Author: Kanayan Tamar

RUSSIAN PM TO VISIT ARMENIA AT YEAREND
Pan Armenian
13.10.2005 22:06 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Today Armenian PM Andranik Margaryan met with
Co-Chair of the Armenian-Russian Inter-Governmental Commission for
Economic Cooperation, Russian Minister of Transport Igor Levitin,
reported the Press Service of the Armenian Government. The
interlocutors noted the large role of the Armenian-Russian
Inter-Governmental Commission. The parties were satisfied with the
growth of the volume of commodity turnover between Armenia and Russia,
which increased 31% within former six months of 2005 as compared to
the same period past year and was equal to $120.4 million. Russia is
still Armenia’s biggest trade and economic partner and the contractual
basis, specifically over 160 interstate and intergovernmental documents
provide an opportunity to develop and expand comprehensive cooperation,
the parties emphasized. In the opinion of meeting participants, the
events held in Armenia within the Year of Russia promote strengthening
the Armenian-Russian relations. These will be continued in the Year
of Armenia in Russia in 2006.
Armenian PM noted the importance of ties and cooperation between
administrative units of the two countries, as well as that of mutually
favorable arrangements.
A. Margaryan remarked that establishment of efficient transport
communications may promote further expansion of the trade and
economic cooperation between Armenia and Russia. Armenia highlights
the regular work of Kavkaz-Poti train ferry in this respect. He also
stressed Armenia’s interest toward resumption of communication via the
Abkhaz part of the Georgian railway. The interlocutors also discussed
opportunities of participation of Russia, Georgia and Armenia in the
building of the railway.
Mr. Margaryan remarked that trying to activate the process the Armenian
party holds periodical discussions with Georgian authorities over
resumption of rail communication.
Besides, A. Margaryan and I. Levitin discussed the question of putting
into operation Armenian enterprises conveyed to Russia within the
Property for Debt agreement. I. Levitin assured the working groups
formed with that purpose make efforts and the Russian party is
interested in the soonest launching of the enterprises as well. Upon
completion of the meeting the parties expressed hope for the visit
of Russian PM to Armenia scheduled at the year-end to convey new
impetus to the development of the Armenian-Russian political and
economic relations.

NKR NATIONAL STATISTICS SERVICE
Azat Artsakh, Republic of Nagorno Karabakh
Oct 10 2005
DEMOGRAPHIC INDICES. From January to September 2005 1525 children were
born in NKR against 1619 in the same period in 2004, death rate is
977 against 1004 in 2004. The rate of juvenile death under 1 year was
15 against 16 in 2004. The rate of natural increase of population was
548, dropping by 67 or 10.9 per cent since 2004. In the same period
by official data 677 people arrived in Karabakh and 627 people left
Karabakh. The rate of migration totaled 50. From January to September
2005 548 marriages were registered against 573 in the same period of
2004, and the divorce rate was 96 against 61 in 2004. From January to
September 2005 the ratio of marriages to divorces was 100 to 18 against
100 to 11 in 2004. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX. From January to September
in 2005 the CPI totaled 100.4 per cent against the same period in
2004, including food (as well as alcohol drinks and tobacco) 99.2 per
cent, consumer goods 104.8 per cent, services 101.4 per cent. In the
mentioned period a rise was reported in ready-made clothes and cloth,
petrol and education. In September 2005 the CPI totaled 95.6 per cent
against December 2004, and 109.4 per cent against 2002.

NO PROBLEM DURING THE FESTIVAL
Panorama
17:41 10/10/05
During the events dedicated to “The Yerevan day” festival nothing
serious has happened. There were no emergency calls.
“Of course, the problems are inevitable, especially when so many
people have gathered together in one place”, said today the head of
the healthcare department of Yerevan city municipality Armen Soghoyan.
On this occasion on October 8 by the mayor’s order there was a ‘open
doors’ day in all policlinics of Yerevan. Overall 5 300 people have
visited the policlinics. According to A. Soghoyan , the number of
visitors comparing with last year, has reduced about 18-20%.
He also noted that the number of births in Yerevan this year
increased 6%, and A. Soghoyan hoped to have 12% growth for the next
year. /Panorama.am/

US EMBASSY COMMENTS ON REPORTS OF TALKS WITH ARMENIAN OPPOSITION
Hayots Ashkhar, Armenia
Oct 6 2005
Headlined “The US embassy has replied to questions from Ayots Ashkhar”
Ayots Ashkhar daily has asked the US embassy in Armenia to clarify
the report of a meeting between Armenian opposition leaders and
the head of the council on Eastern Europe and Russia of the Central
Intelligence Agency, Martin Schwartz, [mentioned in previous reports
as head of the Eastern Europe and Russia department of the US National
Intelligence Council] at the US embassy in Armenia.
Yesterday we received a reply from the US embassy which says: “Dr
Martin Schwartz, who visited Armenia on 11-15 September, works as an
analyst in the CIA council which is a well-known organization based
in Washington. Senior analysts, as well as academicians are working
here to provide the US government with information about developments
abroad. Dr Schwartz’s visit was a factfinding one.
“As Ambassador Evans has repeatedly said publicly, the United States
supports the establishment of democratic institutions in Armenia
and the conduct of free and fair elections in the period allocated
for them. The Americans are confident that in a democratic state,
citizens should elect their leaders near ballot boxes by means of a
free and fair election, not in the streets. To support this approach,
the US government has already declared that it will initiate a number
of new developments that will help Armenia to conduct free and fair
parliamentary and presidential elections in 2007 and 2008.”

TURKISH OFFICIAL SAYS AZERBAIJAN GAINING ADVANTAGE IN CONFLICT SETTLEMENT
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
posted Oct 10 2005
Baku, October 7, AssA-Irada
A high-ranking Turkish military official has said that Azerbaijan is
increasingly getting an advantage over Armenia in the settlement of
the Upper Garabagh conflict.
“Time is in favor of Azerbaijan, while Armenia is getting economically
weaker. We believe this factor will affect Azerbaijan’s political
power and create favorable conditions for the conflict settlement”,
Chief of the Turkish General Staff, General Hilmi Ozkok said.
He said in a meeting with Azeri Minister for Defense Safar Abiyev on
Friday that Turkey and Azerbaijan should continue cooperation while
ensuring that their common historical roots are not forgotten.
Abiyev said Azerbaijan wants to settle the Garabagh conflict
peacefully. “But if the efforts turn out fruitless, the national army
will definitely liberate the occupied territories”, he said.
The minister praised the expanding military collaboration between
the two countries, saying that President Ilham Aliyev is making every
effort in this area.
Views were also exchanged on prospects for further military cooperation
and the current political situation in the Caucasus and the Middle
East at the meeting, attended by the Turkish Ambassador to Azerbaijan
Turan Morali.*

GEN. OZKOK MEETS AZERBAIJANI DEFENSE MINISTER ABIYEV
Turkish Press
Oct 6 2005
BAKU – “Turkey has always supported Azerbaijan since it acquired
its independence,” said Defense Minister Safar Abiyev of Azerbaijan
on Thursday.
Turkish General Staff Chief Gen. Hilmi Ozkok, who is currently in
Baku on an official visit, met Abiyev.
Speaking at the meeting, Abiyev said, “there has been close cooperation
between Turkish and Azerbaijani armed forces. Azerbaijan needs a
powerful army in order to further strengthen its independence. We
rely on Turkey’s support to establish a sound army, develop defense
industry, and improve our relations with NATO.”
Abiyev said that Azerbaijani armed forces gained experience by
participating in joint military exercises aiming to protect the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural
gas pipeline.
“Despite all efforts, security problem has still been continuing in
the region. Armenia has occupied nearly 20 percent of Azerbaijani
territories. More than 1 million Azerbaijani people have been living
under extremely difficult conditions in refugee camps,” he said.
Abiyev added that terrorist groups and drug traffickers had been
using the occupied regions as their base due to lack of control.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRESIDENT OF LATVIA TO PAY OFFICIAL VISIT TO ARMENIA ON OCT. 6
Noyan Tapan News Agency
Oct 5 2005
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, NOYAN TAPAN. At RA President Robert Kocharian’s
invitation, Mrs. Vaira Vike-Freiberga, the President of the Republic
of Latvia will arrive in Armenia on an official visit on October 6-8
with her husband Imants Freiberga.
As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA President’s Press Office,
Ministers of Economy, Transport and Communication, Culture, other
officials, about 50 businessmen are in the delegation headed by the
President of Latvia.
The main goal of the visit is to stimulate development of interstate
ties, to deepen the cooperation, to define primary directions of
mutual economic cooperation. The heads of the two countries will
discuss the European Union-Armenia cooperation, issues concerning
regional problems as well as will exchange opinions concerning urgent
international problems.
In April, 2005, President of Latvia Mrs. Freiberga was involved in the
team of the world leaders created on the initiative of Kofi Annan,
the Secretary General of the United Nations. The team leaders must
assist the process of UN reforms as delegates of the Secretary General.
Robert Kocharian’s and Vaira Vike-Freiberga’s private conversation will
take place after the official ceremony of meeting the high-ranking
guest at the RA President’s residance on October 7. Then the
negotiations will continue in a enlarged staff. The ceremony of signing
bilateral documents will follow. The Presidents of Armenia and Latvia
will sign a joint declaration, agreements on encouragement and mutual
security of investments between the Governments of the two countries,
on cooperation in the sphere of customs and an interdepartment document
in the sphere of culture will be signed as well.
The Presidents will hold a joint press-conference as well.
During the official visit, the President of Latvia will meet with the
Speaker of the National Assembly and the Prime Minister. The closing
ceremony of the Armenian-Latvian Business Forum will take place with
the participation of the heads of both countries.
The delegation headed by President Freiberga will visit the Armenian
Genocide Memorial Complex, lay a wreath to the monument to the 1915
Genocide victims.
The President of Latvia will have a meeting with the professors’
and lecturers’ staff and students of the Yerevan State University
as well. At the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin President Vaira
Vike-Freiberga will visit the Treasure House and the Mother
Cathedral. She will visit the Brandy Factory, Martiros Sarian park,
look at works of Armenian painters.
The delegation headed by the President of Latvia will leave Armenia
on October 8.

‘EUROPEAN AUTONOMY’ FOR NOW
AZG Armenian Daily #178
05/10/2005
At a joint press conference with his Latvian counterpart the
Azerbaijani President stated that Nagorno Karabakh could get autonomy
with a status resembling those autonomies existing in Europe. President
Vaira Vike-Freiberga said on her part that Latvia holds to the European
Union’s stance over Karabakh issue. The Latvian President, who makes
official visits in the South Caucasian republics from October 3 to 8,
said that violation of sovereign state’s territorial integrity is a
worrisome factor.
The Latvian president’s visit will continue in Georgia today, and she
will head for Armenia on October 6. This is the second case in the last
two weeks that a female president visits Caucasus. The first female
leader to visit South Caucasus last week was Tarja Halonen of Finland.

NATO RECOGNIZED ARMENIAN IPAP REPRESENTATION DOCUMENT THE MOST SUCCESSFUL
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Oct 4 2005
The sitting of interdepartmental commission on preparation of Armenia
– NATO Individual Partnership Action Program (IPAP) was conducted in
Yerevan on October 3. In the course of the sitting the participants
discussed the NATO proposals put forward after examination of IPAP
program represented by Armenia. RA government hopes to finish the
work till the end of the year.
Head of RA MFA Department for control over arms and international
security Arman Hakobyan stated the Armenian document had been highly
assessed in Brussels. He added NATO International Secretariat
had recognized the document as the most successful among all the
representation documents presented so far, Panarmenan.net reports.
To remind, on June 10 Secretary of the Security Council, RA Defense
Minister Serge Sargsyan passed IPAP Representation Document and RA
President Robert Kocharyan’s letter to NATO Secretary General Yaap de
Hoop Scheffer. On June 16 RA FM Vardan Oskanyan officially presented
the Representation Document to the NATO Council and answered the NATO
ambassadors’ questions in the presence of NATO Secretary General.
According to Vardan Oskanyan, “Armenia has stated it intends to hold
regular consultations with NATO on the issues referring to foreign
policy and security, as well as reformation and actualization of
Armenian defensive structure under the auspices of NATO”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MAMEDYAROV REFUTES THE INFORMATION CONCERNING BREEDING IMPEDIMENTS TO AZERBAIJAN’S COOPERATION WITH EU
DeFacto Agency, Armenia
Oct 4 2005
In the course of the press conference conducted on October 30 Azeri
FM Elmar Mamedyarov stated there were no obstacles to Azerbaijan’s
cooperation with the European Union (EU), Trend reports.
When commenting on “the EU Special Representative for the South
Caucasus Heikkie Talvitie’s statement on braking the program “Enlarged
Europe: New Neighbors” in the South Caucasus in connection with Cyprus’
stand towards Azerbaijan circulated by Armenian mass media” Azeri
FM said “there have been no statements on breeding impediments to
Azerbaijan – EU cooperation in the context of the present realities”.
It is strange that Azeri FM refers to Armenian mass media, as the
information concerning the fact that Republic of Cyprus has vetoed
Azerbaijan’s candidature and blocked Baku’s participation in the
program titled “Enlarged Europe: New Neighbors” has been spread by
Day.Az Azeri agency.
To note, in the course of the press conference in Yerevan the EU
Special Representative for the South Caucasus Heikkie Talvitie
stated consultations between the South Caucasus and the EU, which
were to start in early September, had been postponed for early
October because of differences between Azerbaijan and one of the
EU countries. According to Talvitie, unless the issue referring
to Azerbaijan is settled they will begin cooperating with Armenia
and Georgia.