Author: Karagyozian Lena

CoE JUSTICE MINISTERS DELIBERATE ON SUPPORT TO VICTIMS
Panorama.am
12:35 12/10/06
The 27th conference on Council of Europe (CoE) Justice Ministers
kicked off in Yerevan today. The conference is titled: “Victims:
status, rights and assistance.”
CoE General Director on Legal Issues Guy de Vel said this topic is
selected because the number of victims in the world is growing. Human
trafficking, terrorism, violence against women and children are
widespread in the world and not only in Europe, the speakers
mentioned. The general director as well ass Anna Lomperova, CoE
representative, presented the legal documents that CoE has adopted
to face the challenges.
They also said a lot more has to be done.
They said there are member-states that have not ratified these
documents. Taking the chance, seven countries, including Armenia,
signed conventions on victims’ rights. Armenian Justice Minister
David Harutunyan and Guy de Vel signed a document on fight against
xenophobia through computer.
Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan greeted the guests,
welcoming the discussion on victims’ rights.
Margaryan said Armenia has developed normative acts, which will
support judicial reforms and is ready to take up new commitments.
Armen Rustamyan, chairman of interim committee on legal issues at
the Armenian parliament, said the Armenian parliament has adopted a
number of laws on victims. Later he told reporters, “Basically our laws
comply with the European standard. We have problems at the second –
implementation phase. Here the exchange of experience is valuable.”
Azerbaijan and Turkey participate on the level of department heads at
the conference. Azerbaijan came with two delegates and Turkey with one.
Representatives from Andorra, Island, Sweden, Liechtenstein and Cyprus
were not present.

TURKEY FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER: ARMENIANS’ DEPORTATION BY TURKEY IS NOT CONTRADICTION TO INTERNATIONAL CONVENTIONS
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
Oct 11 2006
Turkey Foreign Minister of Abdulla Gul administration Yashar Yakish’s
exclusive interview of to APA Turkey bureau.
– Will Turkey deport Armenians from the country if France Parliament
adopts a bill on false Armenian genocide?
– The author of this proposal is Shukru Elekdag (former Turkey
ambassador to he US and CHP MP). Experiences prove this version
acceptable. We can cite as an example the latest events in
Georgia-Russia relations. Russia deported all Georgians (including
legal immigrants) from its territory, because Georgia did the same
with four Russian spies. But Turkey will deport only illegal Armenian
immigrants. Turkey does not contradict to international conventions.
– You are one of those politicians who control Turkey integration
to the EU. Can 70 000 illegal Armenian immigrants live and work in
France? Don’t you think Turkey is too magnanimous to Armenia?
– Of course, if wed deport Armenians the West will express their
dissatisfaction. Armenian lobby is very active in France. One of the
best friends of France Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy is Patrick
Devechiyan. He plays an important role in setting the position
of ruling party in France. The head of Turkey Friendship Group in
France Parliament invited us to breakfast during our visit to the
country last week. But France Socialist Party forbade its members to
have a breakfast with us. Because Armenians told them that Turkish
parliamentarians can ask you questions to which it will be difficult
to answer. I regret that France parliamentarians are in hand of
Armenian lobby.
– Don’t you think Armenians want to make Khojali genocide forgotten
by bringing false Armenian genocide to the fore?
– We should discuss this problem with our Azerbaijani colleagues. We
should acknowledge that Armenians are more active than we are. We react
only after they bring something false to the fore. If we object to
the discussion of false genocide in France Parliament and do nothing
later it means we undermine self-confidence.
– Will Turkey pass from word to deed?
– Devechyan said Turkey will object to the adoption of bill by France
Parliament for some time and then come down, because did the same
when France Parliament recognized the false genocide. He mentioned
that Turkey promised to break economical relations with France, but
trade turnover rose by 30 percent between the two states since that
time. Devechiyan also added that Turks never pass from words to deed.
– Are Turkish people difficult to act systematically?
– We treat this as additional problem. But we should set up special
commission to deal with the problem. Turkey should lobby as long as
the situation is table.

MESROB II: INITIATIVES TO BOOST MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING NEEDED
Anatolian Times, Turkey
Oct 10 2006
ISTANBUL – “There should be initiatives to boost mutual understanding
and dialogue,” Armenian Patriarch in Turkey Mesrob II said in regard
to French bill which aims to criminalize denial of so-called Armenian
genocide that will be voted in the French parliament (on October 12th).
Releasing a statement, Mesrob II underlined that all countries,
especially Turkey and Armenia, should make necessary arrangements to
discuss and examine the matter (so-called Armenian genocide).
Indicating that all efforts hampering freedom of expression would harm
the process of dialogue between Turkish and Armenian communities,
Mesrob II stressed: “initiatives to boost mutual understanding,
dialogue and empathy should be undertaken without wasting time.”

NATO INFORMATION CENTER TO OPEN IN YEREVAN OCTOBER 11
PanARMENIAN.Net
10.10.2006 13:53 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ October 11 NATO Special Representative for the
South Caucasus and Central Asia Robert Simmons will be present at
the opening ceremony of the NATO Information Center in Yerevan. The
Center will start fully functioning on November 1. The opening of
NATO Information Center is one of Armenia’s commitments within the
NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP). Armenian Center of
Trans-Atlantic Initiatives NGO is the founder of the Center in Armenia.

TURKEY AND AZERBAIJAN WILL NOT MANAGE TO ISOLATE ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
10.10.2006 17:56 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The fact that Turkey and Azerbaijan are trying to
isolate Armenia is not a secret, Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian stated in
an interview with the Hayastani Hanrapetutyun (Republic of Armenia). In
his words, another matter is that they will not succeed. “We struggle
against it as far as possible. The international community helps us
in that respect – at least in the political plane,” he said.
In his words, the US Congress has already passed an exact resolution
against the building of Kars-Akhalkalaki railway, the EU is not going
to support that project financially or politically.
“However, it is not necessary for Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia. If
they got the funding, they may implement the project. However, we
think it is excessive waste of money, time and energy and it will not
promote confidence in the region. However, if they decide to take
that way I am sure it will not harm Armenia, but will have serious
political consequences for Turkey,” the FM said.
Answering a question whether the building of Kars-Akhalkalaki railway
is possible, the Minister said, “I find it difficult to say for
sure. There is no European or American financial support, however
oil finances are so abundant that I do not rule out that they will
find the means from their financial sources and may resort to that
step only to isolate Armenia.”

TURKEY WANTS EU TO OPPOSE GENOCIDE BILL
The News – International. Pakistan
Oct 10 2006
ANKARA: Turkey called upon the European Union to oppose French
legislation that would outlaw denials that World War I-era killings
of Armenians amounted to genocide.
Lawmakers in France, which has some 400,000 citizens of Armenian
origin, have introduced a bill to penalize Armenian genocide denial
with fines and jail terms.
Turkey, which says the deaths came during a period of civil unrest
and don’t constitute genocide, asked the European bloc it seeks to
join to weigh in on its side.
“We expect the European Union to express its opposition against
such a development that restricts freedom of expression in France,
because it contradicts key values of the EU,” said Justice Minister
Cemil Cicek, who also serves as the government’s spokesman.
Armenians claim that as many as 1.5 million of their ancestors were
killed between 1915-1923 in an organized campaign to force them out
of eastern Turkey and have pushed for recognition of the killings
around the world as genocide.
Turkey acknowledges that large numbers of Armenians died, but says
the overall figure is inflated and that the deaths occurred in the
civil unrest during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire.
Turkey Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has sought the help of
French companies doing business in Turkey to prevent the approval
of the bill and tensions between Turkey and France have been rising
before Thursday’s debate by French lawmakers in the lower house.
Under the bill, people who contest that there was an Armenian genocide
would risk up to a year in prison and fines of up to $57,000.
In May, French lawmakers had caved in to pressure from Turkey and
put off the sensitive debate on the issue in the lower house.
At the time, Turkish legislators also froze a retaliatory bill, which
said anyone who denied that the French committed genocide in Algeria,
a former French colony, could be put in jail and fined. Turkish
lawmakers are now scheduled to re-debate that bill Wednesday.
Earlier, a Turkish legislator Koksal Toptan called for a boycott of
French goods.

ARMENTEL SOLD FOR $600 MLN: UNCONFIRMED INFORMATION
ARMINFO News Agency
October 9, 2006 Monday
ArmenTel telecom company has been sold for $600 mln, report sources
close to the Armenian Government. They say that of the 4 contenders –
two Russian and two Arab companies – the owner of 90% of ArmenTel’s
shares, OTE (Greece), has selected the Arab consortium Emirates
Telecommunications Corporation (ETISALAT) / Istithmar PJSC / Emergent
Telecom Ventures (ETV).
To remind, OTE started receiving price offers in early Oct and the
Arab consortium is said to have offered the best price.
To remind, in 1997 OTE paid for Armentel $142.5 mln and has invested
almost $300 mln since then. In late 2005 the number of ArmenTel’s
fixed telephony subscribers totalled 600,000 and of mobile phone
subscribers 260,000.

PRESS RELEASE
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Information Services
Address:  Vagharshapat, Republic of Armenia
Contact:  Rev. Fr. Ktrij Devejian
Tel:  (374 10) 517 163
Fax:  (374 10) 517 301
E-Mail:  [email protected]
Website: 
October 8, 2006
His Holiness Karekin II Blesses Foundation of New Church in the City of
Abovian
The city of Abovian with approximately 45,000 residents, near the capital of
Yerevan, is one of the largest settlements of Armenia without a house of
prayer.  Developed to a great extent during the Soviet years, the town grew
from a small village to become the fourth largest city in Armenia at the
time of the collapse of the Soviet Union.
On the eve of the 15th anniversary of Independence for the Republic of
Armenia, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All
Armenians presided during the Service for Blessing the Foundation of the
first church to be built in Abovian in the past 100 years.
Construction on the church to be named St. Hovhannes began earlier this
spring and is scheduled to conclude in two years.  The benefactor of the
church is Mr. Gagik Tsarukian, a member of the National Assembly of
Armenia.  He is also the benefactor of the construction of the church of
Holy Astvatsatsin in Arinj.
Present during the service were His Grace Bishop Arakel Karamian, Primate of
the Diocese of Kotayk; Mr. Tsarukian and his family; K. Shahgaldian,
Governor of the Kotayk Region; K. Israelian, Mayor of Abovian; members of
the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin; clergy from the Diocese of Kotayk; and
more than 3,000 faithful.
Sixteen `Godfathers’ placed consecrated stones, bearing the image of a cross
and washed with water and wine, in the foundation of the new church
underneath each of the sixteen columns, and dedicated to the twelve
apostles, evangelists and St. Gregory the Illuminator.

Nagorno-Karabakh settlement to be discussed
ITAR-TASS News Agency
October 5, 2006 Thursday
The Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers, Elmar Mamedyarov and
Vartan Oskanyan, on Thursday arrived in Moscow to discuss matters of
Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.
The meeting will be held on Friday, October 6, at the Russian Foreign
Ministry with the participation of Russia’s foreign minister, Sergei
Lavrov, a Russian diplomat told Itar-Tass.
“It is not accidental that Moscow has been chosen as the venue of the
trilateral meeting, as Moscow historically played an important role
in the Transcaucasia, specifically, in the solution of the problem
of Nagorno-Karabakh,” said the source. He said the quest for new ways
of settling the Karabakh conflict would be central to the trilateral
meeting.
“The parties are striving to find acceptable, mutually advantageous
ways in the matter and pin much hope on the Moscow meeting,” the
diplomat said.
The arrangement to hold the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani
foreign ministers in Moscow was reached as a result of the meetings
the co-chairmen of the Minsk group of the OSCE for Nagorno-Karabakh
(representatives of Russia, France and United States) held in Baku and
Yerevan, Yuri Merzlyakov, the Russian co-chairman of the Minsk group,
said earlier.

RA DM VISITED 14TH INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF DEFENSE COMPLEXES “DEFENDORY INTERNATIONAL”
ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
October 5, 2006 Thursday
The Secretary of the National Security Council under RA President,
RA Defense Minister, Serzh Sarkissyan, has participated, October
3, in the ceremony of opening the 14th International Exhibition of
defense complexes “Defendory International” and got acquainted with
the latest defense armament samples.
As the Defense Ministry’s press-secretary, Seiran Shahsuvaryan, told
ArmInfo, the DM also visited the pavilion of a joint Armenian-Greek
enterprise “LT-PIRKAL”, which is a daughter enterprise of the
Greek EBO-PIRKAL. Here the Minister has met with the managers of
the enterprise’s Greek part and discussed the issues related to the
present and future activities of the enterprise. The same day, the
delegation, headed by S. Sarkissyan, visited the Military Academy
of Lad Forces of Greece, where he met with the Academy’s management
and a group of Armenia’s AF servicemen, studying in the Academy. The
delegation has also visited the Military Museum of the National Defense
Ministry of Greece. After the meeting with the Museum’s management and
acquaintance with the exhibits, the sides have preliminarily agreed
to hold an exhibition in the museum in 2007, devoted to the history
of Armenia’s Armed Forces.
A meeting of S. Sarkissyan with his Greek colleague, Evangelos
Meimarakis, was held October 4. During the meeting, the present level
and prospects of Armenian-Greek military relations was discussed,
an agreement on extension of Armenian- Greek cooperation in the area
of military education and peace-making activities was reached.. S.
Sarkissyan met with the representatives of the country’s Armenian
community the same day in the Embassy of Armenia in Greece. The issues,
concerning increase of education level of students , studying in Greek
Military Establishments, as well as improvement of life conditions
were discussed during the meeting, after which S. Sarkissyan held
a press-conference with the community’s representatives, where he
summed up the visit.