Author: Jidarian Alex

PAKISTANI AMBASSADOR TO AZERBAIJAN: WE HAVE NO COOPERATION RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA FOR ITS AGGRESSION AGAINST AZERBAIJAN

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
June 8 2006

The objective of my visit to the villages of Tovuz region on border
with Armenia is to familiarize with the living conditions of people
here,” APA’s western bureau reports quoting Pakistan’s extraordinary
and plenipotentiary ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohammad Hafiz as saying.

The ambassador said the population living near the border demonstrate
great courage.

“They are standing bravely and courageously face to face with Armenians
in a very difficult situation and have not betrayed their motherland,”
Mr.Hafiz said.

The Pakistani ambassador said Tovuz is not situated on the conflict
zone but on border with Armenia. Adding that the cease-fire is often
violated here even in peaceful period, the ambassador called this
situation horrible.

“This is terrible situation, the international community should
influence on the opposite side to guarantee freedom and quiet living of
these people. The government of Pakistan supports the rightful position
of Azerbaijan both individually and in the frames of international
organizations. Pakistan will continue to support Azerbaijan until
peace is established in the region. As a representative of Pakistan,
I will try to visit other regions on border as much as possible. It is
very important for me to get to know the situations in the regions,”
he said.

Mr. Hafiz also said Pakistan has no cooperation relations with Armenia,
“We are not cooperating with Armenia. We have not established any
economical, political and diplomatic relations with Armenia for its
having occupied Azerbaijan’s territories. Pakistan has not established
its embassy in Armenia as we back Azerbaijan in this matter. Pakistan
has always been together with Azerbaijan and will further be,” the
ambassador underlined.

FFA CHAIRMAN TO PARTICIPATE IN FIFA CONGRESS

Noyan Tapan
Jun 06 2006

YEREVAN, JUNE 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The 56th congress of the FIFA will take
place in the Munich congresses’ international center on June 7-8,
before the solemn start of the FIFA World Cup of 2006. FFA Chairman
Ruben Hairapetian and FFA Executive Director Armen Minasian got
invitation to participate in the congress from Armenia. As Noyan
Tapan was informed by the RA Football Federation, heads of national
federations participating in the congress will be present on June 9
at the solemn opening of the 2006 FIFA World Cup.

Armenian National Committee of Canada
130 Albert St., Suite 1007
Ottawa, ON
KIP 5G4
Tel. (613) 235-2622 Fax (613) 238-2622

PRESS RELEASE

June 06, 2006

Contact: Roupen Kouyoumjian
(613) 235-2622

“Like Our Mountains” Receives the Clio Award for Best History Book

Ottawa- “Like Our Mountains: A History of Armenians in Canada” a book
about the history of Armenians in Canada, has won Canadian Historical
Association’s (CHA) Clio Award as the best history book in 2005 (Ontario
Region). The award was presented to the author, Isabel
Kaprielian-Churchill, at the association’s president’s gala in Toronto
on Tuesday, May 30. The annual award honours meritorious publications or
exceptional contributions by individuals or organizations to regional
history.

“Like Our Mountains: A History of Armenians in Canada” covers the
establishment and the history of the Armenian community in Canada from
the 19th century until the 1980s.

The award, said CHA, is in recognition of Dr. Kaprielian-Churchill’s
“detailed and mature study and one of the most evocative treatments of
the challenges facing an ethnic group in the ‘New World’ that we have
read.” The association said the author “combines the approaches of an
insider with those of a detached scholar at a very successful and
sophisticated level. Dr. Isabel Kaprielian-Churchill’s research base is
formidable. Her writing is engaging, and given the nature of the topic,
is never too sentimental.”

Aris Babikian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of
Canada (ANCC), congratulated Dr. Kaprielian-Churchill and said: “We are
proud of Dr. Kaprielian-Churchill and the outstanding and unprecedented
examination of the history of our community in Canada. The ANCC is
gratified that its collaboration with Dr. Kaprielian-Churchill paid off
and the book has been honoured by Canadian historians.”

ANCC worked very closely with Dr. Kaprielian-Churchill to secure funding
from Heritage Canada for the publication of the book and provided
research material and other pertinent support. The publication of the
book went through an arduous journey before it was finally published.

-30-

The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian
grassroots political organization. Working in coordination with a
network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and
affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCC actively advances
the concerns of the Canadian-Armenian community on a broad range of
issues.

Regional Chapters

Montréal – Laval – Ottawa – Toronto – Hamilton – Cambridge – St.
Catharines – Windsor – Vancouver

RA AND AR PRESIDENTS REFUSED TO REVEAL DETAILS OF THEIR TALKS TO MASS MEDIA

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
June 5 2006

Having talked over three hours tete-a-tete, RA and AR Presidents Robert
Kocharyan and Ilham Aliyev refused to reveal any detail of the talks,
ArmInfo reports quoting RFE/RL.

To remind, the Presidents’ meeting was held at the Greek Embassy
in Bucharest June 4. All the efforts of journalists to get details
of the meeting were useless. In response to the Azeri journalists’
insistent questions, President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan just said
accommodation on providing details to mass media had not been reached
in the course of the Bucharest meeting. President of Azerbaijan Ilham
Aliyev ignored the journalists’ questions, RFE/RL reports. It should
be noted the Presidents met within the frames of the Black Sea Forum
for Dialogue and Partnership.

KOCHARIAN AND ALIYEV DISCUSS KARABAKH PROBLEM IN BUCHAREST

Armenpress
June 05 2006

BUCHAREST, JUNE 5, ARMENPRESS: Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents,
Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev, met on June 4 in Bucharest, Romania,
to discuss the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The meeting was hosted by
the Polish embassy in Bucharest. Kocharian and Aliyev traveled to
Bucharest for a Black Sea Partnership and Dialogue summit.

It was the first meeting between the two men since the February 2006
talks in the French castle of Rambouillet near Paris, which failed in
their aim of setting out a framework for a negotiated settlement of
the near-20-year-old conflict. Their Bucharest meeting was featured
by Karel de Gucht, the OSCE chairman-in-office, OSCE Minsk group
cochairmen from Russia, France and the USA, Armenian and Azerbaijani
foreign ministers and the personal envoy of the OSCE chairman-in-office
Andrzey Kasprzyk. This was followed by almost a three-hour long
tete-a-tete- conversation between the presidents. Later on other
parties joined them.. Overall the negotiations lasted for four hours.

Kocharian and Aliyev were then received by Romanian President Traian
Basescu to discuss the Karabakh problem. The Romanian president had
had separate meetings with both presidents before the start of the
talks. It was said that Basescu is planning a visit to Armenia in
autumn. Neither the presidents not other participants of the meeting
talked to journalists on Sunday. However, the sides are expected to
offer their comments on the talks in the course of the summit that
has started today. Today morning Kocharian had a separate meeting
with Karel de Gucht, a senior US official and an EU representative
for the South Caucasus.

Robert Kocharian and Ilham Aliyev are expected to have another meeting
in Romania’s capital Bucharest today. The parties are expected to
issue a statement today on the outcome of the meetings. By the way,
one of subjects to be discussed today by the parties is providing
the public at large with information about the ongoing talks.

The US cochairman in the OSCE Minsk group, Steven Mann, who
participated in the Kocharian-Aliyev meeting on June 4 in Bucharest
said today he and his two counterparts from Russia and France expect
progress in the talks every time Armenian and Azeri leaders meet to
explore ways for ending their dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Speaking today to journalists, Mann said both presidents were showing
interest towards discussions of the problem. Mann refrained from giving
any detail of the talks, saying more concrete information may be given
to journalists after the second meeting of Kocharian and Aliyev today.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Extermination of Armenian Cultural Presence in Nakhichevan –
Outcome of Baku Cruel Policy
03.06.2006 14:49 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian cultural monuments of Nakhichevan can be
spoken about only in the past tense, Hayk Demoyan, Candidate of
Historical Sciences, told journalists yesterday. `This was an outcome
of vandalism policy of Azerbaijan against Armenian monuments for many
years,’ he said.

According to Demoyan, such cruel policy is being pursued in Azerbaijan
for many years at the state level. In his words, full extermination of
the Armenian cultural presence in Old Jugha was a logical outcome of
that policy, reports Novosti-Armenia.

Azerbaijan News Service
June 2 2006

EUROPEAN UNION SUPPORT THE ACTIVITY OF MINSK GROUP, OSCE IN SOLUTION
OF DAQLIQ QARABAQ CONFLICT
2006-06-02 17:49

European Union support the activity of Minsk Group, OSCE in solution
of Daqliq Qarabaq conflict, Giuseppe Buzini, the responsible
representative of new neighbor policy of EU on relations with
Azerbaijan. According to Mr. Buzzini the solution of Daqliq Qarabaq
problem is not dependent on functionaries of new neighbor policy
program. OSCE’s Minsk group including France, member of European
Union, co-chairman of establishment, has been working on the solution
of the problem for a long time. So EU has indirect connections with
the issue. Alongside, Mr.Buzzini stated that EU is ready to
contribute in rehabilitation of the region as well as infrastructure,
transportation. Andreas Herdina, EU New Neighborhood Policy Sectors
Coordinator, said to APA that settlements of conflicts in South
Caucasus including Daqliq Qarabaq is very significant for EU. We
witness positive steps as Rambouiet talks and planned meeting in
Bucharest.

National Assembly of RA, Armenia
June 2 2006

Biography of Tigran Torosyan, President of the RA National Assembly

Tigran Souriki Torosyan was born on April 14, 1956 in Yerevan.

In 1973-1978 he studied at the Faculty of Radio-Electronics of
Yerevan Polytechnic (Engineering University) Institute, at the same
time in 1976-1978 – at the faculty of Social Sciences. After
graduating from the Institute he received his degree as an engineer
in electronic technical engineer and technical translator (French
language) and from 1978 he started work in Yerevan Scientific
Research Institute of Mathematical Machines first as an engineer,
then leading engineer. In 1988-1995 he worked as head of subdivision
and leading scientific associate. In 1990 he defended his thesis and
received his degree of Technical Sciences PhD. He holds patents on 10
inventions and has written more than 30 scientific studies.

In 1996-1998 he was a member of the RA Central Electoral Commission,
in 1997-1998 editor-in-chief of the official newspaper of
Hanrapetakan/Republican party Hanrapetakan. He has written more than
two hundred analytical articles, which were published in different
periodicals and collections.

On May 30, 1999 he was elected as a deputy of the RA National
Assembly from Miasnutiun/Unity Alliance electoral roll, which formed
the Republican Party and Zhoghovrdakan/People’s party. In 1999-2003
he was Vice President of the RA National Assembly. In 2001-2003 he
was the Chairman of the Ad hoc Committee on Constitutional Amendments
of the National Assembly.

On May 25, 2003 he was reelected from the proportional list of
Republican Party of Armenia/RPA. And on June 12, 2003 he was elected
Vice President of the NA. From 2003 he is Chairman of the NA Ad-hoc
Committee on Matters of Integration in European Structures, head of
the Armenian delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe.

In 2004 he was elected Vice-Chairperson of PACE European Democrat
Group, in 2006 – Vice Chairperson of the Committee on the Honouring
of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of
Europe (Monitoring Committee).

He is a member of RPA faction.

>From 1993 he is a member of RPA and the party board. In 1998-2005 he
is a Deputy Chairman of RPA board, from 2005 – RPA Deputy Chairman.

On June 1, 2006 he was elected President of the National Assembly of
the Republic of Armenia.

He is married and has one daughter.

SUREN HAROUTIUNIAN TO BE REPLACED BY OLEG YESAYAN ON POST OF RA
AMBASSADOR TO BELARUS AND RA RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE IN CIS BODIES

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Under RA President
Robert Kocharian’s June 1 decrees, Suren Haroutiunian was relieved of
the post of RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the
Republic of Belarus, as well as RA Resident Authorized Representative
in CIS regulations and other bodies. As Noyan Tapan was informed from
President’s Press Service, Oleg Yesayan (residence Minsk) was
appointed to these posts.

ARMENIAN KNIFED TO DEATH ON TRAIN
Published: Wednesday, 31 May, 2006, 11:31 AM Doha Time

Gulf Times, Qatar
May 31 2006

MOSCOW: A 19-year-old ethnic Armenian man was knifed to death on
a Russian passenger train last week by a group of youths shouting
“glory to Russia”, Ekho Moskvy radio station reported yesterday.

Artur Sardaryan was stabbed repeatedly, rupturing his heart, when
a group of young men attacked him on the train just outside Moscow,
the radio station said, citing witnesses.

Prosecutors have opened a formal investigation on charges of
racially-motivated murder, Interfax news agency reported.

Sardaryan was resident in Russia, reports said, but it was unclear
whether he had Russian citizenship.

A wave of killings and beatings in cities across Russia has raised
concerns about the rise of racist groups in the country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered police to stamp out
racist attacks and described the rise of racism as a threat to national
security in Russia.

But rights group Amnesty International said this month the government
was failing to confront the problem.

Immigrants from ex-Soviet republics are frequent targets because they
often have darker skin compared with ethnic Russians.

The chaos that followed the fall of the Soviet Union bred uncertainty
about Russia’s place in the world and anger at the perceived threat
from immigration.

Racist groups flowered. – Reuters.