43 27/10/06

WORLD BANK SAYS ARMENIA NOT TO HAVE TWO-DIGIT GDP
GROWTH IN 2008-2009
Armenia will not have two-digit growth of GDP in
2008-2009, Rojer Robinson, head of Yerevan office of
World Bank (WB), told a news conference today. He said
WB has never forecast 12.5% growth of GDP for Armenia.
In his words, one should be very careful in economic
forecasts because they serve as a base for the state
budget. `However, I do not see a reason for not
keeping to the pace of stable economic growth,’ he
said. `Armenia need serious institutional reforms for
stable pace of GDP growth for the coming 10 years,’
Robinson said. /Panorama.am/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Panorama.am
15:01 27/10/06

DEPUTY PINPOINTS TO ARMENIAN FOREIGN POLICY FAULTS
Stepan Zakaryan, member of Justice block, said if
Armenia had not lost its independence because of
incorrect foreign policy, Iran-Armenia gas pipeline
would not have the diameter it has now. In his words,
even the West agreed that the pipeline would be
transit but Armenia could not protect her interests,
he said.
The deputy said Armenia has become a `pillar’ for
Russia because of the faults of the Armenian
authorities. He said in the case of Javakhk Armenia
should protect her interests, too. He said the Armenia
authorities should clearly say that they protect human
rights and will defend the interests of Armenians
living in Javakhk. Speaking about Russian-Armenian
relations, Zakaryan said Russian should be made to
understand that Armenia is not her `pillar.’ /Panorama.am/

PanARMENIAN.Net
Schiff: High Time That We as Nation Recognize Armenian Genocide
28.10.2006 15:19 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US Congressman Adam Schiff, the
author of Armenian Genocide legislation which passed
the House International Relations Committee, commended
Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for her support
of Genocide recognition legislation. Leader Pelosi
recently committed to support Armenian Genocide
legislation in the 110th session of Congress if she
becomes Speaker of the House, Schiff’s Press Secretary
Sean Oblack told PanARMENIAN.Net. “There is no hiding
the fact that one and a half million Armenians were
deliberately murdered at the beginning of the 20th
Century, and it is high time that we as a nation
recognize these heinous crimes for what they were – a
genocide,” Schiff said. “I stand with Leader Pelosi in
her commitment to get this important legislation
passed. We need to acknowledge these horrible
atrocities of the past, in order to progress towards a
brighter future.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

The New Anatolian, Turkey
Oct 28 2006
Turkey set to bring dynamism to BSEC
Turkey is aiming at bringing a new dynamism to the organization of
the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), during its six-month term
presidency starting Wednesday.
BSEC Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Murat Sungar told The New
Anatolian that Turkey will carry out a more active policy during its
Term Presidency and as a sign of that Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul
is expected to participate in the upcoming 15th meeting of the
Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in Moscow next week.
“International developments are making the Black Sea region much more
important for almost all countries. The region, which lies at the
crossroads of Europe and Asia has big economic potentials. Turkey,
which led efforts to establish the BSEC 15 years ago, now aims at
bringing a new momentum to the organization,” Sungar said.
According to Sungar, despite various interesting projects being
raised by BSEC members in the past, most of them haven’t been
realized. “One of the projects that will gain more importance in the
coming period will be the so-called ring-road project, which aims to
link the countries of the region,” Sungar said.
Turkey is also planning to host a major meeting of the BSEC next
June, which will bring the heads of states of the member countries to
Istanbul. The event will mark the 15th anniversary of the BSEC.
On June 25, 1992, the heads of state and governments of 11 countries
signed in Istanbul a summit declaration and the Bosphorus Statement
giving birth to the BSEC.
The organization came into existence as a unique and promising model
of multilateral political and economic initiative aimed at fostering
interaction and harmony among the member states, as well as to ensure
peace, stability and prosperity encouraging friendly and
good-neighborly relations in the region.
Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Moldova,
Romania, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine are the founding members of the
BSEC. Serbia and Montenegro also later joined.
The United States and Israel are among the 13 observer states.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress