Author: Kalashian Nyrie

VARTAN OSKANIAN STATES THAT COUNTRIES-MEMBERS OF NATO AND EUROPEAN
UNION SHOULD ENCOURAGE TURKEY TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA
YEREVAN, August 27 (Noyan Tapan). “Every country-member of NATO and
the European Union, including Denmark, should encourage Turkey to
normalize the relations with Armenia.” RA Minister of Foreign Affairs
Vartan Oskanian said about it during a press conference held after the
meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark Per Stig Moller on
August 27. The Minister said that Armenia advances no preconditions in
the establishment of relations with Turkey and expects the same from
the Turkish side. The RA Minister of Foreign Affairs attached
importance to the improvement of the Armenian-Turkish relations that
“Turkey is the only country in the region that has closer prospect in
the issue of the integration into Europe, and it is also the only
country-member of NATO with which the three South Caucasian republics
have the same borders.”

Agence France Presse
Aug 25 2004
Germany Welcomes Reform And Growth In Azerbaijan
BERLIN, Aug 25 (AFP) – German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder welcomed
Wednesday the reforms undertaken in Azerbaijan and economic growth
that has begun there, after talks here with President Ilham Aliyev.
“The domestic reforms have led to surprising growth,” said Schroeder,
adding that efforts to improve the rule of law had brought “much
success already.”
He called on German investors to drop their reservations about the
region around the oil-rich former Soviet republic, which borders
Iran, Russia and Turkey.
The two leaders signed a contract for the delivery to Azerbaijan of
three Airbus A319 passenger jets and a smaller aircraft.
Azerbaijan, a mainly Muslim nation of about eight million people, has
sizeable oil deposits which it is starting to export to world
markets.
Its pro-Western and secular government has said it wants to move
closer to European institutions.
Schroeder also said that Germany supports a political solution to the
conflict in the enclave of Nagorny Karabakh and wants to continue to
help through the auspices of Europe’s OSCE security organisation.
Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a four-year war over Nagorny Karabakh,
which has a majority Armenian population. The conflict has cost an
estimated 35,000 lives and forced about one million people on both
sides to flee their homes.
Aliyev, 42, who succeeded his father as president last year, is
making his first visit to Germany as president and is expected to
leave on Thursday.
On a trip to Azerbaijan in April, German Foreign Minister Joschka
Fischer said its leaders needed to improve their performance on
democracy and human rights.

“FEAST FOR KERRY”
Azg/am
25 Aug 04
A Musical Festival on August 28
An unprecedented musical festival called “Feast for Kerry” is going to
burst out in Franklin, Massachusetts, in a campsite “Armenia” on
August 28.
The festival is aimed to do honour to the Democratic candidate John
Kerry who is respected by the Armenian community of the US for the 20
years of pro-Armenian policy in the Senate. Now Armenians hope that
John Kerry would be kind of Woodrow Wilson, American president
sensitive to the problems of the Armenians.
Armenians all over America will gather at the campsite to express
their support to the senator Kerry. The festival includes music of all
types, from folklore to jazz. A desk named “Kebab for Kerry” will be
open all day long.
Harut Sassounian of the California Courier was present at the
Democratic convention in Boston and writes that the Hye Dat National
Committee of America, that usually makes its decision public by the
end of the polls, this time was certain about the choice. The choice
was easy to take as “Bush administration has nothing to offer the
Armenian community” whereas Kerry has voted for the Armenian Genocide
acknowledgment and now is one of the supporters of the new
acknowledgment formula.
On the convention days in Boston Mr. Sassounian met many Armenians
even from Republicans who had come to unanimously support John
Kerry. “This is a good opportunity enabling Kerry to cooperate with
different representatives of the Armenian community in case of taking
the office”, writes Mr. Sassounian.
By Hakob Tsulikian

ARKA News Agency
Aug 24 2004
Pan-Armenian cultural festival to be held once in two years
Exhibition of exclusive works of modern Armenian applied arts `Silk
Road’ to be held in Yerevan on Sept 10
ARMENIA EXPO international exhibition Forum to be held in Yerevan on
Sept 10-13
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PAN-ARMENIAN CULTURAL FESTIVAL TO BE HELD ONCE IN TWO YEARS
YEREVAN, August 24. /ARKA/. The Pan-Armenian cultural festival to be
held once in two years, as Lilit Asatryan, Deputy Armenian Minister
of Culture and Youth Affairs told today on pres-conference related to
completion of `One Nation, One Culture’ festival. She mentioned that
the intention of the organizers is uniting the representatives of the
Diaspora and Armenia was successful and henceforth the festival will
turn to a traditional event. `Succession of the national values and
transfer of knowledge from the old to the new generation is important
in preserving the cultural traditions’, she remarked.
Tamara Poghosyan, the Executive Director of the festival added that
it allowed uniting not only the representatives of the Diaspora and
Armenia, but people inside the country. In her words, tradition of
holding such an event is very important as forming of pan-national
tradition, preservation of ties with the Motherland, restoration of
relevant attitude to the culture is the priority of the cultural
policy. She mentioned that around AMD 110 mln was collected for
holding of the festival. But, as she explained the expenses were much
bigger due to numerous sponsors – Atenk, Ashtarak-Kat, Grand Holding,
Multi Group, MIKA Armenia, Flash, Hovhnainan International, Zangezur
Copper Molybdenum Combine, ACP, Bank Anelik, Inecobank, Chamber of
Commerce. Also, around 100 people, most of which were students
rendered volunteering services in holding of festival.
`One Nation, One Culture’ festival was held on Aug 15-23. More than
1500 Armenian artists from 22 countries participated in the festival.
T.M. -0–
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EXHIBITION OF EXCLUSIVE WORKS OF MODERN ARMENIAN APPLIED ARTS `SILK
ROAD’ TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON SEPT 10
YEREVAN, August 24. /ARKA/. Exhibition of exclusive works of modern
Armenian applied arts `Silk Road’ to be held in Yerevan on Sept 10,
as Terjian Hotel, host of the exhibition, told ARKA that the event
will exhibit Nune Aghbalyan’s, Lecturer of Yerevan State Institute of
Fine Arts and Gevorg Shadoyan, Designer’s exclusive works.
For the first time in Armenia there will be held an exhibition of the
most modern costumes collection with Armenian ornaments and paintings
on silk ties, brooches, scarves and other accessories.
Representatives of the Armenian Government, embassies, international
and local organizations, as well as mass media are invited to attend
the exhibition. The entrance to the exhibition is free. T.M. -0–
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ARMENIA EXPO INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION FORUM TO BE HELD IN YEREVAN ON
SEPT 10-13
YEREVAN, August 24. /ARKA/. The 4th universal international
trade-industrial exhibition Forum ARMENIA EXPO 2004 to be held in
Yerevan on Sept 10-13. As LOGOS EXPO Centrå told ARKA, `Industrial
Armenia’, `Build Expo’, `Trans Expo’, `Comp Expo’, `Polygraph,
Publishing, Advertising’, `Food and Drinks’ exhibitions to be held in
the frames of the Forum. Also Business Days of the USA, China and
Russia to be held on Sept 11-13. As it is mentioned in the press
release, the exhibition Forum covering an area of 1000 sq. m. to be
participated by 170 companies from Armenia, Russia, Ukraine,
Byelorussia, Iran, Syria, Germany, Italy, USA. China, Lithuania,
Georgia, Hungary, Japan and Czech Republic. The Forum is organized by
LOGOS EXPO Centre as well as the Armenian Foreign, Trade and Economic
Development Ministries as well as the Union of Manufacturers and
Entrepreneurs of Armenia and Armenian Development Agency. T.M. -0–

KARABAKH CAPITAL GETS NEW MAYOR
Mediamax news agency
23 Aug 04
YEREVAN
Preliminary reports suggest that Eduard Agabekyan, chairman of the
Nagornyy Karabakh Republic National Assembly’s Standing Commission on
Social Issues and leader of the (newly-established) Movement-88
political organization, has been elected mayor of the Nagornyy
Karabakh capital of Stepanakert.
The second round of the mayoral election was held in Stepanakert on 22
August, with Eduard Agabekyan and the former deputy mayor of
Stepanakert, Pavel Nadzharyan, running for the post.
The NKR Central Electoral Commission told Mediamax today that
according to preliminary results, Eduard Agabekyan got 55.3 per cent
of the vote, and Pavel Nadzharyan – 38.8 per cent.
The commission also reported that in comparison with the first round,
the runoff turnout increased by 10 per cent to reach almost 51 per
cent.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
August 20, 2004 Friday 12:03 AM Eastern Time
Russia, Armenia ponder ways to normalize situation in Caucasus
By Mikhail Petrov
SOCHI
The presidents of Russia and Armenia will hold bilateral talks in
Sochi on Friday, specifically on coordination of the efforts of the
two countries seeking to normalize the situation in the North
Caucasus. The two countries have consistently called for the peaceful
settlement of the regional problems and are seriously concerned over
the threats of destabilization in the South Caucasus in the wake of
the aggravation of the situation in South Ossetia.
Vladimir Putin and Robert Kocharyan will exchange views on ways to
unlock the potential of multilateral cooperation and the use of the
already existing regional mechanisms and the CIS peacekeeping
potentialities for this purpose.
The presidents also plan to consider further interaction within the
frame of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and the Eurasian
Economic Community, in which Armenia has been granted the observer
status.
The two countries are determined to take steps on both the bilateral
and multilateral basis in combating terrorism in all its forms and
reinforce their political resolve with effective practical
cooperation of their law enforcement agencies and special services.
Putin and Kocharyan will also focus on realization of bilateral
understandings in the economic and other fields. They will examine
the status of mutual trade and investment cooperation, the
fulfillment of the property-for-debt agreement, as well as
interaction in the fields of energy and transport.

ARKA News Agency
Aug 18 2004
RA Foreign Minister receives UNHCR Chief Inspector
Memorial service takes place in St. Echmiadzin on the 10th
anniversary of decease of Vazgen I, the Catholicos of All Armenians
The newly appointed German Ambassador to Armenia presents her
credentials to the RA President
An exhibition -sale of Armenian books printed in Armenia and abroad
takes place in Yerevan
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RA FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES UNHCR CHIEF INSPECTOR
YEREVAN, August 18. /ARKA/. RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian
received Chief Inspector of UN High Commissioner for Refugees on his
visit to RA Tahiar Ali. As RA Foreign Ministry Press Service told
ARKA, the main purpose of the inspection visit is summarizing the
works performed in the region since 1988 towards improving of the
refugee’s state as well as to evaluate the activity of UN High
Commissioner for Refugees.
During the talk, the Minister highly appreciated the activity of the
UNHCR in RA and expressed a hope that in the future this important UN
structure will be more actively involved in all works, related to
refugees performed by RA Government.
The sides also touched upon the issues related to social integration
of refugees into the society. Tahir Ali to leave from RA for Georgia
and then to Azerbaijan. After his regional visits he will submit a
report to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. T.M. -0–
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MEMORIAL SERVICE TAKES PLACE IN ST. ECHMIADZIN ON THE 10TH
ANNIVERSARY OF DECEASE OF VAZGEN I, THE CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS
YEREVAN, August 18. /ARKA/. Today, memorial service on the 10th
anniversary of decease of Vazgen I the Catholicos of All Armenians
took place in Echmiadzin Holy See. According to the Press Service of
Echmiadzin Holy See Chancellery the memorial service was served with
the assistance of Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II. In his
speech, the Head of St. Echmiadzin Chancellery, Archbishop Nerses
Pozapalian spoke about the productive life of Vazgen I and emphasized
the efforts of the Armenian Patriarch aimed at the glorification of
Echmiadzin Holy See. As the press release states, the ceremony was
attended by clergymen of high rank and a group of Romanian Armenians.
L.V.–0–
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THE NEWLY APPOINTED GERMAN AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA PRESENTS HER
CREDENTIALS TO THE RA PRESIDENT
YEREVAN, August 18. /ARKA/. The newly appointed German Ambassador to
Armenia Haike Renate Paitsch presented today her credentials to RA
President Robert Kocharian. According to the Press Service Department
of RA President, during the meeting, the sides expressed satisfaction
concerning the current level of Armenian-German relations and
mentioned that these relations were developing especially dynamically
recently. Paitsch expressed confidence that good bilateral relations
will intensify in future through even closer cooperation. She
conveyed to Robert Kocharian the friendly message of Horst Keller,
the President of Germany.
In his turn, the RA President noted that Armenia attaches special
importance to partnership with Germany. He highly appreciated the
assistance of the German Government in the process of reforms in
Armenia. According to Kocharian, the economic component occupies a
particular place in the agenda of bilateral relations and mentioned
the efficiency of cooperation programs in energy and financial-
technical areas. L.V.–0 –
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AN EXHIBITION -SALE OF ARMENIAN BOOKS PRINTED IN ARMENIA AND ABROAD
TAKES PLACE IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, August 18. /ARKA/. An exhibition -sale of Armenian books
printed in Armenia and abroad takes place in the open air on the
square after Charle Aznavour in Yerevan. The Chairman of the National
Association of Editors of RA Vahagn Khachatryan told reporters that
about 1000 titles of books, 50 publishing houses and printing houses
of the country, like `Arevik’, `Luis’, `Lusabac’, `Anahit’, `Noyan
Tapan’, `Nahapet’ are presented on the exhibition. As he said, the
exhibition presents mainly the books in the field of science, art,
culture, and moral values issued for the last 2-3 years. Also works
of a very famous foreign authors such as Shakespeare, Gabriel Garcia
Markes, Moris Metterlink are exhibited. The books of the writers
representing Diaspora have a separate stand, on which research and
historic materials devoted to the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman
Turkey, the Karabakh liberation movement and the Armenians in
Javakhq. Works of both old authors and modern writers representing
Diaspora such as Peter Balakyan are exhibited. Khachatryan stated
that the majority of authors from Diaspora will be exhibited on th
eeother exhibition which will take place on August 30 in the RA
National Library.
According to Khachatryan, the goal of the exhibition is to develop
publishing house, restore the love to reading books, transfer
cultural values to the Armenian nation through books. Khachatryan
noted that recently the quality of the Armenian publications has
improved.
The Exhibition-Sale of Armenian books is held for the second year and
this time it’s held in the frames of the festival `One Nation-One
Culture’. The first Exhibition-Sale was organized last year. The
finances gained from the sale of the books exhibited will go into the
maintenance of publishing -houses in the country. A.H. -0 –

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Aug 12 2004
DEFENSE MINISTER MEETS HIS AMERICAN COUNTERPART
[August 12, 2004, 18:25:59]
US Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld staying in Baku for a
one-day visit met on 12 August with Defense Minister of Azerbaijan
Colonel-General Safar Abiyev at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
During the meeting, the parties discussed the prospects of bilateral
cooperation between Azerbaijan and USA, expanding of Azerbaijan
relations with NATO and other issues.
Colonel-General Safar Abiyev expressed the wish that the United
States, as the OSCE Minsk group co-Chair, would intensify its role in
the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh, unambiguously support the Azerbaijan’s stance on
the matter, and force Armenia to release the occupied territories.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld stated that the United State
supports territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and would exert every
effort as the OSCE co-Chair. Ambassador Steven Mann, according to
him, will do his best for the problem to be solved fairly within the
framework of territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.
The meeting was attended by Ambassador of Azerbaijan to the United
States Hafiz Pashayev and Ambassador of the United States to
Azerbaijan Reno Harnish.

Tensions thaw Russia’s frozen border conflicts
By Andrew Jack
FT
August 13 2004
The death of three Georgian soldiers yesterday in clashes with
separatists in the breakaway region of South Ossetia highlighted how
the long-dormant conflicts around the borders of the former Soviet
Union are being reawakened.
An uneasy period of peace risks being replaced by one of the first
significant redrawings of the regional map since the collapse of
communism.
With intensified fighting and renewed diplomatic activity, Russia
yesterday called for a ceasefire in South Ossetia, and Georgia sent in
a top negotiator.
One reason for the tensions has been a more aggressive stance taken by
Mikheil Saakashvili, the youthful and populist pro-western leader
elected president of Georgia last year. He is keen to break the
deadlock since he came to power with increasing efforts to bring the
region back under Georgian control.
But the attitude of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, against a
backdrop of simmering conflict in the neighbouring republic of
Chechnya, and the expansion of the European Union eastwards have
introduced an international dimension.
South Ossetia is not alone. Along with Abkhazia, it is one of two
so-called “frozen conflicts” in Georgia. There are two others
elsewhere: the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan and
Transdnistra in Moldova. All were created by military action at the
time of the collapse of the USSR, replaced by an uneasy peace with
their “host” states.
Between them, they are home to more than 1m impoverished people,
living under regimes that are economically and diplomatically
isolated, accused of corruption and autocracy. Now the security risks
they present are putting them back on the agenda.
“Their residents feel like forgotten Europeans, within but outside
Europe,” says Walter Schwimmer, secretary-general of the Council of
Europe, the inter-governmental human rights organisation. and
The common denominator for all the conflicts is the Soviet Union. When
it collapsed, a series of “grey zones” emerged, resistant to the newly
independent states to which they were historically attached.
Hundreds of thousands of small arms remain, raising concerns over the
militarisation of the regions and the risk of weaponry falling into
the hands of criminal groups and terrorists.
Modern Russia continues to play a role in maintaining the
conflicts. They touch on its “near abroad”, the border zone of
traditional Soviet influence that has again become a foreign policy
priority under Mr Putin as the EU and Nato have expanded into
territory Moscow controlled for the second half of the last century.
Russia has offered easy transit and passports to residents in South
Ossetia and Abkhazia, overseen commercial transactions and maintained
leverage through peacekeeping troops in Georgia and Transdnistra that
operate outside the jurisdiction of the OSCE. “Fundamentally, Russia
keeps these places alive by passively supporting them,” says Dov Lynch
from the EU Institute for Security Studies in Paris.
But he stresses that the frozen conflicts have their own internal
momentum, with the local regimes perpetuating their power and few
democratic institutions.
The international community also helps maintain the status quo,
traditionally through political neglect and the provision of
humanitarian assistance that supports the population and reduces the
chance of social explosion of popular revolt.
There are signs that the problem is starting to be taken more
seriously, however. In the past few months, the EU has become more
active, imposing travel bans on the leadership of Transdnistra in an
attempt to force negotiations for a political settlement with Moldova,
which may be an EU neighbour if Romania joins the EU in 2007.
Russia has also become more assertive, withdrawing troops and military
stockpiles from Moldova, and attempting to broker a settlement late
last year.
“Disintegration is the worst scenario,” says Konstantin Kosachev, head
of the Russian parliament’s foreign affairs committee. “If Georgia
goes out of control, Russia will be the next to be destabilised.”
Without more power-sharing and prosperity from the “metropolitan”
countries from which they have broken away, the tensions in South
Ossetia and its counterparts may defrost in a far less elegant way.

STATE REGISTER TO APPEAL TO COURT SOON WITH PURPOSE OF LIQUIDATION OF
NON-REGISTERED PARTIES
YEREVAN, August 11 (Noyan Tapan). The State Register will appeal to
the court soon with the purpose of the liquidation of the Armenian
parties non-registered after the approval of the new law “On Parties”
in November 2002. The total number of these parties makes 51. Edik
Margarian, Chief of the Department on Registration of Public
Organizations, Unions of Non-Commercial Juridical Persons and Mass
Media of the State Register Agency, told NT’s correspondent that these
parties didn’t submit applications on self-liquidation. He mentioned
that the documents necessary for the liquidation of 33 parties are
already ready, and it is also necessary to prepare the documents of 18
other parties. It should be mentioned that the “Gardmank” Party and
the Agrarian Party non-registered after the approval of the new law
have already wind up their activities. ARF Dashnaktsutyun, “Pedagogues
of Armenia”, the Nationalistic Party of Armenia, the “21st Century”
Democratic National Party and the “Victory and Democracy Unity” Party
have already submitted applications on self-liquidation, and they will
be also liquidated soon.