Author: Kanayan Tamar

CELEBRATION OF YEREVAN DAY TO START OCTOBER 13

Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 9 2006

Yerevan Day celebrations will start on October 13 with the "Culture
of Ancient Yerevan" exhiition to open in the Yerevan History Museum.

Items representing 4-1st centuries B.C. will be exhibited. The same
day the annual photo exhibition will start in Yerevan City Hall.

The festive opening of the Yerevan’s Day will e held in the State
Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet after Alexander Spendiaryan.

Festive events and concerts will be held in all communities of Yerevan.

The events dedicated to the 2788th anniversary of the capital will
be concluded with a concert at Karen Demirchyan complex, which will
be followed by a salute.

SARKOZY SETS TERMS TO AVOID FRENCH ARMENIA VOTE

Gulf Times, Qatar
Oct 10 2006

Some 500 of the leftist Turkey’s Worker Party hold a black wreath
reading "France stop! Massacres of Armenians is a lie" as Turkish
riot police block their way to French Consulate in Istanbul yesterday

PARIS: French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday set three
conditions for Turkey to avoid a vote by French deputies on a bill
making it a crime to deny Armenians suffered genocide at the hands
of Ottoman Turks. Parliament, dominated by the Union for a Popular
Movement that Sarkozy leads, is due on Thursday to discuss an
opposition Socialist bill on Armenian deaths during World War I.

Turkey strongly denies the 1.5mn deaths constitute genocide.

Though the conservative majority in parliament opposes the bill, Turkey
fears many opponents will vote for the bill for fear of upsetting
France’s 400,000-strong Armenian diaspora ahead of presidential and
parliamentary elections next year.

Sarkozy, conservative frontrunner for the presidential race and
a long-standing opponent of Turkey’s EU entry, said he had set out
conditions for avoiding a vote in a telephone call with Prime Minister
Tayyip Erdogan.

"The first is that there is a bilateral commission between Armenia and
Turkey which has equal representation, so that these two countries can
conduct the work of acknowledging history," he told France Inter radio.

"The second condition is that Turkey reopen its borders with Armenia.

And the third condition is that Turkey gives up its penal law which
forbids people speaking of the genocide in Turkey."

He said he was not sure whether he had convinced Erdogan but added
that the Turkish premier had taken note of them.

Erdogan on Sunday criticised the bill and Turkish lawmakers warned
last week that illegal Armenian immigrants in Turkey may be expelled
and French trade hurt if the measure were passed.

According to officials at the Turkish prime minister’s office, Erdogan
defended Turkey’s position in the phone conversation with Sarkozy.

"We are the open and transparent side. We have been unable to receive
the necessary response (from Armenia) to our well-intended proposal
to set up a joint commission, and Article 301 has nothing to do with
this issue," the officials quoted Erdogan as saying.

Article 301 in Turkey’s penal code is used to prosecute writers and
journalists for insulting Turkish identity or state institutions. The
EU says the article must be scrapped, but Turkey has asked for
more time.

Ankara strongly denies estimates that 1.5mn Armenians perished at
the hands of Ottoman Turks in a systematic genocide, saying large
numbers of both Christian Armenians and Muslim Turks died in a partisan
conflict raging at that time.

Sarkozy also said Turkey was not guaranteed EU entry even if it
accepted calls for it to admit Armenians suffered genocide.

Turkey began its EU entry talks last year, though is not expected to
join for many years. – Reuters.

APRIL 24 MAY BE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE COMMEMORATION DAY IN ARGENTINA

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.10.2006 13:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ April 24 is not ruled out to become a Commemoration
Day of Armenian Genocide Victims at the state level, Armenian
Ambassador in Argentina Vladimir Karmirshalyan stated. In his words,
the local Armenian community joins efforts to that end, including work
with representative of various states in the Senate. Within past month
two major states of Argentina – Buenos Aires and Cordoba – announced
April 24 as a Commemoration Day of Armenian Genocide Victims. According
to the law adopted in those states, the Armenian Genocide is included
in curricula. The city of Buenos Aires has also announced April 24 as
a Day of Armenian Genocide, reports the Public TV Company of Armenia.

MARXISTS SAY CANDIDATES SHOULD PASS AN EXAM

Panorama.am
17:36 05/10/06

Davit Hakobyan, chairman of Marxist Party, said "it is a national
tragedy" that we formulate our Election Code on the advice of Venice
Committee, quoting a national proverb which says that a person should
not be guided by what his neighbor says. The chairman suggested
to set the election deposit in the amount of 10% of income. The
Marxists also says that those who will not go to elections should
be called for responsibility. He believes that this step may
reduce election fraud. Hakobyan favors 40 majoritarian and 90
proportional rate. Moreover, he suggests that the candidates pass
special examination from world history, evolution of state and law,
world public science and rhetoric. He suggests to register only those
candidates who will get "pass." /Panorama.am/

Yerevan Considers Consultations between Armenian and Azeri FMS as Useful

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.10.2006 19:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian and Azeri FMS Vartan Oskanian and Elmar
Mammadyarov meet under the aegis of the OSCE MG co-chairs in Moscow
October 6. During consultations in the Russian MFA the Ministers
referred to issues that are still unsolved in the Karabakh talks,
as well as ideas of the co-chairs regarding overcoming those
differences. According to Oskanian, the Armenian party evaluates
the consultations as positive, noting that the issues raised by the
co-chairs during these will be seriously discussed in Yerevan before
the next meeting that is scheduled in late October.

Turkish economy may become growth engine of Europe

FreshPlaza, Netherlands
Oct 6 2006

Turkish Industrialists & Businessmen Association (TUSÝAD) Chairman Omer
Sabancý has stated that Turkey could not be a member of the European
Union without convincing the European public opinion, and added "Truths
about Turkey should be told. A fair evaluation should be made. Turkey’s
membership in EU is an additional value for all. Turkish economy may
become growth engine of Europe. " TUSÝAD Chairman delivered a speech
in Paris, France at a panel titled ‘Global Challenges of Europe and
Turkey’ within the scope of Turkish Week.

Reminding that the TUSÝAD demanded the abolition of article 301 of the
Turkish Penal Code within the context of freedom of expression, Sabancý
went on to say, "When we make steps toward more freedom of expression,
I cannot comprehend the attitude on freedom of expression in France",
referring to recent attempts in France to legislate a prohibition on
any speech against alleged Armenian Genocide issue. Sabancý added
he thinks such an attitude befitted a country fearing the truths.

–Boundary_(ID_WRRHv8aPhRO4BctAvft1pA)–

GUL – REHN JOINT NEWS CONFERENCE

Turkish Press
Oct 5 2006

ANKARA – "Turkey is aware of its deficiencies in the EU membership
process. The most important things are the determination, the capacity
of overcoming difficulties and showing everyone that we have that
capacity," said Turkish Foreign Minister & Deputy Prime Minister
Abdullah Gul on Wednesday.

Gul held a joint news conference together with EU Commissioner for
Enlargement Olli Rehn.

"Mr. Rehn’s visit coincided with the first anniversary of the opening
of entry talks between Turkey and the EU. We have recorded important
developments last year. Turkey has maintained the screening process
successfully. We consider the negotiation process a transformation for
Turkey. We also consider this process a period of modernization and a
period of increasing our standards to the level of EU-member states,"
he said.

"Turkey is aware of its deficiencies in the EU membership process.

The most important things are the determination, the capacity of
overcoming difficulties and showing everyone that we have that
capacity. Therefore, we need the negotiation process," he said.

Gul kept on saying, "Turkey has become a center of economic
attraction since October 3rd, 2005. We will continue fulfilling our
commitments. We expect the EU to contribute to our efforts in this
process."

Upon a question about the Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK),
Gul said, "we have a long negotiation process ahead of us. We will
increase all standards in Turkey."

When asked whether the resolution in France envisaging to punish
those who deny the so-called Armenian genocide was against freedom of
thought, Gul said, "during my meetings in France, I stressed that the
resolution was nothing but a contradiction. I hope that the resolution
will be rejected."

Upon another question about proposal of Finland on the Cyprus issue,
Gul told reporters, "if we succeed in resolving the Cyprus issue,
it will be beneficial for everyone. Together with Greece and Cyprus
as a whole, we can create an area of cooperation in the eastern
Mediterranean. Turkish Cypriots have fulfilled their responsibilities
to this end. We expect the same positive attitude from the other
party. We told Finland which holds the rotating EU presidency, that if
isolation of Turkish Cypriots was lifted, we could take some tangible
steps. However, no one should expect Turkey to take unilateral steps
as long as the isolation continued."

Speaking at the news conference, Rehn said that there was a difficult
and long period ahead of Turkey. He said that both Gul and he was
determined to this end, adding that Turkey and the EU would work
together to find solution to several problems which would enable the
parties to maintain the negotiation process.

Noting that he came to Ankara to mark the first anniversary of the
opening of entry talks between Turkey and the EU, Rehn said that the
Progress Report to be released in the coming weeks would include many
developments and several deficiencies.

Rehn told reporters that they were aware of the current threat of
terrorism, adding that terrorism jeopardized not only Turkey but the
whole world.

He said that they appreciated the reform process in Turkey, noting
that there were still many things to do.

Rehn stressed that his meetings in Ankara focused on freedom of
expression and freedom of religion.

He highlighted importance of Turkey’s fulfilling its commitments
stemming from the additional protocol extending the Customs Union
deal to cover the whole EU-member countries during the presidency
of Finland.

Referring to the Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code (TCK),
Rehn said some people in Turkey were tried because of their critical
attitude. He said that those trials stemmed from indefinite expressions
in the article.

Upon a question about the so-called Armenian genocide, Rehn said that
recognition of the so-called Armenian genocide was not a pre-condition
neither in Turkey’s negotiation process nor in the full membership
process. He highlighted importance of creating an appropriate
atmosphere for discussions over the issue in order to provide an
atmosphere of compromise between Turkish and Armenian societies.

TUSIAD HEAD SABANCI: "FRANCE’S STANCE SHOWS ITS FEAR"

Turkish Press
Oct 5 2006

Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD)
Chairman Omer Sabanci yesterday criticized the French bill proposing
punishment for people who question the so-called Armenian genocide,
saying that he couldn’t see a French measure restricting expression as
suitable while on the contrary Turkey is taking steps to expand freedom
of expression. "This stance belongs to societies which are afraid
of the truth," said Sabanci. TUSIAD held a panel called "Europe’s
Global Difficulties and Turkey" in Paris as part of Turkish Week,
marking the first anniversary of the beginning of Ankara’s European
Union membership talks. Taking the floor at the panel, French Trade
Minister Christine Lagarde pointed to Turkey’s importance and said,
"France trusts in Turkey’s future."

TURKEY AGAIN URGED TO STEP UP REFORMS, AVOID ‘TRAIN CRASH’

Doha Time
Gulf Times, Qatar
Oct 4 2006

ANKARA: Turkey faces a "train crash" in its relations with the European
Union if it fails to step up democratic reforms and resolve a trade
row with Cyprus, EU enlargement chief Olli Rehn said here yesterday.

The stern warning came on the first anniversary of the inauguration
of Turkey’s accession talks and just weeks before the EU issues
on November 8 a crucial report on the country’s progress towards
membership.

"I want to make sure that the first anniversary (of the talks) is
not the last one," Rehn told a news conference. "I want to work for
avoiding a train crash in Turkey-EU relations."

Highlighting the benefits of Turkey’s EU membership, the enlargement
commissioner said it would ease mounting tensions between the West
and Muslim countries if Turkey carries out the necessary reforms and
meets all EU criteria.

"In the current situation when… relations between Europe and Islam
is the greatest challenge of our time, it simply won’t make sense to
allow the things to lead to a train crash," he said.

Rehn urged Ankara to pass reforms to ensure freedom of speech,
a major area of concern after dozens of intellectuals were charged
with denigrating the Turkish nation under a penal code article, and
to grant trade privileges to Cyprus under a customs union agreement.

"Freedom of expression is a cornerstone of our common democratic
values. I cannot even imagine a member of the EU that will not
respect such a fundamental European principle," Rehn said earlier at
a conference on trade union rights.

A string of intellectuals, including best-selling writers Orhan Pamuk
and Elif Shafak, have stood trial under Article 301 of the penal code,
which envisages up to three years in jail for insulting "Turkishness"
and state institutions.

No one has yet been imprisoned under the provision, but the
appeals court in July upheld the suspended six-month sentence of
a Turkish-Armenian journalist, setting an alarming precedent for
pending cases.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said he is open to proposals
to amend the article, but no action has been taken so far amid vocal
opposition by nationalist-minded Justice Minister Cemil Cicek.

Speaking after talks with Rehn, Cicek rejected EU pressure to
amend Article 301 before the crucial November 8 report, arguing that
"parliament is not under the government’s command," and that an upsurge
in Kurdish rebel violence this year was making it harder for Ankara
to expand freedoms.

He also charged that freedom of speech was being breached in EU
countries, pointing to a French draft law that would make it a
punishable offence to deny that the massacres of Armenians under the
Ottoman Empire amounted to genocide.

"While asking why freedom of expression is being restricted in Turkey,
one cannot turn a blind eye to a draft law that will be taken up on
October 12 in an EU country," he said.

On the row over Cyprus, Rehn said he was hopeful that a formula
proposed by the EU’s Finnish presidency would resolve the stalemate.

Turkey is under pressure to open its air and sea ports to the
internationally recognised Cyprus government under a customs union
agreement with the EU, or face a suspension of its membership talks.

Ankara insists that Cypriot ships and planes will remain barred from
Turkish ports unless the EU unless delivers on its promise to ease
trade restrictions on the island’s breakaway Turkish Cypriot state,
recognised only by Turkey.

"The Finnish formula has not been rejected by any of the parties so
far, including Turkey," Rehn said. "I trust all parties sense the
seriousness of the issue and try their best to find a solution."

He also called on Ankara to improve the rights of women and non-Muslim
religious communities as "other very important issues of urgency."

In another sticking point, Rehn urged the government to keep up reforms
to strengthen civilian control over the influential Turkish military
"like in any European democracy."

On Monday, chief of staff Yasar Buyukanit angrily rejected EU criticism
of its influence in politics, saying that the charges had exceeded
"the limits of tolerance," and asserted the army’s right to have
a say on issues concerning national security and the protection of
Turkey’s strictly secular system.

Rehn was scheduled to meet with Erdogan, Foreign Minister Abdullah
Gul as well as other officials before he wraps up his visit tomorrow.

VISIT OF DELEGATION HEADED BY FRENCH PRESIDENT JACQUES CHIRAC TO ARMENIA FINISHES

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 2 2006

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 2, NOYAN TAPAN. The representative delegation headed
by President of the Republic of France Jacques Chirac, having been
on a state visit in Armenia from September 29, left Yerevan in the
midday on October 1. RA President Robert Kocharian with his wife Bella
Kocharian saw off the President of France, his wife Bernadette Chirac
from the "Zvartnots" airport of the capital. RA NA Deputy Speaker Vahan
Hovhannisian, Minister of Territorial Administration Hovik Abrahamian,
Minister of Foreign Affairs Vartan Oskanian, other officials
participated in the ceremony of seeing off the French delegation.

At the beginning of the seeing off ceremony, Mr. and Mrs. Kocharians
and Mr. and Mrs. Chiracs addreesed, with shaking hands, wishes of
succeess to members of the French and Armenian official delegations,
then they recieved the rank of the RA Armed Forces guard of honour.

The two countries’ heads and their wives bade farewell to one another
with huggings at the stairs of the French President’s plane.

J.Chirac, before entering the plane, bent and rose his hand, as a
token of farewell with friends, then crossed both hands keeping high,
as a token of the French and Armenian peoples’ friendship.

The first place in Yerevan which the French President visited on
early September 30, within the framework of his state visit, was the
Tsitsernakabert memorial complex to Armenian Genocide victims.

"Remember." Jacqeus Chirac wrote down only this one call in the
memory register of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, after
putting flowers to the memorial to Genocide victims and getting
acquainted with materials of the museum-institute. He also planted a
tree of memory, a silver glance fir tree, in the alley of memory of
the Armenian Genocide memorial complex.

Then the solemn opening ceremony of the French square in Yerevan took
place with participation of the Presidents of Armenia and France,
during what J.Chirac and R.Kocharian made long speeches symbolizing
the Armenian-French centuries-old friendship. After that they directed
to the presidential residence, where, after a private conversation
taken place here, they held a joint press conference.

Responding journalists’ question, the two countries’ Presidents touched
upon the present state of the Karabakh conflict settlement, bilateral
cooperation in the economic, educational, cultural, interparliamentary
and interregional spheres, state of the regions neighboring to Armenia,
the Armenia-European Union, Armenia-Turkey, Turkey-European Union
relations, the issue of Turkey’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

Particularly, the two countries’ delegations continued discussions
of issues relating to the bilateral economic cooperation during the
working banquet organized by RA President Robert Kocharian.

R.Kocharian and J.Chirac were present at the "Charles Aznavour and His
Friends" open-air concert in the Republican square on late September
30. The national year of Armenia in France entitled "Armenia, My
Friend" started with these events.

On October 1, the last day of the French President’s visit, His
Holiness Karekin II Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians
received him. J.Chirac got acquainted with the exhibition of the
"Treasures of Etchmiadzin" museum of the Mother See as well.

To recap, Minister of Foreign Affairs Philippe Douste-Blazy, Minister
for Transport, Infrastructures, Tourism and the Sea Dominique Perben,
Minister of Civil Service Christian Jacob, Minister of Culture
and Communication Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres were in the official
delegation staff headed by the President of France. Businessmen,
representatives of science, education, culture and sport sphere,
members of the French Armenian community, more than 45 journalists
also accompanied J.Chirac.

To recap, the President of France is the second from the UN Security
Council members and Presidents of the G8 countries who visited
Armenia. J.Chirac received R.Kocharian’s invitation to visit France
still during the visit paid to France in 2001. To recap, Armenia was
the second CIS member country after Russia where the President of
France visited.