Author: Emil Lazarian

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
June 3 2004
DELEGATION OF AZERBAIJAN MADE PROPOSALS IN THE FINAL DOCUMENT ON
TOPIC “REFUGEES, MIGRATION AND PROTECTION” IN MINSK
[June 03, 2004, 20:24:35]
As was informed by AzerTAj, the UN High Commissioner on Refugees,
the International Organization of migration, the Council of Europe
and OSCE held a meeting in Minsk on the topic “Refugees, migration
and protection”.
Our country on this action was presented by the head of delegation
Gurban Sadygov, the head of department of migration of the Ministry
of Labor and Social Security of population Rauf Tagiyev, the head
of department of the Frontier Service Akif Shafiyev, the inspector
of Management of passport registration of the Ministry of Internal
Affairs Vugar Zeynalov who spoke of refugee problems, the IDPs and
migration of the Cabinet of the Azerbaijan Republic, and also as
the observer – the head of the department of the State Committee on
refugees and IDPs Telman Mammadov and others.
The head of delegation of Azerbaijan G. Sadygov in his statement has in
detail told about the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict,
about the refugees and IDPs who became refugees in result of the
ethnic purge pursued by Armenia, the measures which are carried out by
our state in connection with their social protection, the situation
developed in the field of migration, scales of the conflict, support
of the international organizations in settlement of the problem.
Under the offer of delegation of Azerbaijan, to the project of the
final document adopted at the meeting has been amended with a new
paragraph under the name “Safety of the person and the IDPs” and some
items, responding to interests of our country.
Within the framework of action, were held meetings with representatives
of high rank representatives of the international organizations,
and discussed were questions and opportunities of development of
cooperation.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Office of Sarkis Assadourian M.P.
120 Confederation
House of Commons, Ottawa, Canada
Contact: Daniel Kennedy
Tel: 613 995 4843
Communiqué
For Immediate Release Ottawa June 3, 2004
On June 2, 2004, Mr. Sarkis Assadourian M.P. (Brampton Centre,
Lib.): Chair Canada-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group convened
a consultative meeting of fourteen prominent Canadian Armenians on
Parliament Hill. As a result of discussions held, the following needs
of the Canadian Armenian Community were identified.
* An effective means to present Armenian issues to the
Canadian public through educational seminars.
* The presentation of appropriate projects in Armenia
to C.I.D.A. for funding.
* Reflecting on Motion M-380, promoting the recognition
and commemoration of the Armenian Genocide by the
Government of Canada through education.
* The establishment of a Canadian Embassy in Armenia.
* The enhancement of trade cultural and educational
relations between Canada and Armenia.
* Continue to support the Parliamentary Exchange Program
to enhance Parliamentary Relations between Canada
and Armenia.
Mr. Assadourian was asked by those present at the meeting to consult
with the Canadian Armenian Community across the country, to identify
and further define realizable ways to address these needs. It is
expected that these consultations will take place over the coming
two or three months.
Commenting on the meeting Assadourian said. “I would like to thank
all of the participants for their input and I assure you that I will
continue to apply my firm dedication to the freedom of expression
and the principles of democracy and that I will continue to work
with any individuals or organizations that dedicate themselves to
these principles to enhance Canadian Armenian relations and enrich
Canadian Armenian Life.”
-30-

Armenian minister says progress in Karabakh talks to be achieved soon
Mediamax news agency
3 Jun 04
Yerevan, 3 June: Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan did not
rule out today that “certain progress” can be achieved in the Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict settlement within the next two months.
Vardan Oskanyan said that he did not expect the mediators to exert
pressure on the parties to the conflict and make them sign a peace
treaty.
Commenting on the possibility of the resumption of hostilities in
the Karabakh conflict zone, the Armenian foreign minister said that
after the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline was put into operation,
chances of starting a new war would be “quite slim”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenian president compares opposition rallies to TV soaps
Ayastani Anrapetutyun, Yerevan
2 Jun 04
Text of article “Kocharyan: Steps that harm the country’s image are –
if not betrayal – close to it” published by the Armenian newspaper
Ayastani Anrapetutyun on 2 June:
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan touched, inter alia, on political
matters when he gave a news conference in Gyumri. Opposition activity
was among the issues that came up, and the president said that one of
the newspapers compared opposition “rallies” to Brazilian soap operas.
“This is a very exact comparison. I do not watch Brazilian soap operas
and, as they [the rallies] are similar, I do not have the time or
the interest to spend on them.”
Kocharyan added that the rallies take place so often that they [the
slogans] could be mimed to a recording. “If that happened, they would
be taking care of their health. Maybe they have been doing this for
a long time and we simply did not think of it.”
Kocharyan was asked: “Mr President, the opposition has refused
any dialogue. In this situation, do you see a way of resolving the
domestic political crisis?” Replying, he first emphasized that there
is no domestic political crisis in Armenia.
“Crisis means a situation where state bodies cannot implement their
obligations properly. In our country this could happen when, for
instance, the coalition had problems in the National Assembly to the
extent that it was impossible to take decisions. That would really
be a crisis and our constitution has strictly defined that.
“We should make a proper assessment about the present situation. Yes,
we have a conflict between the opposition and the authorities. But
where is there not such a conflict?
“Generally, authorities-opposition relations have conflict as their
basis. The issue is whether this conflict takes place in a civilized
or non-civilized form. Both the National Assembly and the government
are working very fruitfully. Evidence of this is that the budget is
being fulfilled, debts have not accumulated and obligations are being
implemented, and serious economic growth has happened in the country.
“In this situation, the opposition can return to the parliament or
can choose not to. Life and our work will continue. Everything is
very dynamic. There is a conflict between the authorities and the
opposition, and one side in that conflict – the opposition – has
refused to take the civilized option.”
The issue of opposition activity in Strasbourg also came up during
the news conference.
“Try and strain your imagination. Can you imagine Karen Demirchyan
and Vazgen Sarkisyan working against their own country. If somebody is
able to imagine this, then there is no point in continuing an answer
to the question. Knowing them, I am sure it is impossible to imagine
such a thing. Here I mean the scale of a person.
“If people are very petty in their scale, then they work in such
a scenario against their own country not only in Strasbourg but
also elsewhere. Is this betrayal or not? I do not want to use such
terms. But one thing is evident: any step that harms the image of
the country, especially abroad, is – if not betrayal – close to it.”
As previously reported, the PACE monitoring group will be in Armenia
14-17 June to study the implementation of the demands fixed in the
PACE resolution. Kocharyan said that the purpose of the visit has
not been assessed correctly.
“They (the group) will come, have meetings and draw conclusions for
the Council of Europe.”
However, Kocharyan says that this does not mean that they will come
and we shall report to them what we have done and how.
“We should not view international organizations as higher bodies. We
have already said: we are a member-country of this organization. We
should try to present the reality: what has happened? What is the
situation in Armenia today? And the monitors should report back the
results of their investigation to the Council of Europe. If we have
shortcomings in some areas, we should try to correct them.”
The president stressed that in such matters it is necessary to use
other formulations: “We are an independent country and we should
work with our people in such a way so as not to damage the values
of independence.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Media chief urges BBC to end “anti-Azerbaijani” propaganda
Yeni Musavat, Baku
3 Jun 04
Text of Farah report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Musavat on 3 June
headlined “The behaviour of the BBC employees runs counter to the
rules of journalism” and subheaded “‘Azar Hasrat: ‘Let them engage
in impartial journalism, not in anti-Azerbaijani propaganda'”
The recent lopsided stance of the BBC Russian Service on Azerbaijan
has caused discontent by numerous organizations. The Confederation
of Azerbaijani Journalists [CAJ] reacted to the issue yesterday.
A statement issued by the CAJ secretary-general, Azar Hasrat, described
the activities of the BBC radio employees as a violation of the rules
of journalism. Hasrat, who does not agree with the position of the
radio’s Russian service on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, said
that the journalists should take an equal approach to the conflicting
parties irrespective of their language and religion. He thinks
that no-one should act as a propagandist, abusing their position as
a journalist.
“As we can see, journalists [names omitted] visit the Azerbaijani lands
under Armenian occupation without the permission of the Azerbaijani
state. In addition, they are preparing pro-Armenian reports from
there. Being a journalist does not mean that one can enter the
territory of a certain country without permission. The abovementioned
BBC journalists and some other mass media representatives actually
show disrespect for international and national rules by visiting the
Azerbaijani territories under Armenian occupation without permission.
Such illegal behaviour by journalists from Western countries makes
an unpleasant impression on their Azerbaijani counterparts when they
try to learn Western journalism,” he said.
To recap, the CAJ which unites the country’s 13 journalist
organizations have always evaluated the developments only from the
viewpoint of impartial journalism and refrains from any actions that
damage the solidarity of journalists.
“This does not mean that we are going to keep silent just because
those who groundlessly propagate against our state and nation are
journalists. We have the right to demand that journalists respect our
state’s laws and borders just like we demand that the government
respect the rights of journalists. Sticking to this position,
we call on the BBC journalists and management to engage not in
anti-Azerbaijani propaganda, but in impartial journalism. Moreover,
we wish the Azerbaijani journalists working for the BBC to express
their civic position,” he said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Foreign investment in Armenia grows 22% in Q1
Interfax
03.06.2004
 
Yerevan. June 2 (Interfax) – Foreign investment in Armenia grew
21.7% year-on-year to $41.8 million in the first quarter of 2004,
the National Statistics Service told Interfax.
Foreign direct investment (FDI) grew 74.5% to $27.9 million, the
service said.
Foreign investment in the real sector grew 26.3%. Foreign direct
investment in the real sector was up 89.7%.
During the quarter, 36.5% of the FDI went into the food industry,
27.1% into communications and 11.7% into transport.
Foreign investments in Armenia grew 5.6% to $229.6 million in 2003. FDI
grew 8.9% to $153 million.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Air shipment of nuclear fuel to Armenia not dangerous – watchdog
Mediamax news agency
2 Jun 04
Yerevan, 2 June: The chief of the Armenian State Atomic Inspectorate,
Ashot Martirosyan, today denied the allegations that the air shipment
of nuclear fuel to the republic is fraught with a potential nuclear
explosion.
Ashot Martirosyan said this in an interview with Mediamax news
agency while commenting on the statement of the representative of the
European Commission, Alexis Loeber, published by the British Guardian
newspaper today.
Loeber had said that he was concerned about the method of delivering
nuclear fuel to Armenia – using Russian transport planes. “It is the
same as a potential flying nuclear bomb. It does not happen anywhere
else in the world. Nuclear fuel is transported by sea or by rail
everywhere,” the representative of the European Commission said.
Ashot Martirosyan said in his interview with Mediamax news agency
that a new shipment of crude nuclear fuel, which is not radioactive,
is being sent to Armenia.
“Even theoretically, it is impossible to imagine that a chain-reacting
amount, which might cause a nuclear explosion, can occur in air-shipped
nuclear fuel” the chief of the Armenian State Atomic Inspectorate said.
Martirosyan also said that the Armenian Nuclear Power Station is
not the only station where nuclear fuel is delivered by air. He said
that nuclear fuel is also delivered by planes to the Bilibino Nuclear
Power Station (Chukotka, Russia).
“The Russian side is responsible for delivering nuclear fuel to
Armenian territory, and this is envisaged not only in bilateral,
but also in international agreements,” the chief of the Armenian
State Atomic Inspectorate said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Armenia, Russia to boost relations in all spheres
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
2 Jun 04
[Presenter] The fate of five Armenian enterprises handed over to
Russia under the property-for-debt agreement was the key issue
which was discussed on Wednesday [2 June] during a sitting of
the Armenian-Russian interparliamentary commission in Yerevan. The
members of the commission stressed the importance of developing these
enterprises. The main obstacle to the development of Armenian-Russian
economic relations – transport communications – was also the key issue
of the Yerevan meeting. The Armenian and Russian parliamentarians
suggested that the Armenian, Russian and Georgian leaders sign a
trilateral agreement and create a transport corridor.
[Correspondent over video of the meeting] The seventh session of
the Armenian-Russian interparliamentary commission discussed mainly
economic issues. We have trade relations, the commodity turnover
increased by 30 per cent last year. According to the assessments of
the commission’s co-chairmen, there are various issues of cooperation
in the regional small and medium-sized business sphere.
[Russian co-chairman of the commission Nikolay Ryzhkov, speaking in
Russian with Armenian voice-over] Yes, there are problems, first of
all there are discrepancies in legislation. The enterprises have been
handed over to the Russian side, but Armenian laws are valid there,
which is creating problems. There are also technical problems.
[National Assembly deputy chairman Vaan Ovanesyan] Transport
communications in our relations are not at a good level. Russia
has made serious investments in Armenia, especially in the aviation
sphere. At the same time, they do not ensure a qualitative improvement,
and I think that there is a lot to do for cooperation.
[Correspondent] Transport issues were also discussed separately
during the session. According to the sides’ assessments, the main
obstacle in this field is the closure of the Abkhaz railway section
which connects the two countries.
[Vaan Ovanesyan] It is known that Azerbaijan is pursuing a policy of
hindering Armenia’s participation in all the transport and economic
programmes of regional importance. But our partners have no such
problems. Armenia will finally join the programme on establishing
the Russian-Azerbaijani-Iran transit communications line, which was
first designed as a Russia-Armenia-Iran one.
[Correspondent] The agreement adopted at the end of the Yerevan
session of the interparliamentary commission envisages setting up
five working groups which will be engaged in economic, political,
educational-cultural international parliamentary organizations and
deal with interregional cooperation issues. They also suggested that
the Armenian, Russian and Georgian governments sign a trilateral
agreement on establishing a transport corridor. In order to develop
Armenian-Russian cooperation, the session also approved the decision
to set up an Armenian-Russian Business Cooperation Association. The
member of the Armenian National Assembly, Volodya Badalyan, was
elected chairman of the Armenian-Russian cooperation association.
The Armenian-Russian cooperation association will hold a session in
Moscow on 29 June.
Nune Aleksanyan and Susan Badalyan for “Aylur”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESS OFFICE
Armenian Holy Apostolic Church Canadian Diocese
Contact; Deacon Hagop Arslanian, Assistant to the Primate
615 Stuart Avenue, Outremont Quebec H2V 3H2
Tel; 514-276-9479, Fax; 514-276-9960
Email; [email protected] Website;
A CLOSE FRIEND OF ARMENIANS AND THE ARMENIAN CHURCH CANADIAN DIOCESE
HAS BEEN ELECTED PRIMATE OF THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
During the 37th General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada, the
chief governing and legislative body Archbishop Hutchison of Montreal
was elected Primate or Presiding Bishop of the National Church. On
behalf of His Eminence Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate Deacon Hagop
Arslanian congratulated the Most Reverend Andrew S. Hutchison , on June
1st, 2004 he then said “Your Eminence, on this blessed occassion we
wish you good health and success in all your apostolic endeavors. Our
prayers are with you as you prepare to undertake a new challenge”.
Archbishop Hutchison has served as Bishop of the Diocese of Montreal
for the past 14 years, as Bishop Ordinary to the Canadian Forces since
1997, and as Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada
since 2002. He has been in Montreal since 1984, when he became Rector
of Christ Church Cathedral and Dean of Montreal. Prior to his arrival,
he had been active in parish ministry in the Diocese of Toronto.
In the past years, Archbishop Hutchison has been a close friend
of the Armenian Church Canadian Diocese. He has supported the many
Diocesan spiritual and cultural projects on various occasions as well
as the Armenian Cause. He was the guest speaker on April 23rd 2004,
when a Martyrs’ Prayer and Ecumenical Service were held in St Gregory
Armenian Cathedral. During his speech, dedicated to the victims of the
Armenian Genocide His Eminence lauded the Armenian Church as the most
ancient one in Christendom, and presented an overview of the historical
events of the Armenian Genocide. He then concluded by saying, “It
is important to remember, because there can be no real hope without
memory; and it is clear that we have not sufficiently remembered,
nor learnt from those dreadful events, nor from the failure of the
community of nations to respond to them appropriately. There can be no
healing, reconciliation and justice for Armenians, if the genocide is
not fully acknowledged, and responsibility for it accepted. Without
it there is no basis for the rebuilding of trust and a more secure
future in the community of nations.”
An official visit is scheduled to take place on the 15th of June, 2004.
Bishop Bagrat Galstanian will personally meet with Archbishop Andrew
Hucthison to congratulate him on his election to the highest Anglican
ecclesiastical position in Canada.
Divan of the Diocese
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CIS leaders to negotiate trade issues in Armenia
RosBusinessConsulting, Russia
June 2 2004
RBC, 02.06.2004, Yerevan 13:41:27.The second meeting between the
leaders of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the CIS members
took place today in the city of Yerevan (Armenia). The Head of
the Armenian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Martin Sarkisian,
announced at the opening ceremony that the results of the meeting
“might contribute to enhancing cooperation between the Chambers
of Commerce and Industry of the CIS members’. He stressed the
importance of a prudent investment policy, establishing a positive
business-environment and increasing foreign trade.
According to the Armenian news agency Arka, representatives of the
Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the CIS are to discuss the
results of implementing agreements and to determine future spheres
of cooperation in forming a positive environment for small and
medium-sized enterprises.