Author: Emil Lazarian

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 17 2005

Positions of Baku, Yerevan getting closer – Russian Foreign Ministry

Russian Foreign Ministry says that certain progress is observed in
the positions of Baku and Yerevan getting closer and their approaches
to the Upper Garabagh conflict, the Ministry said in a statement.
On January 10-11 Prague hosted another meeting of Azerbaijani and
Armenian foreign ministers Elmar Mammadyarov and Vardan Oskanian,
attended by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs (Russia, United States and
France).
`Moscow welcomes the fact that the meetings of the two sides on
different levels, including those between Presidents and in the
`Prague format’, have become regular’, the Russian Ministry said.
Representatives of Azerbaijan and Armenia are considering literally
all aspects of the situation with the Garabagh conflict in their
internationally mediated talks, the same source said.
`These include such thorny issues as withdrawal of armed forces,
demilitarization of the territory, international guarantees and the
status of Upper Garabagh.’*

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 17 2005

Armenia faces energy crisis

Armenia is facing energy and fuel crisis, as prices for automobile
gasoline have doubled, diesel fuel increased 1.5 times, while those
on stove heating oil and liquid gas 1.6 times.
Today, AI-95 brand gasoline sells in Armenia for $1.6, while AI-93
and AI-72 brands for $1.2 and $1 respectively.
Experts explain Armenia’s energy crises with the detention of trains
with transit cargoes which are transported to Armenia through
Azerbaijan and Georgia, on the Azeri-Georgian border and a relevant
investigation being carried out by the Azerbaijan State Customs
Committee.
An official from Armenian Energy Ministry Bagam Terbekian told the
local press that the country’s fuel reserves are getting exhausted.
Whereas 20,000 tons of gasoline was daily imported from Georgia, the
figure is currently 3,000 tons, he said.
Amidst the crisis, Iran has reduced the export of fuel to Armenia.
Terbekian said the reasons for the move are uncertain and that the
government will seriously examine the situation.
A new agreement on cargo transportation will be signed by the
Azerbaijani and Georgian customs agencies shortly. The agreement
includes a special provision which bans transporting cargoes going
through Azerbaijan to Armenia through Georgia.*

Turkish Daily News
Saturday, January 15, 2005

Towards political partnership with Russia

Turkish-Russian cooperation in the political sphere has the potential
of not only helping both countries realize foreign policy goals but
also of generating consequences that could go well beyond the borders
of the two countries

ANKARA –

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoðan’s three-day visit to Russia
last week not only gave a new boost to growing trade and economic
ties but also produced significant political developments, with
Russian President Vladimir Putin describing Turkish Cypriot isolation
as unfair and pledging help to resolve the disputes between Turkey,
and Armenia and Erdoðan announcing a surprise decision to consider
cooperation with the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

The two leaders said they look to boost the trade volume between
the two countries from the current annual level of $10 billion to $15
billion and, in the next few years, to $25 billion. The two also
agreed to address new areas for cooperation in the energy sector,
such as electricity purchases from Russia, already the main natural
gas supplier of Turkey.

In the political sphere, Turkish-Russian cooperation has the
potential of not only helping both countries attain foreign policy
goals such as advancing Turkey’s EU membership and Cyprus bids but
also of generating consequences that could go well beyond the borders
of the two countries and transform the regional political setting.

Regional conditions right for Armenia to press for peace, paper says

Haykakan Zhamanak, Yerevan
15 Jan 05

Text of unattributed report by Armenian newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak on
15 January headlined “Time for drawing conclusions”

They say there are no coincidences in policy and this point is always
proved in reality. At the same time that they are speaking more loudly
in Azerbaijan that without Russia’s aid Armenia could not gain victory
in the Karabakh war, and are threatening with a new war, Russian
Defence Minister Sergey Ivanov declares in the USA that Russia is not
going to push Armenia to any side in the geo-political sense and
Armenia itself should choose which way to move.

Indeed, against the background of Azerbaijan’s bellicose statements,
the Russian defence minister’s statement gains another context. And
the problem is not that in case of a new war Armenia will need
Russia’s support. If we speak about any possible war, Russia’s role is
large, because almost the whole of the Armenian army has Russian
equipment. Russia is our only military supplier. This means that the
authorities of Armenia, keeping Armenia even in a situation of
theoretical war, deprive us of an opportunity to be independent. In
its turn this means that the establishment of peace and relations with
its neighbours is the first guarantee of Armenia’s independence.

And though it may sound strange, now is the most convenient time in
the geo-political sense. Of course the Azerbaijanis when speaking
about war make a psychological attack on Armenia and maybe they do
that at Russia’s request. Undoubtedly the threat of war is an
important lever for Russia to keep Armenia in its orbit. But
“unfortunately” restarting the Karabakh war today is not to Russia’s
advantage either, because this war supposes the uncontrolled movement
of weapons and equipment in the region, but in the conditions of the
situation created in the North Caucasus it will be fatal for Russia
(note that on the Karabakh front, the cease-fire was established
almost at the time the Chechen war began). And if, at least
theoretically, we understand the necessity of being independent from
Russia in the political sense, we should also understand that while
Russia cannot establish the situation it wants to be in the North
Caucasus, we have such an opportunity, because today – in our region –
Russia cannot choose a way of settling a problem by means of war.

As for Azerbaijan, war may not be to their advantage either, since the
Azerbaijanis will hardly make up their minds to the idea of losing an
expected 4bn dollars from the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline each year
because of a pointless war. For this reason we should conclude from
the Russian-Azerbaijani political blackmail that Armenia’s strategic
interests require the establishment of an early and stable peace,
which in its turn will lead to real political independence.

San Diego Union Tribune, CA
Jan 14 2005

‘Vodka Lemon’: Dry comedy via Armenia

By David Elliott
Union-Tribune Movie Critic

The red of communism has bleached from post-Soviet Armenia, and the
hills are white with dense snow. In “Vodka Lemon,” often penurious
rustics scuffle for U.S. dollars, hope for cash from relatives in the
West, and sell off heirlooms.

Hiner Saleem’s dry, wintry film is a gentle hug for Armenia as an
outpost of endurance; life is all coping. Widowed Hamo (Romen
Avinian) is in mourning and going broke, but has the time and vigor
to shyly court a lady (Lala Sarkissian) who sells vodka to
half-numbed truckers on a desolate road.

The tone is one of mildly mournful comedy, of a carpet gone
threadbare yet still richly colored. When the vendor is asked why
Vodka Lemon doesn’t taste at all like lemon, her reply is a sobering
shrug: “It’s Armenia.”

Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep
Jan 14 2005

Azerbaijani FM: Talks With Armenia To Continue

13 January 2005 — Azerbaijan’s foreign minister says talks between
Azerbaijani and Armenian officials on the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute
will continue.

Foreign Minister Araz Azimov recently returned to Azerbaijan from
talks with his Armenian counterpart in the Czech capital Prague.
Azimov said that, while both sides still have disagreements on the
issue, everyone is interested in reaching a peaceful settlement.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a predominantly Armenian exclave in Azerbaijan.
It has had de facto independence since Armenian-backed forces won
control over the territory in 1994 following a six-year war.

Armenian-backed forces and Azerbaijani troops continue to face off
across a demilitarized zone in the region.

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Jan 13 2005

French parliament to discuss Garabagh conflict

The Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper Garabagh will be discussed
at the French parliament this month.
A report suggesting possible ways of settling the conflict and the
status of peace talks between the conflicting sides will be
considered and the position of official Paris on the negotiating
process expressed during the discussions.*

KARABAKH LEADER APPROVES NEW GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE

Arminfo, Yerevan
13 Jan 05

Stepanakert 13 January: The new structure of the Nagornyy Karabakh
government has been approved. The president of the Nagornyy Karabakh
Republic (NKR), Arkadiy Gukasyan, yesterday signed a decree approving
the new structure of the NKR government. According to the decree, the
structure of the government includes:

1. Ministry of Health;
2. Ministry of Justice;
3. Ministry of Foreign Affairs;
4. Ministry of Agriculture;
5. Minister – head of the government administration;
6. Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports;
7. Ministry of Defence;
8. Ministry of Social Security;
9. Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development of Production
Infrastructure;
10. Ministry of Town Planning;
11. Ministry of Finances and Economy.

AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Jan 13 2005

Azerbaijan among mostly unfree countries, says report

The US Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal have included
Azerbaijan into the list of mostly unfree countries. In their 2004
Index of Economic Freedom based on a 5-point scale, Azerbaijan’s
standing was at 3.38, which makes it 103rd in the world out of 155
countries indicated.

A similar report issued in 2003 placed Azerbaijan 106th, with a 3.39
rating.
Topping the list is Hong Kong, while Singapore and Luxembourg were
rated second and third respectively. Former Soviet Union republic
Estonia was rated fourth. The United States, which has topped a list
of 10 for the past 11 years, was downgraded to 12th place. Ireland,
New Zealand, Great Britain, Denmark, Iceland, Australia and Chile
were placed ahead of the US.

The report placed Armenia 42nd with a 2.28 rating, while Russia
124th. Iran, Cuba, Laos, Turkmenistan, Zimbabwe, Libya, Myanmar and
North Korea (155th) were indicated as the most economically unfree
countries.
The rating of countries was determined based on trade policy,
interference of the government, financial policy, foreign
investments, wages and pricing, and property rights.

Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE
Friday, January 07, 2005

Contact: Armen Carapetian
Tel: (818) 500-1918

Armenian & Greek Leaders Discuss EU Issues with Congressman Robert Andrews
during California Visit

(Glendale, CA – December 27, 2004) Members of the Board of Directors
of the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
(ANCA-WR) along with members of the Board of Directors of the American
Hellenic Council (AHC) met with Congressman Robert Andrews (D-NJ) at
the ANCA-WR headquarters in Glendale, California during the
Congressman’s visit to Southern California on December 27, 2004.
Representatives of the ANCA-WR and the AHC voiced their concerns
regarding the Republic of Turkey’s attempts to join the European Union
amongst other issues related to American foreign policy in regard to
Armenia, Greece and Cyprus.

ANCA-WR Executive Director Ardashes Kassakhian thanked the Congressman
for his support of the Greek and Armenian communities. Kassakhian
explained that the Greek and Armenian communities were very concerned
with the United States ‘ active role in advancing Turkey’s ambitions
for EU membership. During the briefing, Kassakhian pointed out that
Turkey has to conform to and adopt the basic standards of human rights
by which the E.U. nations and the United States abide. In addition to
pointing out Turkey’s overall abysmal record on human rights,
Kassakhian told Congressman Andrews of the importance of including
recognition of the Armenian Genocide as a precondition to Turkey’s
entry into the E.U.

AHC President Dinos Andrianos expressed the concerns of the Greek
American community regarding the tacit U.S. support of the
controversial Annan Plan for Cyprus which favors Turkey’s
position. The plan proposed by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan would
require that the Turkish occupying force vacate most of northern
Cyprus yet allows Turkey to retain control of key areas on the island
nation. Cypriots have overwhelmingly rejected the Annan Plan as have
Armenian Cypriots.

Congressman Andrews urged the ANC and AHC to continue their
bi-partisan outreach to members of Congress. The Congressman added
that the public awareness campaign is working within the halls of
Congress where most of the members are supportive of Armenian and
Greek issues. Congressman Andrews commendedthe ANC and AHC for the
work that they do in keeping their respective communities informed and
involved in the political process.

Congressman Andrews is a member of the Congressional Caucus on
Armenian Issues. Congressman Andrews represents New Jersey’s 1st
Congressional District which is comprised of Burlington, Camden and
Gloucester Counties. Congre ssman Andrews sits on the House of
Representatives Select Committee on Homeland Security and the
Education and Workforce Committee. He has consistently supported
Armenian issues and during the last two election cycles has earned an
A or better on the ANCA Congressional Report Card.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and
most influential Armenian American grassroots political
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices,
chapters, and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated
organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the
concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of
issues.

The American Hellenic Council (AHC) is a non-partisan political
advocacy organization based in California. The purpose of AHC is to
lobby and inform the U.S. Congress for the protection and promotion of
Greek American interests and issues. Photo Caption: ANCA-WR and AHC
Leadership Meet with Congressman Robert Andrews at the ANCA-WR
Headquarters in Glendale.