Author: Emil Lazarian

National Assembly of RA, Armenia
April 28 2006
Saint Petersburg Meetings

On April 28 RA NA President Artur Baghdasaryan met with Sergey
Mironov, Chairman of RF Federal Assembly Federal Council. During the
meeting an agreement was reached in autumn on holding Days of RA
National Assembly in RF Federal Assembly and a conference over the
inter-regional cooperation problems in any RF region full of
Armenians.
During the meeting of Rene van der Linden, PACE President and Artur
Baghdasaryan, RA NA President issues concerning the process of the
fulfillment of Armenia’s undertaken commitments were discussed. Both
sides touched upon the Electoral Code, highlighted the formation of
political consent around Electoral Code and holding the coming
general elections in conformity with democratic standards. The PACE
President Rene van der Linden expressed readiness to assist in the
name of the Council of Europe.
As BSEC President, the NA President Artur Baghdasaryan and RF State
Duma Chairman Boris Gryzlov signed a cooperation agreement between
PABSEC and European Economic Community Inter-parliamentary Assembly,
by which it is designed to promote the cooperation of two structures,
the formation of parliamentary dialogue between countries and
peoples.

Regnum, Russia
April 28 2006
Armenian MP calls for impeaching the speaker
During the next week’s parliamentary session the member of the
Armenian parliament Hamayak Hovhannissyan is going to call on the
political coalition (Orinats Yerkir, Republican Party and ARFD –
REGNUM) to impeach the speaker of the parliament Artur Baghdassaryan.
`Artur Baghdassaryan is not a private person or a company director to
express private views during official visits. He is the speaker of
the parliament and, when at international organizations, must
represent the position of the parliamentary majority that elected him
to his post. If today the president, the Republican Party and the
ARFD say that when speaking about the country’s priorities
Baghdassaryan did not represent their position, they must demand that
Baghdassaryan resign, which is exactly what I propose. Artur
Baghdassaryan is not a dissident or a revolutionary to make
statements contrary to the country’s foreign policy, and the Armenian
people should be confident that the first figures of its state are
unanimous on the issue of national security. If the coalition wants
to make the country’s national security an object for external
speculations, then they and Robert Kocharyan must leave Baghdassaryan
in his post; but otherwise, he has no more right to represent the
parliamentary majority,’ says Hovhannissyan.
He says that `in an interview to a German newspaper the speaker has,
in fact, slapped the country’s leadership and the coalition in the
face, and if the majority fails to dismiss him, it is politically
incapable,’ reports Haykakan Zhamanak daily.
To remind, in an interview Frankfurter Allgemaine Zeitung,
Baghdassaryan said that `Armenia’s future is the EU and NATO’ and
`Russia must not stand in the way to Europe.’ Commenting on the
speaker’s statement, President Robert Kocharyan quoted Armenia’s
Constitution: `Armenia’s foreign policy is determined by the
President.’ `The speaker’s statement might reflect his own changed
position,’ Kocharyan said. Meanwhile, when in St. Petersburg Artur
Baghdassaryan said that `Armenia’s aspiration to enlarge its
relations with the EU and NATO is not aimed against Russia, and
Armenia has no aim to join NATO.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Fox News
April 28 2006
Bush, Azerbaijani President Talk Iran, Energy Security
Friday, April 28, 2006
WASHINGTON – President Bush told the president of Azerbaijan on
Friday that his oil-rich country has “a very important role to play”
in guaranteeing energy security around the world. The two leaders
also discussed Iran, an area of potential difference.
Bush said he assured President Ilham Aliev that the United States
wants to resolve a crisis over Iran’s nuclear program through
diplomacy. Aliev has made it clear that he would not allow his
country to be used for any operations against its neighbor.
Bush and Aliev met in the Oval Office after the White House
acknowledged that parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan have not met
international standards.
Bush said he told the president that “democracy is the wave of the
future.” Aliev said, “We share the same values.” He said Azerbaijan
is a “secular, democratic country.”
Energy was a major issue. “I appreciate the vision of the government,
the vision of the president, in helping this world achieve what we
all want, which is energy security,” Bush said. “Azerbaijan has got a
very important role to play and we discussed internal politics and we
discussed the politics of the neighborhood as well.”
In a personal note, Bush congratulated Aliev on the wedding of his
daughter this weekend.
Ahead of the meeting, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
called Iran “our big neighbor” and emphasized that the two countries
“share history, culture and religion.” He said Iran guarantees
Azerbaijan transit rights for land shipments and provides gas
supplies to its Nakhichevan enclave, cut off by Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh.
“All this plays a great role when we speak about the situation around
Iran,” he said.
Mammadyarov said the Bush-Aliev meeting signified the two countries
were entering a new level of cooperation as Azerbaijan becomes a key
energy transit country. The newly built Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline,
which provides an alternative to Russian routes and energy sources in
the volatile Middle East, is scheduled to deliver the first shipments
of Caspian Sea oil to Western markets this June. In the fall, the new
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline will provide a new source of energy
for the Turkish market.
“This answers our national interest and signifies the strengthening
of Azerbaijan’s independence, of our position on the international
arena and the region,” Mammadyarov told The Associated Press in an
interview.
Azerbaijani officials also hope Bush and Aliev will discuss the
18-year-old conflict over the ethnic Armenian-dominated enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh. At least 30,000 people were killed and 1 million
made refugees during six years of war that ended with a shaky
cease-fire in 1994. Ethnic Armenian forces occupy the enclave inside
Azerbaijan.
The United States, together with Russia and the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe, is trying to mediate a
resolution.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 28 2006
GLO issued statement denouncing foreign minister Vardan Oskanian’s
visit to Khankendi
[ 28 Apr. 2006 14:42 ]
Today Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO) has issued a statement
denouncing Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanian’s visit to
Khankendi, GLO press service has informed APA.
GLO evaluated in the statement Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian’s
visit to Nagorno Garabagh as position in the settling of the
conflict: ` The visit of foreign minister’s visit to Khankendi in
this level of the negotiations shows their not being withdrawal from
their occupation intention. Continuing the talks leads to nothing.’
In the statement it is demanded from Azerbaijani state to stop
negotiations: `Taking into consideration the position of Armenia,
Azerbaijan should continue negotiations and launch anti-terror
operations to free the occupied lands in military way. Not any state
can deprive Azerbaijan from this right.’/APA/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RIA Novosti, Russia
April 28 2006
Two police officers killed in Moscow shooting
11:24 | 28/ 04/ 2006

(Rewrites with investigation details)
MOSCOW, April 28 (RIA Novosti) – Two police officers shot dead early
Friday were killed by members of a Moscow-based organized crime group
set up by ethnic Georgians, a source close to the investigation said.
The officers came under fire from an automatic weapon as they entered
an apartment in the south of the Russian capital, following a
telephone call reporting an ongoing burglary.
“The attackers are members of a Moscow-based organized crime group of
ethnic Georgians,” the source said, adding that the gang had been
raiding the apartment, owned by ethnic Armenians, as part of a war
between crime groups feuding over economic interests.
He said the killers left the apartment through a window, and that no
casualties among members of the Armenian family that owned the
apartment have been reported.
Police said earlier Friday that one police officer was killed at the
scene, and the other was wounded and died while being taken to the
hospital. The second officer said before he died that there had been
six attackers in the apartment.
Prosecutors said they had opened a criminal case into the incident,
and police have launched a search for the killers.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

U.S. ADMINISTRATION STRIVES FOR AZERBAIJAN’S SUPPORT IN IRANIAN ISSUE,
RUSSIAN ANALYST CONSIDERS

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN. “The goal of the today’s meeting in
Washington between the Presidents of the U.S. and Azerbaijan is that
the U.S. administration influences on Azerbajian in the issue of
Iran, thus, the U.S. strives for having practical support of
Azerbaijan in this issue.” Alexander Krilov, a leading research
officer of the World Economy and International Relations Institute of
the Russian Academy of Sciences stated about this at the April 28
“Caucasus” international conference, organized by the Caucasus Media
Institute. Besides, according to him, Baku, in the respond of striving
of the U.S. to use it as a bridgehead on Caspia against Iran, does
not want to help Americans in this issue not to make relations with
neighbors more difficult.
A.Krilov also attached importance to the succesfully developing
many-sides Russian-Azerbaijani cooperation and pointed out Russia’s
interest in development of “South-North” porjects where Azerbaijan is
destined an important role. At the same time, he assured that the
Kremlin which strives for keeping its presence in Azerbaijan, does not
do it to the detriment of relations with its strategic partner –
Armenia. As for the martial calls made from Baku for settling the
Karabakh conflict in the way of war, the Russian analyst mentioned
that the authorities of Azerbaijan uses the myth about the military
superiority upon Armenia for strengthening its won power.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARTUR BAGHDASARIAN HAS MEETINGS WITH SERGEI MIRONOV, RENE VAN DER
LINDEN AND BORIS GRYZLOV IN SAINT PETERSBURG

SAINT PETERSBURG, APRIL 28, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On April
28, RA National Assembly Speaker Artur Baghdasarian met with Chairman
of Council of Federation of RF Federal Assembly Sergei Mironov in
Saint Petersburg. During the meeting they reached agreement about
holding days of RA NA at RF Federal Assembly in autumn, as well as
about holding a conference on issues of interregional cooperation of
the two countries in one of the Russian regions populated with
Armenians. As Noyan Tapan was informed from RA NA Press Service,
issues regarding fulfilment of Armenia’s commitments towards PACE, the
Electoral Code were discussed at A.Baghdasarian’s meeting with PACE
Chairman Rene van der Linden. The sides mentioned the importance of
the political consent around the Electoral Code and holding the coming
elections in correspondence with the democratic standards. PACE
Chairman on behalf of PA expressed readiness to provide
assistance. Artur Baghdasarian as the Chairman of BSEC and RF State
Duma Chairman Boris Gryzlov signed an agreement on cooperation between
the Parliamentary Assembly of BSEC and Interparliamentary Assembly of
the Eurasian Economic Cooperation, according to which it is envisaged
to contribute to cooperation between the two structures and to
establishment of a dialogue between the two countries and peoples.

Armenia Fund, Inc.
111 North Jackson St. Ste. 205
Glendale, CA 91206
T | 818-243-6222
F | 818-243-7222
E | [email protected]
Press Release
April 28, 2006
Armenia Fund Continues Reconstruction in Earthquake Zone
Yerevan, Armenia – Armenia Fund continues its reconstruction projects in
the earthquake battered northern region of Armenia. In 1988, the country
was struck with a catastrophic earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 on the
Richter scale and an epicenter at Gyumri-Spitak. Armenia’s 2nd largest
city – Gyumri – fell to rubbles as the earthquake struck a major blow to
its infrastructure. Residential buildings toppled one after another
forcing the population to live in temporary shacks.
Thanks to the combined effort of countless NGOs and Diaspora based
philanthropists, the region is gradually recovering through large-scale,
long-term infrastructure development assistance. Armenia Fund and the
Lincy Foundation have been at the forefront of such reconstruction
projects.
Building upon years of revitalization projects, Armenia Fund is proud to
announce, yet again, that it will construct 2 new, modern residential
buildings in the `Yerankyuni’ District of Spitak. The financing of the
project is generously provided by the British affiliate of Armenia Fund.
The affiliate has also undertaken the reconstruction of the Artik
Regional Hospital of Shirak which is the only regional healthcare
facility catering the republic’s northern population. The new building
will be dubbed as 7B and 8B – completing a series of other building in
the district. Each building will consist of three or two room apartments
designed for 8 families. Although construction of the project had
started in late 2004 and early 2005, the British affiliate of the Fund
pledged to complete its financing.
The buildings will feature four floors, modern windows and doors, as
well as a roof resistant to the harsh climate of Armenia. The
surrounding landscape of the buildings will be rehabilitated through
financing provided by the government of Armenia. Upon the completion of
the project, the `Yerankyuni’ district will enjoy a series of new
residential buildings. The 8A building was completed thanks to financing
provided by the German affiliate of Armenia Fund – Hayastan Fonds eV
Germany. The 7A building was completed by the British affiliate.
Armenia Fund continues to provide large-scale infrastructure development
assistance in the earthquake region. The Fund focuses on the
construction of safe and reliable housing, as well as new schools,
healthcare facilities, and cultural centers. Armenia Fund is the single
most effective organization in carrying out such projects in Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh thanks to the wholehearted support of the Armenian
Diaspora around the world.
Armenia Fund, Inc., is a non-profit 501(c)(3) tax-exempt corporation
established in 1994 to facilitate large-scale humanitarian and
infrastructure development assistance to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.
Armenia Fund, Inc. is the U.S. Western Region affiliate of “Hayastan”
All-Armenian Fund. Tax ID# 95-4485698
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRAVDA, Russia
April 28 2006
Young woman denies reports she won Miss Iraq contest and returned the
title
04/28/2006 00:42 Source:

A young Iraqi woman has denied reports that she won the Miss Iraq
beauty pageant and returned the title after receiving threats from
Islamic extremists.

“Everything is a big lie and fabricated. I never took part in such an
event and did not even know that a beauty pageant had taken place,”
Tamar Goregian told The Associated Press in a phone interview on
Thursday.
Earlier this month, the American TV network ABC reported that
Goregian had won the Miss Iraq contest which was held in a Baghdad
social club on April 9. She gave back the beauty crown four days
later because she was threatened by religious extremists who called
her as “the queen of infidels” for taking part in a contest that
violated Islamic principles.
The Associated Press reported the ABC story on April 12. A person
familiar with the pageant confirmed the report to the AP but insisted
on anonymity as he said he also feared retribution from Islamic
militants.
Goregian, 29, an engineer and a Christian of Armenian origin, said
she came to Jordan on April 10, the day after the contest, to look
after her mother who was to undergo an operation in the kingdom.
“Those lies caused me fear and worry,” Goregian said Thursday. “The
false reports that I have taken part in the pageant contest and
(received) threats from Muslim groups could expose me to danger.”
“I am afraid to return to Iraq and I’m afraid for my family, who
remained in Baghdad,” she added.
Asked about the person who confirmed the ABC report to the AP,
Goregian insisted that she did not take part in any Miss Iraq
contest.
ABC said that after Goregian handed back the award, the title of Miss
Iraq went to Silva Shahakian, another Iraqi Christian.
Shahakian was quoted by ABC’s “Good Morning America” as saying she
would keep the title, but she planned to change her residence for
personal safety.
“This chance does not come to every girl. So, I’m lucky to have that.
I’m not going to lose it,” she said in the program broadcast April
11.
The network said the pageant organizers are hoping to send Shahakian
to the Miss Universe contest which is due to be held in Los Angeles
on July 23, reports AP,.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EurasiaNet, NY
April 28 2006
ALIYEV IN WASHINGTON: NO CHANGE ON IRAN POSITION
Shahin Abbasov 4/28/06
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said April 28 that his three-day
visit to Washington would play an “instrumental” role in promoting
the democratization of the Caucasus nation. He added that the visit
had not altered Baku’s position on the Iran crisis, appearing to
reduce the White House’s room for geopolitical maneuver on the issue.
Aliyev met with top US officials on the final day of his Washington
stay – President George W. Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Speaking to journalists, the
Azerbaijani leader said his talks with Bush “covered all aspects of
our bilateral relations.” Bush said he emphasized three topics –
energy, Iran and democratization. The US president added that global
democratization efforts would benefit from Azerbaijan’s emergence as
“a modern Muslim country that is able to provide for its citizens,
that understands that democracy is the wave of the future.”
The Azerbaijani leader said the trip would prove “instrumental in the
future development of Azerbaijan as a modern, secular state.” Aliyev
went on to stress the stalemated Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks,
expressing hope for a negotiated end to the conflict and adding that
any settlement would have to preserve Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
“Armenian troops have to withdraw from occupied territories,
Azerbaijani internally displaced persons have to return, and after
that we can discuss the status of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Aliyev said.
On Iran, the two presidents provided scant details on their
discussions, suggesting that a significant geopolitical difference
exists. Political analysts in Baku believed that US officials were
eager to obtain Azerbaijani support for possible military strikes
against Iran in order to prevent Iran from continuing with its
nuclear research. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive].
Baku has been opposed to the use of force against Iran, which is
Azerbaijan’s southern neighbor. [For background see the Eurasia
Insight archive]. Aliyev told Azerbaijani television April 28 that
“our position has not changed – the problem should be resolved by
diplomatic means.”
Prior to the presidential meeting, Elmar Mamedyarov, Azerbaijan’s
foreign minister, said the Bush-Aliyev discussions would aim to
provide US officials with a clearer picture of Azerbaijani-Iranian
relations. “Iran is our neighbour and many Azerbaijanis are living
there. We carry cargo to Nakhchivan [an Azerbaijani exclave] via
Iran. We supply Nakhchivan with Iranian gas. That is why we do not
want a military solution to the Iranian problem,” he told journalists
on April 27. Mamedyarov also discouraged speculation that Aliyev was
acting as a go-between in the US-Iranian dispute. He denied that
Iran’s defense minister, Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar, who visited Baku on
April 19, had asked Azerbaijani officials to pass along a message to
the Bush administration.
Though military cooperation and US access to bases in Azerbaijan now
seem out of the question, the United States may tighten intelligence
gathering and sharing, suggested Kaan Nazli, a Europe and Eurasia
analyst with the New York-based consulting firm, Eurasia Group. “The
real issue is continuation of intelligence cooperation,” Nazli said.
That Aliyev met with John Negroponte, director of national
intelligence, and that the Azerbaijani president’s entourage included
National Security Minister Eldar Makhmudov lend credence to the idea
that the two states explored ways to enhance intelligence
cooperation.
Some analysts in Baku characterized the Washington visit as an
all-around success for Aliyev. “His position in Azerbaijan is stable,
and he did not have to ask any favors of the United States.
Meanwhile, the United States needs Azerbaijani support in the Iran
issue,” said Ilgar Mammadov, an independence political analyst.
Opposition leaders in Baku, struggling to regain traction after
parliamentary elections in late 2005, attempted to stir up the
domestic political scene with unsubstantiated speculation that Aliyev
cut a secret deal with Bush to make Azerbaijani bases available to US
forces. A report posted April 27 on the Day.az web site quoted Isa
Gambar, head of the anti-Aliyev Musavat Party, as saying, “now it is
time for official recognition of the existence of such agreements
between Azerbaijan and US.”
Upon his return to Baku, experts expect Aliyev to follow up on his
democratization rhetoric with reforms — both substantive and
symbolic – that are designed to improve Azerbaijan’s international
image. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Arif
Yunusov, head of the Conflict Prevention Department at the Baku-based
Institute for Peace and Democracy, suggested that Aliyev might reopen
channels of communication with his political opponents, adding that
the opposition could very well win a few additional seats in repeat
parliamentary elections, scheduled for May 13.
Mammadov said that Aliyev’s enhanced international stature could
prompt him to undertake liberalizing economic and political changes.
“There is no elections scheduled in the country soon and the
opposition is weak, so the president may easily initiate some liberal
steps and reforms,” Mammadov said.
Concerning the Karabakh issue, Azerbaijani officials are now looking
forward to the next meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group, which
Mamedyarov, the foreign minister, indicated would convene May 2 in
Moscow. The Minsk Group is charged with mediating peace talks, and
Baku’s expectations are high that US negotiators will press for a
settlement that conforms to Azerbaijan’s wishes. “They [US officials]
need stability in the South Caucasus given the rise of tension over
Iran,” Yunusov said.
Editor’s Note: Shahin Abbasov is a free-lance journalist based in Baku
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress