Author: Nadirian Emma

GEORGIAN, ARMENIAN PREMIERS DISCUSS TIES, SIGN COOPERATION ACCORDS

Rustavi-2 TV
Dec 9 2008
Georgia

[Presenter] The Georgian and Armenian prime ministers signed
two agreements today after the meeting of the intergovernmental
commission on Georgian-Armenian economic cooperation. One document
pertains to free trade and the other envisages cooperation in the
sphere of culture. [Georgian Prime Minister] Grigol Mgaloblishvili
and [Armenian Prime Minister] Tigran Sargsyan also discussed other
issues in bilateral relations. The Armenian prime minister paid a
one-day visit to Tbilisi today together with a governmental delegation
consisting of members of the economic team.

[Mgaloblishvili, in Georgian, addressing a joint briefing] The document
on introducing amendments in the free trade agreement between Georgia
and Armenia signed on 14 August 1995 has been signed, as has an accord
on the cultural cooperation programme between our countries between
the years 2008 and 2010.

[Sargsyan, in Armenian with Georgian translation superimposed]
Armenian-Georgian relations are very important for us. It is our
duty to boost friendly neighbouring relations between Georgia and
Armenia. There are no issues on which we cannot reach an agreement,
and the agreements that we have signed prove this.

[The two also discussed the dispute over Tbilisi’s defunct Norashen
church, which is claimed by both by the Georgian Orthodox and Armenian
Apostolic Churches, Kavkas-Press news agency reported at 1137 gmt. The
agency said Sargsyan refused to comment on the issue at the briefing,
while it quoted Mgaloblishvili as saying that he hoped the issue would
not be "politicized". Kavkas-Press also reported that both sides were
working to mobilize funds for the construction of a road connecting
Yerevan and Georgia’s Black Sea port of Batumi. Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan
reached a preliminary agreement on the project on 30 September.

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway

The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief

========================================== ======
11 December 2008
ARMENIA: IMPRISONMENT OF SOME 80 CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS "NOT A HUMAN
RIGHTS ISSUE"
icle_id=1228
Armenia’s Foreign and Justice Ministries have denied to Forum 18 News
Service that the country’s alternative to military service is also under
military control. Karine Soudjian, who heads the Human Rights Department in
the Foreign Ministry, insisted to Forum 18 that the current Alternative
Service Law has "no contradiction" with Armenia’s international human
rights obligations, including to the Council of Europe. But the Council of
Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg says the Law "does not
provide for a genuine civilian service as the service is still managed and
supervised by the Ministry of Defence". Soudjian says the imprisonment of
some 80 Jehovah’s Witness conscientious objectors – a figure she disputes –
"is not a human rights issue". Parliamentary deputy David Harutyunyan told
Forum 18 the Law has "room for improvement" and is being discussed in two
parliamentary committees, but declined to spell out what changes are being
discussed. Jehovah’s Witnesses fear that if the system does not change, at
least a further 15 young men will face trial from January.
* See full article below. *

12 December 2008
KAZAKHSTAN: SECRET POLICE RAID, FILM AND INVESTIGATE BELIEVERS
le_id=1229
A Protestant church’s Sunday afternoon prayer meeting in the town of Aral
in October was raided by police and secret police without a warrant, church
members told Forum 18 News Service. Officers filmed those present without
their consent, summoned seven of them to the police station and tried to
prosecute the leader, Indira Bukharbaeva, on administrative charges. But
she was acquitted in December. Public Prosecutor Abdukarim Abdullaev told
Forum 18 it was too sensitive to discuss by phone whether measures would be
taken over the unauthorised filming of the church meeting. Meanwhile the
secret police in Taraz have lodged serious criminal charges against
Protestant pastor Sarybai Tanabaev for "inciting religious intolerance"
over two sermons he gave. One recording was confiscated from one church and
the other apparently covertly made by the secret police. The secret police
officer involved in the case, Major Mukhamedjan Paezov, told Forum 18 the
case was initiated from the capital Astana and is being run from there.

9 December 2008
RUSSIA: WHY WEREN’T VIOLENT CHURCH ATTACKERS CONVICTED?
cle_id=1227
None of the alleged participants in two violent attacks on a Pentecostal
church – by three people in the first attack and eight people in the second
attack – has gained either a criminal or administrative record for the
attacks, Forum 18 News Service has found. Asked why, given the seriousness
of the attacks, no criminal case had been launched and no criminal trial
had taken place, a senior investigatory official responded: "That’s your
subjective view." Only one attacker – Oleg Sumarukov – appears to have had
any form of official action taken against him. However, a local newspaper
thought to have encouraged the April 2008 attacks was given an official
warning. During the attacks, slogans such as "Sectarians are everywhere!"
and "You must be destroyed!" were shouted, parishoners were threatened with
a pistol, the pastor was beaten up and threats were made to murder him, and
a threat of an arson attack on the church was made. The attackers also
tried to intimidate the church not to call the police. There have, however,
been no attacks on the church since, and local police "even visit from time
to time to check we’re OK," a Pentecostal told Forum 18.

11 December 2008
ARMENIA: IMPRISONMENT OF SOME 80 CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTORS "NOT A HUMAN
RIGHTS ISSUE"

ticle_id=1228
By Felix Corley, Editor, Forum 18 News Service <;

Despite the call back in April by the Council of Europe’s Human Rights
Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg for Armenia to free all its imprisoned
conscientious objectors, those who cannot serve in the army or perform the
alternative service under military control currently being offered continue
to be arrested and sentenced, Forum 18 News Service has found. Some 80
conscientious objectors – all of them Jehovah’s Witnesses – are now
imprisoned. The current Alternative Service Law "does not provide for a
genuine civilian service as the service is still managed and supervised by
the Ministry of Defence," Hammarberg complained.

Lyova Markaryan of the Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18 from the capital
Yerevan on 10 December that they have been able to meet officials to
resolve some issues, but that "nothing is clear" about whether the
Alternative Service Law will be amended to meet Armenia’s international
commitments. He fears that if there is no change, the number of prisoners
could soon rise sharply. "Cases are underway against more than 15
individual Jehovah’s Witnesses and unless there is any change their trials
could begin as early as January."

Parliamentary deputy David Harutyunyan told Forum 18 that two
parliamentary committees – the state and law committee (which he chairs)
and the human rights committee – are "discussing ways to improve the law".
"It’s questionable whether the Law provides a civilian alternative service
or not," he told Forum 18 from Yerevan on 9 December, "but there is still
room for improvement." He blamed "misunderstandings" on both sides for the
continuing imprisonment of conscientious objectors and said a solution will
be found. He stressed that alternative service must be free of military
control, but not free of state control.

Harutyunyan refused to specify what changes to the Law or to procedures
are being discussed or any timetable for any changes.

However, Karine Soudjian, who heads the Human Rights Department in the
Foreign Ministry, insisted to Forum 18 from Yerevan on 9 December that the
current Alternative Service Law has "no contradiction" with Armenia’s
international human rights obligations, including to the Council of Europe.

As of 1 November, 78 Jehovah’s Witnesses were serving prison sentences of
between one and three years for refusing military service on grounds of
religious conscience, Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18. All had been
sentenced under Article 327, Part 1 of the Criminal Code, which punishes
evasion of the call-up to military or alternative service. The maximum
sentence under this article was increased to three years’ imprisonment in
December 2005. One other Jehovah’s Witness was serving a suspended two-year
sentence.

As of 1 November, a further two Jehovah’s Witnesses were in pre-trial
detention in Nubarashen near Yerevan: Tigran Melikyan, who was arrested on
30 July, and Grisha Ohanjanyan, who was arrested on 13 October.

Soudjian of the Foreign Ministry dismissed the information Forum 18 had
received about the number of imprisoned Jehovah’s Witness conscientious
objectors. "This is not the real figure – you have bad information." Asked
what she believes the current figure is, she said: "We haven’t any figure."
Asked why the Human Rights Department does not seek out this information,
given that a Council of Europe commitment is to free these prisoners and
introduce a fully civilian alternative service, she told Forum 18: "This is
not a human rights issue."

Unlike representatives of the Foreign Ministry, Armenia’s Justice Ministry
does admit that Jehovah’s Witnesses who cannot serve in the military on
grounds of religious conscience are in prison. However, Lana Mshetsyan,
spokesperson of the Justice Ministry, insisted to Forum 18 back in October
that the situation for the then 86 Jehovah’s Witness prisoners was
"different", saying that they were imprisoned for refusing the alternative
service being offered. She denied absolutely that the alternative service
is under military control and believes it is adequate for those who cannot
serve in the military. "So they are not ‘prisoners of conscience’ at all,"
she told Forum 18.

The number of imprisoned conscientious objectors has barely changed over
the past year. As of September 2007, a total of 82 Jehovah’s Witnesses were
in prison serving sentences or awaiting trial. As well as the hundreds of
Jehovah’s Witness prisoners in recent years, a young Molokan Pavel
Karavanov was freed from prison in 2006 after serving a sentence for
refusing military and alternative service on grounds of religious
conscience. Molokans are a Russian Protestant church, established in the
17th century and known for their pacifism. There are about 4,000 Molokans
in Armenia (see F18News 26 September 2007
< e_id=1024>).

Soudjian of the Foreign Ministry claimed to Forum 18 that the Alternative
Service Law adopted in 2003 and amended in 2004 and 2006 meets the
obligations Armenia took on itself when it joined the Council of Europe in
2001. However, the failure to free imprisoned conscientious objectors and
introduce a civilian alternative service by 2004 has drawn repeated
criticism from officials of the Council of Europe, as well as of the
Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The Council of Europe also criticised the length of the alternative
service (42 months compared to 24 months’ military service), a criticism
repeated by Commissioner Hammarberg in April, who described it as "far too
long".

Markaryan of the Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18 that he and his
colleagues have met officials to try to help them understand the Jehovah’s
Witnesses’ position. He said they met Deputy Defence Minister Ara Nazaryan
in late November. "He told us at the end that he understood that we want an
alternative civilian service," Markaryan reported. "At the moment officials
are listening and we believe they understand what we want. But we don’t
know what reaction there will be."

Markaryan and other Jehovah’s Witnesses insist that the alternative
service now on offer remains under military control. "This became clear
back in 2004 when 22 of our young men tried it. There has been no change in
procedures since then." The 22 abandoned the service when they saw it was
under military control and were subsequently imprisoned.

Markaryan pointed out that participants are given military record books
where they are described as soldiers, are checked up on each week by the
military and need permission from the military to go on leave. Article 14
of the Alternative Service Law says that the military organises the
alternative service call-up, while Article 13 says that individuals are
assigned to their place of work by the military. Article 18 subjects those
doing alternative service to the army’s Code of Rules. Article 21 treats
those who desert from the army and those who abandon alternative service in
exactly the same way.

However, Markaryan does note two areas of progress. He said that at a
meeting in spring 2008 with Jehovah’s Witnesses, Deputy Prosecutor General,
Aram Tamazyan, said that those awaiting trial on charges of refusing
military and alternative service would no longer be held in pre-trial
detention. They would instead only be detained in the courtroom if found
guilty. "This is only half-being implemented – it seems not all local
prosecutors know about this," Markaryan told Forum 18. "But it is some
improvement."

Tamazyan confirmed that he had met the Jehovah’s Witnesses to discuss the
issue of pre-trial detention. But he insisted to Forum 18 on 10 December
that those awaiting trial for refusing military and alternative service are
treated the same regardless of which region of the country they live in. He
declined to discuss the two current cases where Jehovah’s Witnesses are
being held in pre-trial detention, one of them for more than four months.

Markaryan also noted that the previous practice of denying military cards
to those who have served terms of imprisonment for refusing military and
alternative service has now ended after Jehovah’s Witnesses met the Defence
Minister Seyran Ohanyan in summer 2008. Ohanyan then instructed all
military commissariats to issue such cards, a process that began soon
after. Markaryan said all their former prisoners now have such cards.

"This was a real problem. Without the military card the young men could
not register their place of residence," Markaryan told Forum 18, "and
without a registered place of residence they couldn’t get an identity card
or passport. So they couldn’t get a job in the government, couldn’t leave
the country and couldn’t even get married!" (END)

Further coverage of Armenian-related religious freedom issues is at
< mp;religion=all&country=21&results=50>

A printer-friendly map of Armenia is available at
< s/atlas/index.html?Parent=asia&Rootmap=armeni& gt;
(END)

© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855
You may reproduce or quote this article provided that credit is given to
F18News

Past and current Forum 18 information can be found at

ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN SECURITY COUNCILS SIGN COOPERATION AGREEMENT

ITAR-TASS
Dec 10 2008
Russia

YEREVAN, December 9 (Itar-Tass) — Secretary of the Russian Security
Council Nikolai Patrushev and Secretary of the Armenian National
Security Council Artur Bagdasarian met in Yerevan on Tuesday to sign
a cooperation plan for 2009.

Patrushev arrived in Yerevan for the participation in a meeting of the
Security Council secretaries of the member states of the Collective
Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO).

Bagdasarian assessed the agreement as a very important document, which
declared for the first time ever close relations between the Security
Councils of Russia and Armenia that had created strategic partnership.

The document envisages special events and consultations on security
in general, as well as on the transport and energy security and
military-technical cooperation, Bagdasarian said.

He is confident that the cooperation plan would make possible a more
efficient coordination of activities of the two countries, mapping
out special steps and plans, as well as laying a solid legal basis
for the targeted events.

Bagdasarian is confident the planned steps will give a fresh impetus
to the fruitful cooperation between the two Security Councils in the
defence and security spheres.

Patrushev, in turn, said: "Russia and Armenia are strategic
partners. They coordinate many issues in the security sphere, which
they have to resolve."

In his words, "the agreement makes systemic the Russian-Armenian
partnership in the sphere of national security."

"We have already mapped out events, which will be implemented in 2009,"
he said, adding that the agreement envisages activities of the two
Security Councils, which "make us sure that we will work out a joint
position pertaining to all problems."

ARMENIA-EUROPEAN UNION COOPERATION COUNCIL’S 9TH SITTING HELD IN BRUSSELS

Noyan Tapan

Dec 10, 2008

BRUSSELS, DECEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The annual sitting of the
Armenia-European Union Cooperation Council took place on December 9
in Brussels. Armenia’s delegation consisting of various departments’
high-ranking representatives led by RA Foreign Minister Edward
Nalbandian took part in it.

Jean-Pierre Jouyet, the Minister of European Affairs of France
presiding over in EU led the delegation on the part of Europe.

Presenting the steps undertaken in Armenia in the direction of
fulfillment of the European Neighborhood Policy Actions Plan,
E. Nalbandian said that program’s fulfillment is the priority of
cooperation with EU, the evidence of which is RA President Serzh
Sargsyan’s creating an interdepartmental commission coordinating
cooperation with European structures. The RA Foreign Minister also
attached importance to the signing of the agreement on sending a group
of EU advisers to Armenia on business, for efficient implementation
of reforms in various spheres in cooperation with EU.

RA Deputy Ministers of Finance, Economy, Energy, and Justice presented
the reforms implemented in those spheres, government’s economic
policy, reforms done in the court and legal sphere, steps undertaken
to provide Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant’s security, program of building
of a new nuclear power plant.

The fulfillment process of the Armenia-EU Actions Plan of the European
Neighborhood Policy was discussed in detail during the sitting. Both
sides expressed satisfaction with the successful implementation of the
program. At the same time it was mentioned that program’s possibilities
are not exhausted completely yet and there are considerable prospects
to expand the cooperation.

The European side welcomed the Moscow Declaration on Nagorno Karabakh
settlement adopted lately, the December 4 joint statement of OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairing countries’ Foreign Ministers and the December
5 statement of OSCE Foreign Ministers Council.

The Eastern Partnership proposal was presented by the European
Commission, which envisages deepening of cooperation between European
Union and partnership member countries in a number of spheres.

At European side’s request E. Nalbandian presented the negotiations
process of Nagorno Karabakh settlement, as well as the steps aimed
at normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations.

A meeting between E. Nalbandian and Benita Ferrero-Waldner,
Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy,
took place after the sitting. The sides discussed a number of issues
regarding Armenia-European Union cooperation and exchanged thoughts
over regional developments.

After the meeting E. Nalbandian, Minister of European Affairs of France
Jean-Pierre Jouyet and Benita Ferrero-Waldner signed an Agreement on
Some Aspects of Air Communications between the Republic of Armenia and
the European Community. It will facilitate cooperation of Armenia and
European Union member-countries, as well as Switzerland, Liechtenstein,
Iceland, and Norway in the aviation sphere.

According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan by the RA Foreign
Ministry Press and Information Department, the previous day, on
December 8, E. Nalbandian had a large speech on Armenia’s foreign
policy at the Royal Institute of International Relations of Belgium.

In his speech he in detail presented the Nagorno Karabakh settlement
negotiations process. Touching upon the statement of OSCE MG
co-chairing countries’ Foreign Ministers in Helsinki calling for
using the positive moment created after the meeting of Armenian and
Azeri Presidents, OSCE Foreign Ministers’ statement, and Azerbaijan’s
response to those documente, E. Nalbandian said: "It is not the first
time that Azerbaijan after taking one step, I would say even half a
step goes two steps back, and a natural question emerges: is Azerbaijan
indeed ready to go to solution of the Nagorno Karabakh problem today?."

In connection with the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish
relations the RA Foreign Minister said that the two states are indeed
interested in establishment of diplomatic relations with each other and
opening the border, therefore normalization of the relations without
preconditions is logical. He considered positive and constructive
his last contacts with the Turkish Foreign Minister and said that an
agreement has been reached to continue the meetings.

Minister of State of Belgium Francois-Xavier de Donnea, EU Special
Representative for the South Caucasus, Ambassador Peter Semneby,
Special Representative of NATO to the South Caucasus and Central
Asia, Ambassador Robert Simmons, members of Belgian parliament and
Senate, dozens of Ambassadors accredited in Brussels were present at
E. Nalbandian’s speech.

Completing his visit to Brussels on November 9, E. Nalbandian left
for Sofia where he will join the delegation led by RA President
Serzh Sargsyan.

"PETITION FOR PARDON IS EQUAL TO HOLDING SOMEBODY TO RANSOM’

A1+
[06:57 pm] 08 December, 2008

Under a December 3 decree of Serzh Sargsyan three persons imprisoned
under the case of March 1 were granted a presidential pardon. According
to the Spokesman for the President Samvel Farmanyan the President had
taken into consideration their petitions for pardon, criminal record
and other factors.

"With a decree dated December 3rd President Serzh Sargsyan
granted pardon to three detained persons – Edward Ashughyan, Arman
Margaryan and Artur Nazaryan, who were imprisoned for 3-3.5 years
for participating in the disorders in Yerevan on March 1, showing
resistance to the police and committing other acts of violence.

When taking the decision to sign the decree on amnesty, the President
of the republic took into consideration their requests of amnesty to
the President, lack of previous convictions, circumstances of the
criminal case, as well as family circumstances. The President has
always been ready to consider the requests for pardon. There has been
no change in these approaches"said Farmanyan.

The Coordinator of the Center for Legal Assistance to Political
Prisoners Armen Khachatryan told A1+ that the indictees are not
affiliated with any party and were not Ter-Petrosyan’s proxies either
during the pre-election campaign or during the presidential election.

"They filed a petition for pardon avoiding 3-3.5 years in prison and
the threat hanging on their heads. This can be considered as a ransom
taken from a hostage."

Armen Khachatryan says that the authorities continue keeping people
under threat as they do not review prisoners’ restraints and simply
extort petitions for pardon from innocent people.

Remind that the Armenian National Congress issued a statement which
holds: "The regime’s emissaries visit prisons and make the political
prisoners give up their further intentions, break their political
activeness and choose between the right to live and the obscure
prospect to be tortured.

"The authorities’ steps further deepen the gap between the society
and the regime," runs the statement of the Congress.

WHO WILL BUY "BJNI"?

A1+
[12:59 pm] 09 December, 2008

On December 19 the assets and rights to assets of the "Bjni" mineral
water factory CJSC belonging to the Sukiasyan family will be put up for
auction. According to the press release of the Compulsory Completion
of Judicial Acts National Agency, the factory is for sale according to
RA laws on "Compulsory Completion of Judicial Acts" and "Public Deals".

FRENCH SENATE BLOCKED THE BILL THAT CRIMINALIZE THE SO CALLED 1915 EVENTS

Journal of Turkish Weekly
Dec 7 2008
Turkey

The Secretary of the State for Interior, Overseas and Local
Authorities, Alain Marleix said that, they are not planning to bring
the issue of criminalizing the persons who deny the so called Armenian
Genocide to the Senate.

In response to the question asked by the Socialist Party representative
Rene Roquet, Marleix said that his country’s position was clear. "The
French government believes that the past should be dealt by the
historians and the parliament is not entitled to adopt bills on
the issue", an argument that is made by the Turkish officials for
several years. He also added that France was pleased by the recent
attempts by the Turkish and Armenian governments for better dialogue,
referring to President Abdullah Gul’s visit to Armenia. He said that
this visit was a bold and an encouraging move and approving such a
bill would jeopardize the positive environment.

The President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy is not in favor of approving
the bill either, however, the Armenian organizations are bombarding
Sarkozy with petition letters trying to put pressure on the President.

Although the Armenian Diaspora is utterly disappointed with the recent
decision, the constitution which was changed last summer enables the
Socialist Party to bring the issue to the Senate. There is however no
consensus among the Senators of the Socialist Party on the issue. The
Armenian Organizations Coordination Center announced the call for a
protest in front of the Senate on 10 December 2008.

On October 12, 2006, the lower house of the French parliament adopted
the bill which would set one-year prison term and a fine of â~B¬45,000
for anyone who denies that the Ottomans committed genocide against
Armenians during the First World War.

The 2006 bill was seen as a political move. Jack Lang, a socialist
MP said: "I believe the Socialist party has adopted an electoralist
point of view. It is not sincere. It is only to get the electoral
support of the Armenian community". Another argument driving the
anti-Turkish bill was to impress the French majority who do not want
Turkey joining the European Union.

On one hand it is argued that the blocking of the bill in the senate
is a result of purely economical concerns. Since the end of 1990s the
issue of "Armenian Genocide" harmed the Turkish-French relations. The
French companies were excluded from the public and military contracts
which cost the French billions of dollars. On the other hand it is
argued that passing such a bill was simply wrong in a country which
advocates the freedom of speech and opinion.

–Boundary_(ID_1+RM2dT0GPl9Cr8nXXqnrQ)–

TURKEY NOT TO OPEN BORDER WITH ARMENIA UNTIL AZERBAIJAN’S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY RESTORED – STATE MINISTER

Interfax
Dec 4 2008
Russia

The Turkish-Armenian border could be opened only after Armenia gives
up distorting history and restores Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity,
Turkish State Minister Kursad Tuzmen said.

"We are open to developing relations with Armenia, to open borders,
and to develop trade," Tuzmen told an Azeri-Turkish business forum
in Baku on Thursday.

"We do not oppose developing trade relations, which will have a
positive influence on the development of the whole region; however,
prior to this historians should solve some issues and Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity should be restored," the state minister said.

There are still no diplomatic relations between Armenia and Turkey,
because of the 1915 events in the Ottoman Empire. A number of nations
recognized the events, which claimed more than 1.5 million lives as
genocide of the Armenian people. Armenia wants Turkey to recognize
the genocide, but Turkey refuses to do so. Turkey demands that the
Nagorno- Karabakh conflict be resolved on the basis of Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity.

ELMAR MAMMADYAROV: "ALL THE DOCUMENTS OF THE INTERNATIONAL LAW ACCEPT THE PRINCIPLE OF AZERBAIJAN’S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY AS A BASIS"

Azeri Press Agency
Dec 4 2008
Azerbaijan

Helsinki. Tamara Grigoryeva – APA. "This meeting is being in the
symbolic place where the organization was founded.

We should once more confirm our devotion to the principles of the
Helsinki Final Act, recognize the principle of territorial integrity
and sovereignty of states against the background of the recent
happenings," Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at
the meeting OSCE Ministerial Council, APA’s special correspondent
reports from Helsinki. The minister said OSCE had special role in
connection with the conflicts.

"We should use the organization’s experience and potential in
the settlement of conflicts, management after conflicts and other
issues. We are a bit concerned over OSCE’s tendency to focus only human
rights. We support more all-round and balanced agenda," he said. The
Foreign Minister noted that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict was a
serious source of instability and added that the Moscow Declaration
signed on November 2 was the important document. "Both presidents
have stated that they make efforts for political settlement of the
conflict within the framework of the international legal norms. The
solution process should create positive economic situation in whole
region. The declaration also envisages the strengthening of mutual
trust. One of the issues of primary significance is to maintain normal
life in Karabakh for both Armenians and Azerbaijanis and establish
cooperation and communication. I hope that Armenians also understand
and support our position".

ARMENIAN DELEGATION PARTICIPATES IN TRACECA CONFERENCE IN BAKU

armradio.am
04.12.2008 15:12

The 10th Ministerial Conference of the TRACECA Intergovernmental
Commission kicked off in Baku today.

The conference has brought together TRACECA national secretaries
and transport ministers of the member states, as well as transport
officials from Iran, Afghanistan, Russia, South Korea, China,
Turkmenistan, Egypt, Poland, Baltic States and representatives from
GUAM, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), OSCE,
Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC), Organisation of the Islamic
Conference (OIC), European Union (EU), World Bank, Asian Development
Bank, and European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

Participants of the conference discuss work done during the period of
existence of the program, the process of implementation of the action
plan until 2015, as well as the promising infrastructure projects in
the Black and Caspian Sea Basins.

The Armenian delegation headed by Head of the Foreign Relations
Division of the Ministry of Transport and Communication, Armenia’s
National Secretary at the TRACECA Intergovernmental Commission
participates in the 10th Ministerial Conference.