Author: Jagharian Tania

PanARMENIAN.Net

Mikael Harutyunyan: Armenia ready to develop
cooperation with NATO
08.02.2008 17:18 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ February 7, Armenian Defense
Minister Mikael Harutyunyan met with NATO delegation
led by Jaroslaw Skonieczka, NATO’s Director for
Euro-Atlantic Integration and Partnership, and Frank
Boland, Director of Force Planning. The delegation is
in Armenia to assess the IPAP implementation, RA
Defense Minister’s Spokesman, Colonel Seyran
Shahsuvaryan told PanARMENIAN.Net.

Welcoming the guests, Minister Harutyunyan noted that
the regular visits of NATO officials to South Caucasus
prove the Alliance’s interest in the region.

`NATO plays a significant role in ensuring
international security and stability. This fact is
proved by presence of peacekeeping missions in Kosovo
an Afghanistan. Cooperation with the Alliance is a
priority for Armenia,’ he said.

`The IPAP initial 2-year stage is completed. The
outcomes will be discussed at 26+1 NATO session in
April. Strategic reconsideration of the security
system will start this year,’ he added.

The Minister assured that Armenia intends to develop
cooperation with NATO and voiced hope that during the
coming years this cooperation will expand and cover
new fields.

The officials also exchanged views on regional
security and marked out plans of future activities.

RELIABLE PEOPLE SHOULD BE APPOINTED TO STRATEGIC POSTS – AZERI EXPERT

Day.az, azerbaijan
Feb 4 2008

"Vafa Quluzada: `Reliable people should work at strategic facilities
of Azerbaijan, otherwise, spy scandals will occur constantly’"

4 February: A Day.az interview with political expert and former state
adviser on foreign policy issues, Vafa Quluzada.

[Correspondent] How would you comment on accusations, both official
and unofficial, of former Azerbaijani officials of collaboration with
the Russian special service?

[Quluzada] The presence of special service agents of foreign states,
moreover, in such an important country like Azerbaijan is natural.

And there is nothing surprising that the Russian intelligence service
works on the territory of our republic.

The surprising is other thing. The Azerbaijani authorities have not to
appoint pro-Russian people, who have studied in the Russian Federation
or those connected with Russia this or that way, to key posts. Similar
problems will emerge permanently if such people are staked on.

Airports, stations, post-offices, medical institutions these are
facilities of heightened interest of foreign special services, and
therefore, issues of selecting personnel for those facilities have
to be paid extraordinarily much attention.

[Correspondent] Nevertheless, information accusing officers of the
security service of the Baku airport and the Azerbaijani National
Security Ministry appeared practically straight away after it was made
public that the former head of the Azerbaijani permanent mission at the
UN, Eldar Quliyev, collaborated with the Russian special service. Do
you think these are mere fortuity?

[Quluzada] However that may be, Azerbaijan is becoming more independent
and is obliged to protect own interests. In addition to this, the USA
is a partner of Azerbaijan and they are interested that the Russian
special service not act wilfully in our republic.

Therefore, we can expect support in this sphere from the United States
and Israel, that is to say, their special services can cooperate with
Azerbaijan in order to protect not only our but also their secrets
connected with ours.

[Correspondent] What would the Russian intelligence service be
interested in Azerbaijan first of all?

[Quluzada] As I already said, Azerbaijan is of great interest for the
Russian special service. Even after the demise of the Soviet Union and
the departure of Azerbaijan from the direct sphere of influence of the
Kremlin, the Russian intelligence has not suspended its activities
here. In particular, Moscow is interested in the development of our
relations with the USA and NATO, the prospects of joining Azerbaijan
to the North Atlantic alliance, the possibility of deployment of
NATO military bases in the republic. I think that the Azerbaijani
special service should also strive for bugging conversations of the
Russian leadership. It would be interesting to find out what Vladimir
Putin is going to do with the Azerbaijani occupied lands. After all,
we all know that not in the least Armenia has occupied Karabakh but
the Russian army. It would also be better what instructions Vladimir
Putin gives to [Armenian Prime Minister] Serzh Sargsyan regarding
Nagornyy Karabakh. One way or another, without deviating from our
main subject, I would recommend the Azerbaijani authorities to check
all strategic facilities, their personnel, who might be of interest
for the Russian special service.

The war of special services continues and we have to learn a lesson
from the latest incident.

[Correspondent] Is any reciprocal demarche possible by Russia?

[Quluzada] What would a demarche give? The matter is that we have
to try to appoint to key posts people who will protect secrets and
interests of the state, nationalists, and people devoted to their
national ideals, and not those who serve national ideals of foreign
states.

[Correspondent] In any case, very recently, after a spy scandal,
Latvia and Russia declared some diplomats persona non grata.

[Quluzada] Right, but in this case, those arrested are not the
Russian diplomats but the Azerbaijani officers spying for the Russian
intelligence.

[Correspondent] I mean, is it possible to "suddenly" appear people
exposed on charges of spying for Azerbaijan after the success of the
Azerbaijani special service?

[Quluzada] No, one should not expect this to happen. Anyway, it would
be another case, if a Russian diplomat were, who recruited the people
arrested in Azerbaijan or received and gave information, expelled.

What would do Russia in response is only known to the Russian
leadership.

ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN RELATIONS ON THE RISE — KOCHARYAN

ITAR-TASS, Russia
Feb 7 2008

YEREVAN, February 6 (Itar-Tass) — Russian-Armenian relations are
on the rise and have a brilliant future, Armenian President Robert
Kocharyan said in a meeting with Russian Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov
on Wednesday.

In his words, economic ties have become the locomotive of bilateral
cooperation, and Russian capital comes to different sectors of the
Armenian economy.

"Effective programmes are underway. We expect this integration to
expend further," he added.

The president stressed the dynamic development of cooperation in the
field of infrastructure, the presidential press service told Itar-Tass.

Kocharyan and Zubkov said trade turnover between Russia and Armenia
was coming close to one billion U.S. dollars and existing results
cerate good prerequisites for more ambitious and promising programmes.

In their view, the effective work of the bilateral inter-governmental
commission on economic cooperation also contributes to this success.

Kocharyan and Zubkov also noted the importance of intensified
cooperation in the humanitarian sphere, in the field of culture and
education. The president of Armenia and the prime minister of Russia
agreed that interaction in these fields should be coordinated better.

SORRY UNDER PRESSURE ISN’T SORRY AT ALL
Caitlin Wall

Foreign Policy Passport
Feb 6 2008

Last week, Australia’s government announced that it will formally
apologize for its decades-long practice of stealing Aboriginal children
and giving them to white families to raise. The practice, intented to
destroy "Aboriginality" and force racial assimilation, was official
government policy from 1915 to 1969. During these years, many children
were raised in poor conditions in institutions, received little to no
education, and suffered abuse at the hands of caretakers. Apologizing
for it is an admirable step by the new Australian administration to
move forward from a dark past. Australia aside, though, there has been
a real lack of sincerity on the international apology front lately.

Over the past year, some in the U.S. Congress have attempted to force
apologies from other nations on two occasions. First, the House of
Representatives passed a resolution urging Japan to apologize for
forcing thousands of women into sex-slavery during WWII. More recently,
the House attempted a vote condemning Turkey for its treatment of
Armenians at the beginning of the 20th century. And while I by no
means wish to diminish these atrocities, I wonder: Would an apology
elicited under pressure really contribute to the healing process?

Consider the case of Iraq. This past Sunday, controversial legislation
to reintegrate former Baathists back into Iraqi government became
law. It was one of the key "benchmarks" the U.S. Congress has been
using to judge the Iraqis’ progress. As Feisel al-Istrabadi, Iraq’s
former deputy ambassador to the U.N., pointed out in a recent Seven
Questions interview, de-Baathification had gone horribly awry. The
question, though, is not whether reconciliation is warranted,
but whether it is real and sustainable given how the bill came
about-under U.S. pressure. Can reconciliation be treated like just
another benchmark? Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashimi, a top Sunni
leader and influential member of the Presidential Council, certainly
doesn’t think so.

TOURISM CENTERS BUILT IN SECURE TERRITORIES

Panorama.am
21:14 05/02/2008

Near Khosrov reserve a tourism center is being built, where the
tourists will have the chance to get information about the reserve and
visit the parts which are permitted to. According to Karen Manvelyan,
the head of World Nature Fund Armenia office, the Norwegian government
provided 350 thousands euros, and 120 of which is used to build the
center and the rest to built an administrative center in Shikahogh
reserve.

He said that the reconstruction of the administrative building starts
this year. He also added that special booklets will be published on
Khosrov reserve to give present the rights of the tourists, where
they can visit and where not.

According to Manvelyan it will be possible to get revenues and to
contribute to the development of the country’s economy. He said that
not only the tourists should wish to visit the reserve but also
native people. "We need to use Armenian resources effectively and
due to them Armenia will become a tourism center," he said.

WATER SUPPLY’S SYSTEM OF STEPANAKERT WILL BE REBUILT

Azat Artsakh Tert
Feb 5 2008
Nagorno Karabakh Rep.

As the administartion of relations with the NKR Government’s
information and community informed, today the NKR Prime Minister Ara
Haroutyunian has held a conference concerned to the the water supply’s
problem of Stepanakert. During the discussion, the speacialists of
Erevan have represented their preliminary observations.

The researches will be continued in forthcomong, invited professional
new groups will join them.

The Prime Minister has suggested the designers to represent fresh and
acceptable ideas, on basis of which must be usage of self running
and artesian waters entering the capital and demand of restoration
of damaged inner netting.

4 PERSONS ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH INCIDENT IN TALIN’S SQUARE
DURING PRE-ELECTION MEETING

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, NOYAN TAPAN. Arrest as a measure of restraint was
chosen with respect to 4 persons: Zhora and Mkrtich Sapeyan, Tigran
Baghdasarian and Hayk Gevorgian who were detained for beating Sargis
Karapetian during a pre-election meeting of the presidential candidate
Levon Ter-Petrosian in the square of the city of Talin on January 27.
They are charged with hooliganism under Article 258 of the RA Criminal
Code.

"ECOLOGIST" AND "EDUCATION AND SCIENCE IN ARTSAKH" 10 YEARS OLD

Panorama.am
20:51 01/02/2008

Today the Yerevan State University organized and held an event devoted
to the tenth anniversary of "Education and Science in Artsakh" and
"Ecologist" journals.

According to the Aram Simonyan, the chancellor of the YSU, the two
journals managed to become popularized, and their demand is especially
noticed in academic and linguistic fields. "The mission of the journals
is to inform and educate the public," said Simonyan.

According to Radik Martirosyan, the president of Science National
Academy, the form and the content of the journals are being strictly
followed since they are published.

ARMENIAN PEACEKEEPERS’ 6th SHIFT RETURNS TO ARMENIA FROM IRAQ

Noyan Tapan
Jan 31, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, NOYAN TAPAN. The 6th shift of Armenian
peacekeepers implementing a peacekeeping mission in Iraq arrived in
Yerevan on January 30. Noyan Tapan was informed about it by the RA
Defence Ministry’s Press Service.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CONSIDERS TRANSFER FROM PURE PROGAMMING ACTIVITY TO HIGH-TECH PRODUCTION AS MOST IMPORTANT GOAL IN UPCOMING YEARS

Noyan Tapan
Jan 31, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian president Robert
Kocharian on January 31 received Serge Tchuruk, the chairman of
Alcatel-Lucent company – one of the world leading IT companies, and
Armen Sargsian, chairman of Night Bridge Holding, former prime minister
of the RA. According to the RA president’s press service, during the
meeting the interlocutors spoke about projects on introduction of
innovation technologies in scientific research and economy and on
cooperation in provision of fast high-quality Internet connection.

S. Tchuruck briefly presented the activities of Alcatel and expressed
a willingness to launch some projects in Armenia.

Underlining the importance of mutually beneficial cooperation,
R. Kocharian said that the Armenian government gives priority to
information technologies, and there has already been progress in the
IT sector. He considered the transfer from pure programming work to
high-tech production as the most important goal in the upcoming years.