Author: Nahapetian Samvel

ARMENIAN POLITICAL SCIENTIST EXCLUDES PRESSURE ON YEREVAN IN KARABAKH ISSUE

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.06.2007 16:52 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "Pressure of international community in the Nagorno
Karabakh issue is excluded," said Alexander Iskandaryan, director
of the Caucasus Media Institute. "With a real political assessment
I rule out such kind of actions, for the issue is not juridical but
political," he said.

"NATO bombers may intrude in the region only if the issue directly
concerns Europe. It may happen when the population of Armenia and
Azerbaijan reach 20 millions and borders of these two states appear
200 km from Europe." he added.

There are several dozens of similar conflicts in the world and ‘the
international community doesn’t have enough strength to settle them
all at once’, according to him.

BARAN AND BRYZA GETTING MARRIED

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
June 26 2007

OSCE Minsk group U. S. Co-Chair Matthew Bryza is getting married. He
is going to marry a Turk, Zeyno Baran – the Director of the Center
for Eurasian Policy at the Hudson Institute. By the way, she had
occupied the same position at the Nixon Institute before; however,
she was fired because of too aggressive pro-Turkish activity.

According to her boss, the Institute needs analytics, not
propagandists.

Both Bryza and Baran graduated from Stanford University. They have
common interests, specializing in Caucasus and energy policy. Baran
and Bryza have been living in "civil" marriage for many years.

As it is known, Bryza does not have the rank of Ambassador, however,
he actually directs the works of the U. S. Embassies in Armenia,
Georgia an Azerbaijan. It was Bryza (or Baran?) who insisted that
the U. S. Ambassador to Armenia John Evans be fired. Evans has got
in Bryza’s (or Baran’s?) bad books for mentioning Armenian Genocide
in Turkey.

ACCORDING TO SERGE SARGSIAN, ARMENIA’S MILITARY DOCTRINE TO BE READY IN LATE 2007

Noyan Tapan
Jun 26 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The military doctrine of Armenia will be
ready in late 2007, the Armenian prime minister Serge Sargsian stated
in the RA National Assembly on June 26. Responding to reporters’
questions, he said that the military doctrine will be ratified by
the Armenian president rather than passed as a law by the parliament.

NT correspondent was informed by the RA defence minister Mikael
Harutyunian that the ministry has already completed the development of
the draft doctrine. According to him, an interdepartmental commission
will be set up soon by a presidential decree. The commission will
revise the draft doctrine, after which public discussions of the
draft will be held. After public discussions, the document will be
submitted to the Armenian president for ratification.

ROMANIA WANTS TO FACILITATE ECONOMIC COOPERATION BETWEEN BLACK SEA ZONE, EU

Rompres news agency, Bucharest
25 Jun 07

["Romania – Connection Bridge Between BSECO and EU, Considers Adrian
Cioroianu" – Rompres headline]

Istanbul, June 25 (Rompres) – In its capacity as EU member, Romania
wants to become a connection bridge between the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation Organization (BSECO) and the EU as factor of economic
development in the region, said on Monday Romanian Foreign Minister
Adrian Cioroianu on the occasion of the conference of foreign ministers
of BSECO countries. The meeting marked the start of the 15th summit
of BSECO.

"During Romania’s presidency of BSECO, a comprehensive reform process
was launched and it enabled the organization to make headway,"
said Cioroianu.

He added Romania would continue to closely follow the regional
cooperation in the Black Sea basin, a proof in this sense being the
fact it agreed with the voluntary rise in its contribution to the
BSECO budget. Moreover, Cioroianu said in the future BSECO must make
the economic projects a priority and hailed the granting of observer
BSECO statute to the European Commission.

Along the hosting Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah and Adrian
Cioroianu, the meeting at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul was also
attended by the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Greek Foreign
Minister Theodora Bakoyannis, Bulgarian Foreign Minister, Kalfin,
Serbian Foreign Minister Vuc Jeremic, Georgian Foreign Minister Gela
Bejuashvili, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Moldovan
Foreign Minister Andrei Stratan Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar
Mammadyarov, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan and Albanian
Foreign Minister Lulzim Basha. The top diplomats of the BSECO member
countries will adopt on Monday an official declaration occasioned
by 15 years since the establishment of this structure of regional
cooperation.

The BSECO has 12 member states: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria,
Georgia, Greece, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation,
Turkey, Ukraine and Serbia. It was officially launched through the
signing of the Istanbul Declaration on June 25, 1992. BSECO covers
2.2 million square km and represent a market potential of some 350
million consumers. The Istanbul summit will be attended also by
representatives of the 13 states with observer status: Austria,
Belarus, Czech Republic, Croatia, Egypt, Israel, Italy, Poland,
Slovakia, Tunisia, France, Germany and the USA.

RUSSIA AND ARMENIA IN TALKS TO BUILD NUCLEAR POWER PLANT
By M. Alkhazashvili
Translated by Diana Dundua

The Messenger, Georgia
June 25 2007

A Russian-Armenian group working on new nuclear power infrastructure
for Armenia met in Yerevan, where they discussed security guarantees
for the country’s existing nuclear power station and cooperation in
constructing new units.

The Armenian side elaborated on their plans to develop their energy
grid, while Russian representatives presented project details for a
new nuclear power plant, reports the news agency Regnum.

In an April visit to Yerevan, the head of Russia’s Federal Atomic
Energy Agency, Sergey Kiriyenko, stated that Russia was ready to
provide both technical and financial assistance in constructing a
new nuclear power station for Armenia.

According to Regnum, the new 1 000 MW (megawatt) station will cost
USD 2 billion to build.

USD 240 million will be needed to decommission Armenia’s aging Metsamor
nuclear power plant, which is slated for closure by 2016.

The plant, built in 1975, was initially closed following the
devastating 1988 earthquake. One of two units, with a 400 MW capacity,
was reactivated in 1995. Metsamor produces 40 percent of Armenia’s
electricity.

SPORT AND MEDIA 2007 INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL TO BE HELD IN ISTANBUL SEPTEMBER 24-30

PanARMENIAN.Net
23.06.2007 14:08 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Sport and Media 2007 international festival will
be held in Istanbul September 24-30.

Festival organization committee president Alexander Boyko told
a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter that 40 journalists from Armenia, 120
journalists from Turkey, 30 journalists from Russia, 10 journalists
from Ukraine and 2 journalists from Greece will take part in the
festival. "It’s not ruled out that reporters from Iran, Syria and
Bulgaria will join us. Various competitions will be organized. The
winners will be awarded cups and certificates. Besides, Turkish
journalists will invite their Armenian counterparts to their offices
to familiarize with their activities.

The festival has no political goals. We just want to arrange a good
sporting event," he said adding that a rich cultural program has been
also elaborated.

EU SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE FOR SOUTH CAUCASUS TO VISIT KARABAGH IN THE NEAR FUTURE

DeFacto News Agency, Armenia
June 19 2007

The EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus is expected to
visit Karabagh in the near future, NKR President Arkady Ghoukassian
told journalists on Tuesday, while commenting on the fact that the
Special Representative’s visit to the Republic to be held June 16
had been cancelled for unknown reasons.

"Instead of Semneby his advisors visited NKR – Mark Fawcett and Kaupo
Kand, who prepared the Special Representative’s upcoming visit.

Semneby will visit NKR in the near future", Ghoukassian stated.

EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby’s visit
to the South Caucasus started June 15. In the course of Semneby’s
meetings with RA leadership the interlocutors considered the outcomes
of RA Parliamentary elections, current process of Karabagh talks and
regional issues.

EU Special Representative was to visit NKR next; however, his visit
was canceled for unknown reasons, Novosti-Armenia reports.

ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 15 2007

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TO VISIT BULGARIA IN AUTUMN 2007

YEREVAN, June 15. /ARKA/. Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian
intends to visit Bulgaria in autumn 2007. Oskanian stated about his
intention at his meeting with the Bulgarian Ambassador to Armenia
Stephan Dimitrov.

The Ambassador communicated the congratulations of Bulgarian
Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister Ivaylo Kalfin on the re-appointment
of Oskanian to the post of Armenian Foreign Minister and invitation
to arrive in Bulgaria with an official visit any time convenient for
the Armenian minister, the Press Service of the Armenian Foreign
Ministry reported.

Oskanian thanked for the congratulations and the invitation and
informed that he will make an official visit to Bulgaria in autumn,
the press service said.

Issues on bilateral relations were also discussed at the meeting.
Particularly, the parties attached importance to the improvement of
the regular political consultations, interaction in the spheres of
culture and science, expansion of trade and economic relations,
implementation of joint programs in Eurointegration. N.V. -0 –

ICG CAUCASUS PROJECT DIRECTOR ARRIVES IN AZERBAIJAN

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
June 12 2007

Director of Caucasus project of International Crisis Group (ICG)
Magdalena Frichova arrived in Baku, ICG Baku representative Vugar
Gojayev told the APA.

Frichova is accompanied by French analyst of the ICG on Caucasus Kleer
` of diplomatic corps, heads of NGOs and independent experts engaged
in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

The visit aims at familiarizing and investigating the report to be
drawn up by ICG on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Ms. Delessart visited Baku last month, carried out investigations
on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and continued her investigations in
Yerevan.

THE STATEMENTS THAT ‘HE DISCLOSES THE CONTENTS OF THE NEGOTIATING PROCESS’ SEEM FUNNY TO MATTHEW BRYZA

Arminfo
2007-06-08 09:18:00

American co-chair of the OSCE MG Matthew Bryza thinks it is funny that
"he discloses the contents of the negotiating process on Nagornyy
Karabakh conflict settlement", he said at the press-conference in
Yerevan, Thursday.

‘I do not disclose anything secret, and it seems funny to me when
they write about me that I disclose the details of the talks. This
is not a new piece of information, they are known. Moreover, I think
that contact with journalists is very important, as openness of the
co-chairs promotes to the progress of the settlement process’, –
he said.

At the same time, asked whether the issue of the Karabakh territories
occupied by Azerbaijan is being discussed during the negotiations,
and whether the Co-chairs are aware of this fact, M.Bryza said that he
knows about that. "But now the base principles are being discussed,
and I don’t want to promulgate the details. It would be a sign of
disrespect for the peace process participants," he said in conclusion.