Author: Madatian Greg

TURKISH GENERAL RISKS TRIAL FOR CALLING SLAIN ARMENIAN ‘TRAITOR’

Agence France Presse — English
June 27, 2007 Wednesday 4:57 PM GMT

The family of an ethnic Armenian journalist gunned down earlier this
year is suing a senior Turkish general for having allegedly called
him a traitor, their lawyer told AFP Wednesday.

Lawyer Fethiye Cetin alleged that General Dursun Ali Karaduman,
the commander of the paramilitary force in the northern province
of Giresun, had called Hrant Dink a traitor in a speech in April,
even though he did not mention his name.

The 52-year-old Dink, a prominent member of Turkey’s tiny Armenian
minority, was shot dead in January in central Istanbul.

He had earned the hatred of nationalists for branding the mass killings
of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during World War I as genocide,
a label that Ankara fiercely rejects.

Dink received a suspended six-month jail sentence last year for
"insulting Turkishness."

In a speech General Karaduman made at the funeral of a soldier
killed by separatist Kurdish rebels, he deplored what he saw as
Western indifference to the victims of the Kurdish insurgency in
southeast Turkey.

"The US Senate, the French Parliament, the European Parliament and
Armenia have not condemned those who killed you…" he was quoted as
having said in the family’s application to the court.

"They issue condemnations only when traitors are killed," he reportedly
said.

Lawyer Cetin said it was "obvious" the general was referring to Dink.

The general had also recited a poem at the funeral of another soldier
in June, which denounced the outpouring of international condemnations
following Dink’s murder, she said.

Dink’s family would not seek a jail term for the general or a financial
compensation, said Cetin. They would ask the court to rule that his
remarks were "unlawful, racist and provocative" and publish the ruling
in major newspapers, she explained.

The trial of Dink’s self-confessed teenage murderer and 17 other
suspects, most of them young people from the northern city of Trabzon,
begins on July 2.

Dink’s family has called for an expansion of the investigation into
his death. They say that the police prepared the ground for the murder
by failing to act on several intelligence notes about a plot to kill
Dink being organised in Trabzon.

ARMENIAN PREMIER, GREEK PRESIDENT DISCUSS EXPANDING COOPERATION

Arminfo
27 Jun 07

Yerevan, 27 June: Armenian Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan today met
Greek President Karolos Papoulias, who is in Armenia on an official
visit.

The press service of the Armenian government has reported that during
the meeting Sargsyan noted that the Armenian government is ready within
its powers to make every effort to implement the agreements reached
between the Armenian and Greek presidents, in the interest of both
countries and the friendly Armenian and Greek nations. Sargsyan said
he was pleased with the assistance of Greece to Armenia in different
fields, stressing cooperation in the field of defence.

He said that during many years of work in the field of security and
due to his frequent contacts with the Greek administration because
of his position, he had always felt warm and friendly attitude of
his Greek colleagues and their readiness to cooperate.

The Armenian prime minister stressed the importance of widening
Armenian-Greek cooperation and its further development. Particularly
in the current period, when Armenia is implementing an Individual
Partnership Action Plan with NATO, the experience and support of
Greece may be very helpful.

Sargsyan agreed with Papoulias that in the difficult region of the
South Caucasus, the country does not have many friends and neighbouring
countries whose interests coincide with the interests of Armenia. This
is why, in the name of the security of friendly nations and in order
to ensure progress, it is necessary to join efforts in the realization
of programmes aimed at solving vital problems and development projects.

Karolos Papoulias mentioned with regret that if Turkey, a difficult
neighbour that constantly creates problems, finally changed and
followed European values, then Greece and Armenia would not have had
to spend large sums on ensuring defence and security at the expense
of social programmes.

The Greek president noted with contentment not only the high level
of Armenian-Greek political relations but also mutually beneficial
cooperation of Armenia and Greece in the international arena.

At the meeting, the officials also discussed prospects for the
development of bilateral economic cooperation. The importance
of the active work of the Armenian-Greek intergovernmental
commission was stressed. Agriculture, trade and tourism, defence and
culture were mentioned as promising fields for the development of
cooperation. Sargsyan said that these fields are noted also in the
programme of the Armenian government for the next five years.

SERGE SARGSIAN: POLITICAL FORCE SUPPORTING ME IS HUGE

Noyan Tapan
Jun 26 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 26, NOYAN TAPAN. "The political force supporting me is
huge: that force has received confidence, has a great freedom to act,
and this gives me a ground to say that we will keep all the promises
he have ever given." RA Prime Minister Serge Sargsian said at the
parliament on June 26, after adoption of the government’s program.

Touching upon the peculiarities of the government’s program, the
Prime Minister said that the government has chosen priorities, part
of which are new for the society in the respect of "not problems,
but ways of solution."

In S. Sargsian’s words, no concrete terms are mentioned in the program
due to the short time of program’s introduction, but a detailed
schedule of events will be worked out in the future.

In connection with the apprehension voiced by MPs during program’s
discussion, according to which it may happen so that as a result of
the presidential elections of 2008, the government, the parliament
and the President will belong to the same party, S. Sargsian said:
"I think it will be just this way" and added that the country will
only gain from this.

Answering the question about the atmosphere at the parliament,
S. Sargsian said that it was rather normal: "If we expect that we will
come to the parliament or will communicate with other political forces
and there will be no clash of opinions, we are mistaken. There should
be clash of opinions: the most important is that representatives of
political forces were apologizing to one another: I have dreamt about
such an atmosphere."

FOUR YOUTH ARTSAKH ORGANIZATIONS EXPRESS THEIR SUPPORT FOR BAKO SAHAKIAN, CANDIDATE FOR POST OF NAGORNO KARABAKH’S PRESIDENT

Noyan Tapan
Jun 26 2007

STEPANAKERT, JUNE 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The youth NGO "The Generation of
Hayk", the "Society realizing rights" NGO, the youth wing of "The
Nagorno Karabakh Helsinki Initiative – 92", and the youth committee
of "The trade unions of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh" opened the
pre-electoral headquarters of Bako Sahakian, the candidate for the
post of the NKR Presidency, in Stepanakert on June 25.

The above-mentioned organizations adopted a joint statement, which,
in particular, runs as follows:

"As representatives of youth organizations, we are obliged to have
our position in different spheres of the country. Following this
consciousness, we unite our potential to support Bako Sahakian, the
candidate for the NKR Presidency, in whose pre-electoral program the
ways of settling the problems directly concerning the youth field
and troubling the young of the country are introduced and mentioned
as realistically as possible."

It is also mentioned in the statement that Bako Sahakian expresses
a great volition and will to immediately take measures to settle
those problems.

YEREVAN MUNICIPALITY TAKES STEPS TO IMPROVE TRADE AND SERVICES

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 25 2007

YEREVAN, June 25. /ARKA/. Yerevan municipality takes steps to improve
the situation with trade and services in the city, Karen Gevorgyan,
chief of the municipality unit in charge of trade and services,
said Monday at a news conference.

He said that commissions are set up for that. In his words,
representatives of agriculture and healthcare ministries as are
included in the commissions.

"A special emphasis is put on perishable foods, soft drinks and
ice-cream", Gevorgyan said adding that some kind are already banned.

Those legal entities breaching the rules will be fined AMD 10thnd to
50thnd ($30 to 145).

"I am calling for Yerevan residents not to buy anything from street
vendors, since this is the most effective way of struggle against
this phenomenon", he said.

BLACK SEA ECONOMIC COOPERATION SUMMIT BEGINS IN ISTANBUL

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
June 25 2007

ISTANBUL (A.A) -25.06.2007 -The 15th Anniversary Summit of the Black
Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Heads of State and Government began
in Turkish metropolis of Istanbul with a meeting of foreign ministers
of BSEC countries on Monday.

During their meeting at the Ciragan Palace, foreign ministers will
shape up a final declaration and present it to the heads of state of
BSEC countries for approval.

Turkish FM Abdullah Gul, Russian FM Sergey Lavrov, Serbian FM Vuc
Jeremic, Greek FM Dora Bakoyianni, Bulgarian FM Ivaylo Kalfin,
Slovakian FM Jan Kubis, Romanian FM Adrian Cioroianu, Azerbaijani
FM Elmar Mammadyarov, Ukranian FM Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Armenian FM
Vartan Oskanian and Georgian FM Gela Bezhuashvili are participating
in the meeting.

-BSEC ANNIVERSARY SUMMIT-

BSEC member states believe that the 15th anniversary summit will
revive and give a new momentum to BSEC. 12 member states and 13
observer states, as well as executives of regional and international
organizations will be represented at the summit.

The 15th Anniversary Summit will be chaired by Turkish President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer. The summit itself, and the final declaration to
be released at the end of the summit are expected to be a milestone
as they stress the highest political directives for the future of
the Black Sea basin and BSEC.

Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan will host a luncheon at the Ciragan
Palace in honour of participants, whereas President Sezer will host
a dinner at the Dolmabahce Palace.

-HISTORY OF BSEC-

On June 25th, 1992, heads of state and government of 11 countries
signed in Istanbul the Summit Declaration giving birth to the BSEC.

The BSEC is comprised of not only Black Sea littoral states, but
also covers a large geography from Serbia to Ukraine and Russia,
from Georgia to Armenia; i.e. it covers Southeast European, Balkan
and Caucasian countries and 370-million population.

Germany, Austria, France, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia,
Belarus, Croatia, Tunisia, Egypt, Israel and the USA are the observer
countries.

Also a Bosphorus Statement was issued in 1992, when the organization
was established. In this statement, the signatories – which are also
the signatories of the Istanbul Summit Declaration – committed to obey
rules and principles of the Helsinki Final Act and the Organization
of Security & Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

BSEC turned into a fully-fledged regional economic cooperation
organization as the BSEC Charter, signed in Yalta on June 5th, 1998,
was put into force on May 1st, 1999.

The Permanent International Secretariat of BSEC is based in Turkey,
while the main target of the organization is to develop regional
strategies.

BSEC has four affiliated centres including Parliamentary Assembly,
Business Council, Coordination Centre for the Exchange of Statistical
Data and Economic Information, and Black Sea Trade and Development
Bank.

Turkey took over the rotating presidency of the BSEC from Serbia on
May 1st, 2007 for six months.

-SECURITY MEASURES-

Meanwhile, Turkish police tightened security measures for the 15th
anniversary summit of BSEC. The air space over the routes where
guests will use and Ciragan and Dolmabahce palaces have been closed
to civilian helicopter traffic.

Also, a security corridor has been set up on the Istanbul Strait.

Tankers, loaded with hazardous materials, are not allowed to pass
through the Istanbul Strait.

MASIS MAYILYAN: COURTS MUST BE INDEPENDENT

KarabakhOpen
25-06-2007 11:39:57

Citizens do not feel protected, do not trust courts, do not go
to court to protect their rights, said the presidential candidate
Masis Mayilyan during a meeting with voters on Friday. A retired
man, who has 7 children and whose wife was killed during the war,
said he has to give half of his pension to a member of parliament
every month because his cows trespassed his land, and the court fined
him an immense sum. "Why should I believe and vote for a member of
parliament?" the man asked.

Masis Mayilyan emphasized the most important point of his program
in answer to this and several other questions – the rule of law and
the necessity for serious and real reforms. He emphasized that the
courts must be independent and must not work in accordance with the
instructions of a few persons or the "telephone law". The candidate
emphasized that "the courts must protect the interests of our citizens
because they get salary from the taxes they pay." He also spoke about
the necessity of a distinct division of powers, which is one of the
pillars of a real democracy. During the meeting, which was held on
Hekimyan Street, the necessity for a manpower reform was raised by the
former minister of finance, who said the government is stagnated and
closed. Masis Mayilyan said if he is elected he will make changes but
"there will be no cadre massacres" because there are a lot of good
specialists and honest people in government.

Some of the residents of the neighborhood raised the issue of housing
of the families of killed azatamartiks. The presidential candidate
said although some efforts were made in this direction, there are
families whose problem of housing has not been solved yet, which
could be solved instead of building and selling expensive buildings
on Azatamartikneri Street.

A man of 60 was interested in the Karabakh settlement and the issue
of territories.

The presidential candidate clearly put his stance: "These are liberated
territories which are the guarantee of our country’s security. We
must settle these territories."

Some more other issues were raised during this meeting. The people
expressed their sympathy for this candidate and said they are going
to vote for him.

In the end the candidate called for voting to this election and vote
for the candidate they prefer.

AZG Armenian Daily #118, 23/06/2007

Regional

DIVIDING THE CASPIAN SEA FAILED

The foreign ministers of the 5 Caspian states failed to come to
agreement around the issue of the Caspian Sea’s status. The Russian
mass media sources informed that the foreign ministers of Russia,
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran didn’t decide how they
should evaluate the Caspian, a sea or a lake, as it is, according to
its geographical indicators.

By Aghavni Haroutiunian

ARMENIAN ATHLETES COMPETE FOR EUROPEAN CUP IN VENITSA

Noyan Tapan
Jun 22 2007

VENITSA, JUNE 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian national athletics team
left for the city of Venitsa (Bosnia and Herzegovina) on June 20 to
compete for the European Cup. The team is composed of 22 athletes,
including Melik Janoyan from Gyumri (javelin throwing), Vahagn
Javakhian and Alexander Abrahamian from Yerevan (running), Gevorg
Sargsian from Vanadzor (broad jumping). The competitions will last
until June 24.

ARMENIA AND USA PROLONG LETTER OF AGREEMENT ON NARCOTICS CONTROL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

ArmInfo
2007-06-20 13:18:00

Charge d’Affairs a.i. Anthony Godfrey and Armenian Prosecutor General
Aghvan Hovsepyan signed the Protocol on Amendment 5 to the Letter
of Agreement on Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement between the
Government of the United States of America and the Government of
the Republic of Armenia. Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Arman
Kirakosyan, Head of the Armenian Central Bank Tigran Sargsyan,
Justice Minister Gevorg Danielyan (the former Solicitor General)
and others attended the signing ceremony.

Under the fifth amendment to the Letter of Agreement, the
U.S. Government will provide assistance to the

Government of Armenia in the amount of $1,616,927 for following
six projects:

-Continuation of resident legal advisor project

-Assistance in countering trafficking in persons;

-Forensic Institute development project

-ABA/CEELI criminal law reform project

-Continuation of the Project Harmony legal Socialization Program

-A new project on financial intelligence unit development.

It is noteworthy that $200,000 is the assistance in countering
trafficking in persons. Since the signing of the original Letter of
Agreement on June 11, 2001, the United States has provided over seven
million USD of law enforcement assistance to the Government of Armenia.