Author: Kanayan Tamar

ARMENIANS PAY THEIR LAST RESPECT TO PRIME MINISTER ANDRANIK MARGARIAN

ARMENPRESS
Mar 28 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 28, ARMENPRESS: Thousands of Armenians, government
officials, foreign diplomats and representatives of many governments
came today to Opera and Ballet Theater in downtown Yerevan to pay
their last respects to Prime Minister Andranik Margarian who died of
a heart failure on Sunday, March 25.

Before Margarian’s body was laid in state at the theater it was
transported from his apartment in a Yerevan district to the central
office of his Republican Party and the government premises.

The burial service will be held later today at Komitas Pantheon,
a site reserved only for the most prominent Armenians.

MWC News, Canada
March 26 2007

Turkish politician held over murder

Global
Written by Agencies

Turkish police have detained a right-wing politician for
interrogation in connection with the killing of an ethnic Armenian
journalist, a news channel has reported.

Police detained Yasar Cihan, head of the local branch of the
conservative and nationalist Great Unity party in the port city of
Trabzon, private NTV television reported on Sunday.

The detention came several hours after Patriarch Mesrob II, the
spiritual head of the Armenian Orthodox community in Turkey,
criticised the authorities for failing to find those who ordered the
killing of Hrant Dink.

Dink was killed outside his paper, Agos, in Istanbul in January.

Prosecutors have pressed charges against 10 suspects, including some
former members of the youth wing of Great Unity.

According to NTV, police were still looking for another leading
member of Great Unity, Halis Egemen.

Dink’s killing prompted international condemnation as well as debate
within Turkey about free speech, and whether state institutions were
tolerant of militant nationalists.

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Southeast European Times, MD
March 27 2007

US Secretary of State Rice, administration officials warn against
Armenian genocide resolution
27/03/2007

Top US officials, including Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, have
been seeking to convince lawmakers not to pass a resolution that
defines the World War I killings of Armenians as genocide. Supporters
say the bill is a moral imperative, but opponents argue that it would
hurt US interests and damage ties with Ankara.

The United States should leave Turkey and Armenia to resolve their
dispute on whether the mass killings of Armenians in the wane of the
Ottoman Empire constituted genocide, US Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice told a US Congressional committee Wednesday (March
21st).

"What we’ve encouraged the Turks and the Armenians to do is to have
joint historical commissions that can look at this, to have efforts
to examine their past, and in examining their past to get over it,"
the AP quoted her as saying. "I don’t think it helps that process of
reconciliation for the United States to enter this debate at that
level," Rice added.

She was responding to Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif), sponsor of a bill
defining the killings of up to 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire during World War I as genocide. Supporters say passing such
legislation is a moral imperative, while opponents argue that the
cost, in terms of US interests and relations with Ankara, is too
high.

In recent weeks, senior US officials have sought to convince
lawmakers that passage of such legislation might not only damage
US-Turkish co-operation, but could impede efforts by Turkey’s
Armenian community to persuade the country to come to terms with its
past.

"Members of the Armenian-Turkish community tell us that such
resolutions would stifle the dialogue they seek and would even raise
popular emotions so dramatically as to threaten the progress they
have made in Turkey," US Assistant Secretary of State for European
and Eurasian Affairs Daniel Fried said in a testimony before the
House Foreign Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Europe on March 15th.

He also warned that if the legislation were passed, Turkey might
respond by closing down the Incirlik air base, a key hub for air
cargo shipments for US troops in Iraq. According to Fried, Ankara
could also move to slow down traffic at the Habur gate on the border
with Iraq, or restrict overflight rights for US aircraft.

"Turkey’s contribution to the global war on terrorism and US
strategic objectives in the region is significant – it would all be
at risk," Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence for Europe and NATO
Daniel Fata told lawmakers at the same hearing on February 15th.
Similar worries were expressed in joint identical letters sent by
Rice and US Defence Secretary Robert Gates to House Speaker Nancy
Pelosi and other senior members of Congress.

Submitted on January 30th, Resolution 106, co-sponsored by nearly 180
US lawmakers, is expected to be put to the vote in the 435-member
House of Representatives in April. A similar bill was introduced in
the 100-seat Senate last week, with 21 of the body’s members backing
it.

Rep. Schiff says the legislation is needed in order to protect the
moral authority of the United States in dealing with human rights
atrocities, such as the killings in Darfur.

"More often with friends than foes you have to speak candidly," a UPI
report quoted him as saying. "I happen to believe … that the final
act of genocide is the denial of genocide."

Both resolutions would be non-binding and have no legal bearing on US
foreign policy. But their passage would serve as a rebuff to Turkey.
It has long argued that the killings, rather than constituting
genocide, were part of a general climate of instability in which
Turks also died. Analysts say the government of Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan would face strong domestic pressure to respond.

After France last year passed a bill making it a crime to deny that
the massacres of Armenians were a genocide, Turkey suspended all
military ties with the country, suspending also military contracts
that were already under discussion.

Recent months have seen increased lobbying efforts by senior Turkish
officials, including Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul and Chief of the
General Staff General Yasar Buyukanit.

A Turkish parliamentary delegation visited the United States last
week to press Ankara’s case against the bill, and representatives of
the Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association are
currently in Washington for the same reason.

sources: (AP, UPI – 21/03/07; The Washington Times – 20/03/07;
Hurriyet, Middle East Newsline – 19/03/07; Turkish Daily News, The
New Anatolian, Turkish Press – 17/03/07; Eurasianet, Turkish Daily
News, Zaman – 16/03/07; AP, Turkish Press, US Department of State –
15/03/07; AP – 14/03/07)

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Territories are life and security for Karabakh people

23-03-2007 11:53:24 – KarabakhOpen

Recently the mediators and political scientists have been using often
the term `provisional status’. What is it? What will Karabakh have to
face to once it accepts it?

The talks in Geneva, which generated `optimal’ proposals on solving
two issues, pullout of Armenian force from the territories around
Nagorno Karabakh and a provisional status for the unrecognized state
until a referendum is held, aroused anger among part of the public.
It should be noted that the people we talked to had no idea of this
decision, and these people had different occupations.

Narine Stepanayan from Stepanakert was indignant. `Are they trying to
fool us? How can people ever agree to return these territories? Whom
did the idea of pullout of force occur to? Who can guarantee our
security? Who gave Merzlyakov the right to decide our fate? We did not
fight to be caught in a trap today. The OSCE Minsk Group and the other
similar organizations should take into account what these territories
mean to each people. If for the people of Karabakh they are life and
security, for Azerbaijanis they are caprice and additional
territory. People may agree to live without luxury but they will fight
for their security and life. And no talks in Geneva can persuade of
the contrary.’

`Status? What status? We gained our status a long time ago. And it
sounds like this: we have established a state, we will be independent,
only our force will guard our security,’ Ashot Sargsyan comments. `The
winners are not judged. And we do not have to accept the terms of our
neighbor unless they are acceptable for us.’

`For me such decisions are not unexpected. I will not be surprised if
our government signs such an agreement,’ says Sergey Danielyan. `The
old saying runs: `If you want peace, prepare for war’. Today there is
an interesting situation in Karabakh. There is uncertainty in the
republic, whereas our `in charge’ are competing whose car is bigger
and more expensive and whose house is nicer. Their behavior shows that
they also want peace, but it is not clear who will be preparing for
war.’

Mortgage loan eligibility benchmarks not set yet

23-03-2007 11:53:09 – KarabakhOpen

The government has confirmed the order of mortgage lending. The
government has also confirmed the staff of the commission, which sets
the benchmarks of eligibility for mortgage lending.

The commission continues to work on the benchmarks, said Armen
Avagyan, the d irector of the Artsakh Development Agency, in an
interview with KarabakhOpen.

The mortgage lending policy is implemented by the ADA. This year the
government assigned 700 million drams for mortgage loans.

According to Armen Avagyan, after ratification by the prime minister
the benchmarks will be released. Afterwards the applications will be
accepted. Armen Avagyan said they will probably announce the date of
submission of application in late March or in early April.

Mediamax Agency, Armenia
March 23 2007

`Most likely, we will be providing mobile services in Armenia under
`Beeline’ brand’, Vice-President of `VimpelCom’ stated

Yerevan, March 22 /Mediamax/. The Vice-President of `VimpelCom’ OJSC
Sergey Avdeev stated in Tsakhkadzor today that `we will quickly
conclude the process of purchasing the 10% shares of the `ArmenTel’
Company from the Armenian government’.

Mediamax reports that today in Tsakhkadzor there took place the
conference of the Top-Managers of the `VimpelCom’ OJSC and the
General Directors of the Companies, which enter the `VimpelCom’
group: `ArmenTel’ (Armenia), `CaR-Tel’ (Kazakhstan), `Ukrainian
RadioSystems’ (Ukraine), `UNITEL’ (Uzbekistan), `TACOM’ (Tajikistan),
`MOBITEL’ (Georgia).

Sergey Avdeev reminded that the condition for selling the 10% share
of `ArmenTel’ was the renunciation of the new owner of the company
from monopoly rights.

`We renounced monopoly and hope to quite soon conclude the process of
purchasing the shares. We are glad that the Armenian government made
today the corresponding decision’, the Vice-President of `VimpelCom’
stated.

The `VimpelCom’ OJSC, which functions under the `Beeline’ brand,
purchased in November 2006 the 90% of the shares of `ArmenTel’ from
the Greek OTE for 341,9mln euro, and also took upon itself the 40mln
euros’ debts of the company.

Sergey Avdeev said that `sooner or later, we will start providing
mobile services in Armenia under the `Beeline’ brand’.

What concerns the fixed net; Sergey Avdeev and the CEO of `ArmenTel’
Oleg Bliznyuk consider it expedient to preserve the former brand.

`ArmenTel’ is not an ordinary company for us, as it provides both
fixed and mobile communication. We need some time to finally
understand how to put in order the work’, Sergey Avdeev stated.

According to the Vice-President of `VimpelCom’, `we know that
`ArmenTel’ does not have a very good image’. `We want to
de-monopolize the market, to establish a competitive environment, in
which the operators would hunt subscribers and not vice versa’, he
noted.

Answering Mediamax’s question, Sergey Avdeev confirmed that
`VimpelCom’ is examining the prospects of establishing in Armenia a
convergent product by means of combining the services of the mobile
and fixed nets.

`The idea is that being at home, you are talking by your ordinary
home telephone, and going out, using the same number on your mobile
phone’, the Vice-President of `VimpelCom’ stated.

At the same time, Sergey Avdeev admitted that `this is a future
service; it does not have a mass character yet’. `I even cannot name
large-scale convergent projects, which would be completed’, the
Vice-President of `VimpelCom’ stated.

`In `ArmenTel’ we have the possibility to try this service, as we
have an exceptionally felicitous combination of fixed and mobile
services in the hands of one operator. We are potentially close to
the point to realize the given service at least in a testing regime’,
Sergey Avdeev stated.

`It is very important for us to enlarge the set of products, which
would be realized in the fixed nets. In the nearest future for the
first time in Armenia the service of high-speed transfer of data
based on DSL technology will be implemented’, the Vice-President of
`VimpelCom’ OJSC stated.

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`YOU FORGET THAT I AM THE MAYOR OF MOSCOW’
[06:50 pm] 23 March, 2007

`I approve of the words of RF and RA Presidents; Russia is Armenia’s
number one economic partner’, Ervand Zakharyan, Mayor of Yerevan City,
announced during the inauguration of the House of Moscow in Yerevan.

To note, tomorrow Ervand Zakharyan will participate in the opening
ceremony of a trade centre of Yerevan in Moscow together with his
Russian counterpart Yuri Luzhkov.

`The House of Moscow in Yerevan symbolizes not only the military
collaboration of the two countries, but also the level of new
relations between the countries after the collapse of the Soviet
Union. It is necessary to enhance political, economic, cultural and
human ties between the two countries under question’, Yuri Luzhkov
notes.

One of the journalists wondered why the construction works were
confined with Russian investments.

`You forget that I am the Mayor of Moscow. I can only speak in the
name of Moscow. Yerevan conducts its own policy. As for the foreign
investors, the question is beyond comment’», Yuri Luzhkov says.

Asked the question whether the mayor’s family intends to start
business in Armenia, Mr. Luzhkov said, `My wife has her own business
and I never intervene in her affairs. She is a successful
businesswoman. It is up to her to decide whatever she needs. I have
absolutely no influence on her affairs. I get informed from the press
what she has bought, sold, etc.’

To note, Yuri Luzhkov notices great changes in Armenia. `Yerevan has
become more beautiful. The number of new constructions has
increased. I like the fact that there are no casinos in the city
centre’, Yuri Luzhkov points out.

Azerbaijan seeks US support in Karabakh talks by offering transit of Turkmen
gas

Hayots Ashkharh, Yerevan
24 Mar 07

Text of report entitled: "Azerbaijan’s gas attack on Karabakh
negotiation process" by Vardan Grigoryan published in Armenian
newspaper Hayots Ashharh on 24 March:

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov, who recently was in
Brussels, made an unexpected statement that "buying natural gas
directly from Turkmenistan and not via Russia could contribute to the
strengthening of the European Union’s energy security."

The Transcaspian gas pipeline, which is designed to transport part of
the Turkmen gas to Baku along the seabed and further to Europe, has
not been built yet. It looks like that the Azerbaijani foreign
minister is running early by making hasty statements, especially that
the Russian Gazprom has a 25-year agreement with Turkmenistan, plus,
it plans to build the second Turkmenistan-Russia gas pipeline.

This show could have been strange, but on the next day, 22 March,
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and US Secretary of
State Condoleeza Rice signed a memorandum of understanding on
cooperation between the USA and Azerbaijan in Caspian region. It turns
out that Azerbaijan is rushing ahead and making this move to present
the USA with a gift "decorated" with valuable gas during the
Rice-Mammadyarov meeting.

Liberating Europe from the Russian "gas dictate" is among the hottest
tasks of the current American diplomacy. So, by proposing the USA its
"brokerage mission" of offering a "gas alternative" for the Old World
[Europe], Azerbaijan is trying to "link" this "service" with the
Rice-Mammadyarov meeting, the core of which is apparently the Karabakh
conflict settlement.

What is the main goal of Azerbaijan at the current stage when Ilham
Aliyev, who leads that country’s diplomacy, insists that his country
needs another two or three years to reach an "absolute advantage" over
Armenia to resolve the Karabakh issue, and the mediators are keen to
settle the conflict? For its part, Armenia openly says that it agrees
with the principles of the document on the "negotiations table," but
doubts that Azerbaijan is ready to come to an agreement based on those
principles in summer.

We believe this is why the statement about the Transcaspian gas
pipeline for the international community was made on the eve of the
Rice-Mammadyarov meeting. The pipeline does not exist yet but
Azerbaijan’s resolve to build a pipeline that circumvents Russia is
already a fact, and it sheds light on the problems that rose at the
Geneva meeting of Mammadyarov and [Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan]
Oskanyan. Azerbaijan sticks to details to review the negotiation
principles and it desperately needs the support of the United States
for that. And one of the basic issues of the negotiations, as the
Armenian foreign minister reiterated days ago, is the accomplishment
of the NKR [Nagornyy Karabakh republic] people’s right to
self-determination. So, Azerbaijan’s readiness to pump the Turkmen gas
to Azerbaijan via the Transcaspian pipeline instead of doing so
through Russia is a prepayment offered to the US in exchange for a
support in the Armenian-Azerbaijani talks. Azerbaijan is trying to
show its "indispensability" in the Caspian energy resource export
routes, which would allow it to strengthen its positions or even
derail the talks and get away unpunished.

It is becoming clearer that Azerbaijan’s desire to review the document
on the table will be the main obstacle in the way of signing a
framework agreement this summer. Exploiting the prospect for its
economic attractiveness, Azerbaijan will do whatever it takes to gain
more in the forthcoming talks. Meanwhile, by adopting a seemingly
peaceful position, Azerbaijan will try to concentrate the
international community’s pressure on Armenia to get more concessions.

Under these circumstances, it is essential that Armenia not retreat
from the key issues already agreed upon in the "framework agreement."
Armenia should make every effort to ensure that the talks continue
around the already-clarified principles. This would frustrate
Azerbaijan’s revisionist ambitions, and it will have to face the
option that it is to blame for the failed talks.

NAGORNO-KARABAGH TO BE REPRESENTED AT GLOBE-2007 INTERNATIONAL TOURIST EXHIBITION

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 22 2007

March 22-25 GLOB-2007 international tourist exhibition will be held
in Rome. The tourist operators from RA will also participate in
the measure.

Nagorno-Karabagh will be represented at the exhibition as
well, however, not by a separate pavilion, but via Armenian
tourist operators, Director of the Agency for the Development of
Nagorno-Karabagh Republic Tourism Sergey Shahverdian told DE FACTO
agency today. In his words, a lot of tourists display great interest to
visiting Nagorno-Karabagh, so in this connection RA tourist companies
include the NKR in the program of visits to Caucasus.

Sergey Shahverdian stated the prospects on the Nagorno-Karabagh were
in some demand of the foreign tourists.

FORMER HEAD OF RA NATIONAL ASSEMBLY JURIDICAL SERVICE CHALLENGES JUDGE EXAMINING HIS CASE

Noyan Tapan
Mar 20 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 20, NOYAN TAPAN. Former head of the RA National
Assembly’s Juridical Department Suren Mamikonian on March 19
challenged judge Ruben Nersissian who examines his lawsuit against
Tigran Torosian, Speaker of the RA National Assembly. The basis
for challenge was the court’s decision to reject the petition of
S. Mamikonian. In his petition S. Mamikonian asked to conduct joint
examination of cases against Tigran Torosian and the NA Staff Head
Hayk Kotanian, as, in his words, the same document is disputed.

The court chairman Zhora Vardanian will examine the issue of challenge
and make a decision.

To recap, S. Mamikonian dsiputed the legality of H. Kotanian’s notice
to dismiss about 40 state servants from their jobs by the instructions
of T. Torosian. According to the applicant, the decision on dismissing
about 40 members of the "Orinats Yerkir" Party from their jobs violates
the rights of stability and preference of a state servant regulated
by the RA Law on State Servant.