Author: Maghakian Mike

Baku Today, Azerbaijan
July 26 2005
Armenian PM Meets Georgian Leadership
26/07/2005 09:56
Visiting Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan met with Georgian
President Mikheil Saakashvili and Parliamentary Chairperson Nino
Burjanadze on July 25 in Tbilisi.
Margaryan said after talks with Burjanadze that bilateral economic
cooperation and joint measure for social rehabilitation projects in
Armenian-populated Samtskhe-Javakheti region in southern Georgia were
discussed.
`In the course of this year USD 350,000 was already transferred [for
projects in Samtskhe-Javakheti] from the Armenian state budget,’
Margaryan told reporters. The funds were designed for construction of
schools and equipment.
Nino Burjanadze told reporters after talks that the Armenian PM
requested the Georgian side to speed up working over the issues
related with the ownership of the several churches in Javakheti and
in Tbilisi which are disputed between Armenian Apostolic and Georgian
Orthodox Churches.
Armenian Prime Minister, who arrived in Georgian on July 24 has
already visited Samtskhe-Javakheti region and met with his Georgian
counterpart Zurab Nogaideli.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russian daily views reasons for Turkish defence minister’s visit to Azerbaijan
Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Moscow
21 Jul 05
Excerpt from report by Sohbat Mammadov in Russian newspaper
Nezavisimaya Gazeta on 21 July headlined “Ankara inspects Baku.
Turkey intends to bring military into Azerbaijan to guard pipelines
and interfere in Karabakh settlement”
The official visit to Baku by Turkish Defence Minister Vecdi Gonul
ends tomorrow [22 July]. [Passage omitted: schedule of Gonul’s visit]
Officially this visit is in return for [Azerbaijani Defence Minister]
Safar Abiyev’s visit to Turkey last year. However, independent analysts
are inclined to lend far more significance to it. Azerbaijani military
expert Uzeir Cafarov has said that any military contacts between Baku
and Ankara will contribute to strengthening the Azerbaijani armed
forces and speeding up the country’s integration into NATO.
“A few months ago a plan was adopted for individual cooperation
between Azerbaijan and the alliance. In line with this plan, our
country pledged to reform the army and bring it into line with the
NATO standards. Turkey is the country responsible for the monitoring
and fulfilment of this plan’s points,” the expert told journalists.
In his opinion, the fact that visits to Azerbaijan by Turkish military
delegations have become more frequent in recent weeks demonstrates that
“they probably have unplanned missions in our country”.
These missions may include, first, organizing and ensuring the
protection of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan main oil export pipeline and
the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline. The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil
pipeline is practically ready and is expected to be commissioned in
November. As for the gas pipeline, its construction is gaining momentum
and will be completed next year. These power lines are of strategic
importance both for Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey as well as for
the countries of the West and the USA. Hence, NATO intends to deploy
mobile groups on the Absheron Peninsula to guard the pipelines. Turkey,
whose military experts are training Azerbaijani servicemen, has no
small role in this matter.
Another equally important task is the settlement of the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. Official Ankara, while supporting
Azerbaijan’s position, is at the same time interested in normalizing
relations with Armenia. Hence, the Turkish defence minister discussed
with Azerbaijani leaders prospects for Ankara’s involvement in the
settlement of the conflict. This problem was discussed a few days
ago during a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Sochi. In the opinion
of Azerbaijani analysts, the defence minister had something to tell
[Azerbaijani] President Ilham Aliyev about the results of the talks
in Sochi.
Anyway, during his meetings the Turkish defence minister pointed out
the need for the settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict within
the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

Police seize Bush grenade suspect
BBC News
2005/07/20
Police in Georgia have arrested a man suspected of throwing a grenade
towards US President George Bush during a visit to the former Soviet
republic in May.
Police at first raided a property in a suburb of the capital, Tbilisi,
but the man escaped after a shootout in which one policeman was killed,
police say.
The suspect was seized when police searched a nearby wood.
The grenade was thrown into a crowd as Mr Bush gave a speech in
Tbilisi, but it did not explode.
It was found 30m (100ft) from the stage when Mr Bush and Georgian
President Mikhail Saakashvili had stood. Both men spoke from behind
bullet-proof glass.
Support visit
Georgian officials say that Vova Arutyunov, 27, opened fire on the
police when they came to his house to question him.
Mr Arutyunov shot dead one of the policemen before escaping from his
flat in the Tbilisi suburb of Vashlisdzhvari.
He fled to a nearby wood, firing shots as the police encircled
him until he was finally captured two hours later and taken in for
questioning. Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili told reporters that
he was wounded.
On Monday, Georgian police issued a picture of the man they wanted
and announced a 150,000 lari ($80,000, £45,000) reward for information
leading to his capture.
The man in the photograph had dark hair and wore dark glasses.
Mr Merabishvili said at the time that officials did not know who the
man was, but that he was believed to between 25 and 35 years old,
and 175-180cm tall (5ft 9in).
Mr Bush was visiting Georgia to bolster relations and express support
for democracy in the country following its Rose Revolution in 2003.
–Boundary_(ID_iu/kNYh3yF/ICj+BYSNTKg)–

ARMENIA DISPLAYS ITS CHEMICAL POTENTIAL
ArmenPress
July 12 2005
YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS: Natalia Artsruni, deputy director of an
Armenian Development Agency (ADA) department in charge of investment
attraction, argued that Armenia’s chemical industry’s potential is
becoming more and more attractive for foreign investors, which she
said was largely due to participation in two international chemical
exhibitions- the first was Informex exhibition in the USA in January
and the second was ChemSpec fair in Germany in June.
She said participation in both exhibitions proved to be very
successful. “Visitors of the Armenian pavilions were surprised to
discover Armenia’s chemical potential and learning that its chemical
enterprises are capable of manufacturing around 5,000 chemical
compounds” she said. She said the Armenian pavilion in Germany was
visited by 200 people, adding that a preliminary agreement was made
with L’Oreal company.

Iran supports democratic elections in Azerbaijan, says envoy
525 Qazet, Baku
16 Jul 05
Excerpt from Rasad Suleymanov report by Azerbaijani newspaper 525 Qazet
on 16 July headlined “Iran supports democratic elections in Azerbaijan”
and subheaded “Afshar Soleymani: We are against the interference of
certain countries in the internal affairs of other countries under
the cover of democracy”
The Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Afshar Soleymani, clarified
some issues related to the development of bilateral relations in the
near future in an interview with 525 Qazet.
[Soleymani] Iranian-Azerbaijani relations will be expanded under
the new [Iranian] president. The new president has a good attitude
towards Azerbaijan and the Azerbaijanis. I believe that a new stage
is emerging in the expansion of our relations. New programs are
currently being drafted to develop bilateral relations in different
directions. These programs will be continued from now onwards. This
is natural. We will continue to support Azerbaijan’s position in
the region and in international organizations. The intergovernmental
commission is expected to meet in Baku in January next year to discuss
a series of new steps and programmes.
[Interviewer] Mr Ambassador, could you please provide some information
on the visit of [special envoy for Caspian affairs of the Iranian
Foreign Ministry] Mehdi Safari? Has there been any progress in the
talks on the status of the Caspian?
[Soleymani] I also attended the meeting [on Caspian status in Baku].
Some progress was achieved at the meeting, which was held in a friendly
atmosphere. Bilateral negotiations, which are in the interests of
both countries, are under way. There will be good results. These are
technical and legal negotiations. Therefore, it was decided to hold
them on the level of envoys. Certain steps are taken at every stage
of the negotiations on the basis of mutual trust.
[Interviewer] Afshar bay [form of address], Russia has proposed
establishing joint military forces in the Caspian at a time when
the negotiations are still under way. Iran put forward a similar
proposal earlier. We would like to know your government’s position
on Russia’s initiative.
[Soleymani] The security of the Caspian depends on common agreement
between the five [littoral] states. These kinds of issues should be
considered in five-sided meetings. The five countries should come to
agreement together. Iran has not expressed its final decision on the
issue. We believe that a country does not need to express its position
on the issue individually. Iran made a proposal called Stability
and Trust in the Caspian before Russia. Iran takes it normally and
we believe that every country can put forward its own proposal. The
states have equal rights.
[Interviewer] Afshar bay, different countries provide explicit or
clandestine support for different political parties and blocs in
Azerbaijan in the run-up to the parliamentary election [due on
6 November]. What position will Iran take in this election as a
neighbouring country in view of the existence of Islamist parties
in Azerbaijan?
[Soleymani] We believe that every country should decide its fate
itself. People cast their votes in accordance with the capabilities
and reputation of the candidates. Iran supports democratic elections
in Azerbaijan. We support the people and are against the interference
of certain countries in the internal affairs of other countries under
the cover of democracy. We personally prevent other countries from
meddling in our internal affairs.
[Passage omitted: on gas transmission station to Naxcivan]
[Interviewer] Mr Ambassador, some of the OSCE Minsk Group [for the
Nagornyy Karabakh settlement] co-chairmen have touched upon Iran’s
involvement in the peace talks. What do you think of this?
[Soleymani] The French co-chairman said this. Iran has always said
that if invited it is ready to give proposals. We are the neighbours
of both Armenia and Azerbaijan and have means to influence both
countries. In this context, we can influence the settlement of the
conflict more than other remote countries.

TATUL MARGARIAN: RA DEFENSE MINISTER LIKELY TO VISIT U.S
PanArmenian News Network
July 18 2005
18.07.2005 08:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Immediately in the wake of September 11, 2001
Armenia has joined the international anti-terror coalition and
offered the use of its airspace and other tangible assistance for
the U.S.-led anti-terror operations, Armenian Ambassador to the U.S.
Tatul Margarian stated. “This also marked the beginning of military
cooperation between the U.S. and Armenia. It was made possible by the
waiver of Section 907, while also addressing the concerns of Armenia
regarding security in the region. The provision of U.S. military
assistance to Armenia helped the Armenian Armed Forces to establish
peacekeeping capability and address interoperability issues. The
Armenian soldiers and officers now serve alongside with their
partners within NATO’s Partnership for Peace program, and in Kosovo,
and Armenia’s contingent is serving in Iraq with many other nations
of the coalition. Also important for our military cooperation is the
State Partnership Program between the Kansas National Guard and the
Armenian Armed Forces. The first phase of our security cooperation
is nearing completion, and we know better the mutual potential and
expectations. Armenia’s Defense Minister will visit the United States
later this year to discuss the current level and future prospects
for our cooperation” he said, Armenpress news agency reports.

Pan ARMENIAN Network, Armenia
July 15 2005
VIVACELL NOT TO LOWER TARIFFS
15.07.2005 04:35
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ As “.am” PanARMENIAN.Net reporter came to know
from the VivaCell department of commerce, the tariffs of the second
cellular operator VivaCell will not be lowered. To remind, yesterday an
information on possible reduction of tariffs was spread by IA Regnum
with a reference to Armenian Minister of Transport and Communications
Andranik Manukian. The fact is that in a private conversation with
the journalists the Minister supposed that the competition caused
by the entrance of VivaCell to the cellular market can result in
reduction of tariffs. “Competition can provide cheaper and high-quality
communication”, the Minister noted without clarifying the possible
rate and date for reviewing of prices.

OSCE MG: CONFLICTING PARTIES READY FOR COMPROMISE
Pan ARMENIAN Network, Armenia
July 15 2005
15.07.2005 09:20
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Considerable progress has been fixed in the Karabakh
Conflict settlement lately, OSCE Minsk Group US Co-Chair Steven Mann
stated during today’s press conference in Yerevan. At the same time he
noted that though the Co-Chairs do not measure the efficiency of the
negotiations, the ongoing discussions can serve as the coefficient of
the common talks and as the basis for the final resolution. “We can
achieve results via negotiations only but we cannot foresee them”,
he noted. Meanwhile Russian Co-Chair stated that “present results
would not have been achieved but for the readiness of both parties to
make concessions. When asked about Turkey’s position in the conflict
the Russian Co-Chair said that “Turkey is not just involved in the
process but has a strong impact on it.”

Karabakh mediators positive about outcome of regional visit
Mediamax news agency
15 Jul 05
Yerevan, 15 July: Yuriy Merzlyakov, Russian co-chairman of the OSCE
Minsk Group, said in Yerevan today that during the visit to the region,
the mediators and the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan discussed
“thoroughly and in detail” the “key elements of the basis of the
future settlement of the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict”.
Speaking at a briefing in Yerevan today, the Russian mediator said
that “we are currently working on formulations”. Merzlyakov said that
the key outcome of their visit to the region could be considered
an agreement on the holding of a meeting between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani presidents in Kazan late August. Prior to this meeting, the
two countries’ foreign ministers are scheduled to hold consultations
on 23 August in Moscow.
Commenting on the mediators’ meeting with the president of the
Nagornyy Karabakh Republic (NKR), Arkadiy Gukasyan, on 14 July in
Stepanakert, Yuriy Merzlyakov said that “while working on the options
of the formulations, we need to know the position of the Nagornyy
Karabakh leadership”. The Russian diplomat refused to comment on the
reports about the possibility of a referendum in Nagornyy Karabakh,
referring to the confidentiality of the talks.
Steven Mann, US co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, said there was
an opportunity to “achieve serious progress”. He said that the sides
to the conflict have managed to reach considerable progress over the
last year. Mann said that there were “very difficult issues” on the
negotiating table, however there was a “promising opportunity” to
reach a breakthrough in the peace process by the end of the year. At
the same time, the US diplomat said, “the existence of opportunities
does not guarantee that this will necessarily happen”. Anyway, Steven
Mann said, “today, the positions of the sides are much closer than
it was the case in summer or winter”.
Asked about the sides’ readiness to make concessions on vital issues,
Yuriy Merzlyakov said that “we have managed to reach the level at
which we work on formulations just because the sides have not only
shown readiness to compromise but have done so indeed”.

German pro-Armenian Intervention on Caucasus Possible?
By Can Karpat, AIA Turkish section
Axis Information and Analysis (AIA)
22.06.2005
It is argued that Germany that has recently taken a decision about
“Armenian massacre in 1915”, actually is prepared to intervene through
that way in Caucasian affairs in the future. This last decision of
the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag) must be seen as a new German
policy, which consists to be present in Caucasus along with other major
political powers, Turkish Cumhuriyet reports. As pressure upon Baku
government intensifies, the German radio “Voice of Germany” insists
that Karabakh Armenians should be allowed to leave Azerbaijan. To that
extent, the new decision about “Armenian massacre in 1915” in favour
of Armenians is to be interpreted as a step further for Germany in
Caucasus. Especially, in a time that an eventual government change
is discussed in Azerbaijan, these initiatives prove that Germany is
willing to take part in the reconstruction process in this region.
While the United States of America declared that a special military
unit is to be formed to protect the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline,
the strategic importance of Caucasus is increasing. The claims that
Germany turns day by day in favour of the Karabakh Armenians’ zeal
to part from Azerbaijan become therefore interesting. Last Sunday
Parliament elections in Karabakh took place breaking with Azeri laws,
and aftermath a regional government was formed. And on the “Voice
of Germany”, the “rights of separating” of Karabakh Armenians from
Azerbaijan, which is officially demanded by this new government,
have been publicly uttered.
It is argued that all this evolution shows that Germany, in this
regional dispersion period does not want to be out of the game.
According to some international observers, the decision taken
by all political parties existing in the German Parliament about
“Armenian massacre” in 1915 along with other statements about “the
importance of peace efforts between Turks and Armenians” and about
the German responsibility in “this historical crime”, all these form
the background for Germany to take part in Caucasian affairs in near
future. Thus, Germany plans to be the third power in the region along
with the United States of America and Russia. As in the Balkans and
Eastern Europe, whether Berlin is intended to influence once again
regional affairs in Karabakh is therefore highly discussed.
In March 1999, German Professor Otto Luchterhandt from Hamburg
University had made a speech in American University in Yerevan, and
defended that Karabakh should determine its own fate, that Armenians in
this region should separate from Azerbaijan and set up an independent
state. That he also stated that “Armenians could reach that target
playing on time factor” had provoked discussions at that time.
Last month, the German Orient Institute in Hamburg published a
research, where it is argued that the Karabakh issue should be resolved
according to the American policy. The same report emphasised that
only hereby intense relations between Armenia and Russia would have
been broken. The report reminded that among the Armenian opposition,
number of American supporters increased considerably, and stated that
Armenia is at a crossroad to choose either Russia or the United States
of America.
Furthermore, the European Union’s Enlargement Commissioner, Olli Rehn
stated that Turkey must open its frontiers to Armenia, and defended
that if frontiers is opened that would be in favour of Turkey. Rehn
also stated that “Armenian issue is a very important one”, and
claimed that Turkish officials have problems to deal with “historical
facts”. He confirmed that if Turkey signs six legal regulations and
the supplement protocol mentioned in the 17th December decisions,
there will be no reason not to start the European Union membership
negotiations with this country on the 3rd of October. Though,
he reminded that the negotiations will be an open process, so the
membership should not be taken for granted.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress