Author: Nahapetian Zhanna

FACT-FINDING GROUP OF EXPERTS APPLIES TO MASS MEDIA AND CITIZENS WITH REQUEST TO PROVIDE MATERIALS ON MARCH 1-2 EVENTS

Noyan Tapan

Nov 20, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The fact-finding group of experts,
which was set up by the October 23 order of the Armenian president,
applies to all television and radio companies, other mass media
outlets, and citizens with the request to provide as soon as possible
any materials that may have a connection to the March 1-2 events in
Yerevan, including audio and video recordings, other materials. The
group is based at the following address: 134a room, 19 Marshal
Baghramian Avenue, Yerevan 0095. Phone: 521385, fax: 588469.

MEN’S CHESS NATIONAL TEAM OF ARMENIA WON AZERBAIJANI TEAM IN WORLD OLYMPIAD WITH SCORE OF 2,5:1,5

Noyan Tapan

Nov 20, 2008

DRESDEN, NOVEMBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The games of the 6th tour were
held on November 19 in the World Chess Olympiad being held in Dresden.

The men’s national team of Armenia defeated the Azerbaijani team
with the score of 2,5:1,5. Vladimir Hakobian, who played on the
second chess-board, won the game with Shahriyar Mammadiarov, and
Levon Aronian, Gabriel Sargsian and Tigran L. Petrosian drew their
games. After the 6th tour the men’s national team of Armenia shares
the 1-2 places with the Russian team with 11 points. The Armenian
team is in the lead with extra indices.

The women’s national team of Armenia was defeated by the Ukranians
and shares the 13-33 places with 8 points.

On November 20 the men’s national team of Armenia will compete with
the Russian delegates, the women’s team with the delegates of Austria.

5 tours are left till the end of the Olympiad.

KHAZAR IBRAHIM: "BERNARD FASSER’S STATEMENTS CONTRADICT TO MOSCOW DECLARATION"

Today.Az
ws/politics/49079.html
Nov 18 2008
Azerbaijan

The statements of OSCE Minsk Group co-chair of France Bernard Fassier
about participation of "Nagorno Karabakh" in the negotiations fully
contradict to the recently signed Moscow declaration, said spokesman
for Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Khazar Ibrahim commenting on Bernard
Fassier’s statement of the need to involve "Nagorno Karabakh" to the
negotiation process.

He said it is a surprise that a representative of one of the
co-chairing countries contradicts to the signature of the heads of
the state, which is another co-chair.

"On the other hand, Fassier’s statements about the "Nagorno Karabakh
people" are absolutely false, as there are residents of Nagorno
Karabakh, including the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities",
said Ibrahim.

OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS: CONFIDENCE BETWEEN CONFLICTING PARTIES TO BE STRENGTHENED STEP BY STEP

De Facto
Nov 17, 2008

STEPANAKERT, 17.11.08. DE FACTO. In Stepanakert on November 15 the
OSCE Minsk group Russian Co-Chair Yuri Merzlyakov stated that basic
principles of the Karabakh conflict settlement proposed in Madrid "are
a great impetus to activate our efforts and they open up additional
possibilities to act in the channel of the Moscow declaration’s
provisions signed by the three presidents".

According to DE FACTO own correspondent in Stepanakert, noting with
regret that for 14 years after signing a cease-fire agreement the
conflict had not been settled, Yuri Merzlyakov expressed hope that
it would become possible now. "I hope we’ll manage to initiate the
presidents’ current meeting, however, we do not know where and how
so far", Yuri Merzlyakov said.

In his turn, Minsk group French and American Co-Chairs Bernard Fassier
and Matthew Bryza spoke up for the necessity to strengthen confidence
between the conflicting parties step by step, stating it was their
work’s important direction. "Not a single life should be lost because
of tension on the contact line", the American diplomat said.

Touching on the future agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh Matthew Bryza
noted it should be balanced both for Armenian and Azeri party. "The
Moscow declaration’s principles=2 0should be necessarily included in
the future agreement", the American diplomat underscored. At that
he noted there could not be any agreement without Nagorno-Karabakh
people’s consent. In this connection Yuri Merzlyakov also underscored
the necessity of Nagorno-Karabakh representatives’ participation in
elaboration of the future agreement’s text.

A meeting of the international mediators with NKR President Bako
Sahakian was held on November 15. Yuri Merzlyakov called the meeting
constructive, stating that the NKR head "gave the most positive
estimation of the declaration signed in Moscow".

FORMER HEAD OF RA POLICE WAS IN GENERAL CONTROL OF POLICE ACTIONS DURING MARCH 1-2 EVENTS IN YEREVAN

Noyan Tapan

Nov 14, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The former head of the RA police
Hayk Harurtyunian was in general control of the police actions during
the March 1-2 events in Yerevan. At about 5:30-6 pm on March 1, Hayk
Harutyunian instructed the deputy heads of the police Alexander Afian,
Hovhannes Hunanian, Armen Yeritsian and the former head of the 6th
department of the police Ashot Gizirian to implement direct control
of police operations in the area adjacent to Monument to Myasnikian
and some sections of Grigor Lusavorich and Mesrop Mashtots Streets
in Yerevan. The deputy head of the RA Police, Major General A. Afian
said this at the November 14 sitting the National Assembly Ad Hoc
Committee on Inquiry into March 1 Events.

According to the deputy head of the RA police, he did not give an
order to fire at demonstrators and, in his opinion, nobody gave such
an order.

However, in the words of A. Afian, under the law, the policemen who
were attacked by demonstrators had the right to use fire-arms. It
was also mentioned that after finding grenades, rods, etc. during
the operation in Liberty Square early in the morning of March 1, a
decision was made to bring marz (regional) police sub-units to Yerevan.

Information about the control of police actions in response to
persistent questions of National Assembly deputies during the two-hour
sitting was the only revelation. All the other questions either
remained unanswered or received the official viewpoint regularly
published in the past 8 months – about the restraint of the police,
the aggressive actions of demonstrators, the plundered shops, and
the vehicles which were damaged or destroyed.

In the words of the RA ombudsman Armen Harutyunian, who was with
the rapid response group of his office in the area near Monument to
Myasnikian during the events, his impression was that the demonstrators
did not argue aggressively but they were afraid that the police,
which appealed to them with the demand to continue the rally in some
other area, were going to "cudgel" them. According to A. Harutyunian,
in order to ensure their safety, the demonstrators chose an area
adjacent to some embassies and were armed with batons and rods
for self-defence. He testified that indeed there were attackers
on policemen, but these persons were "obviosly provokers". It was
mentioned that the demonstrators erected barricades from buses and
trolleybuses not in order to take streets and attack policemen but to
protect themselves from police. A. Harutyunian said that what continues
to be unexplained and incomprehensible is that if the demonstrators
were really the persons who plundered some shops in the area, why they
did not steal anything from "Svin" gun store located near these shops.

The ad hoc committee members were also interested to know whether
law enforcers in civilian clothes had participated in the actions
as the well-known video spread by the opposition shows some young
men standing beside the law enforcers and arming. A. Afian said that
he is not aware of this fact but the men in civilian clothes could
have been employees of the operative service. The deputy head of the
police noted that he did not watch that video so he cannot explain
why at 7:15 am the policemen were attacking a peaceful demonstrator
and throwing stones at him in Republic Square. In this connection
the chairman of the committee Samvel Nikoyan said that stones could
hardly be among the special antiriot weapons of the police. A.

Afian was given a copy of the videofilm so that he could watch it.

The chairman of the United Labor Party Gurgen Arsenian declared
that he is becoming more and more convinced that there was a third
disorientating side.

Otherwise it is incomprehensible based on whose information the then
president of Armenia Robert Kocharian stated for the world to hear that
the demonstrators hidden behind buses were firing at law enforcers
(which was not confirmed so far), and based on this he declared a
state of emergency for 20 days and introduced restrictions for the
3.5 million population of Armenia.

S. Nikoyan announced that with the aim of receiving explanations, the
former and current police officials who led actions of law enforcers
in other sections of Yerevan, as well as the opposition figure
Levon Zurabian will be invited to participate in the committee’s
sitting soon.

FOREIGN MINISTER OF RA UNDERLINES IMPORTANT ROLE OF ARMENIAN COMMUNITY OF CYPRUS IN ARMENIAN-CYPRIAN RELATIONS

Noyan Tapan

Nov 13, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. During the November 13 meeting with
the President of the House of Representatives of Cyprus Marios Karoyian
who is on an official visit to Armenia, the Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian expressed satisfaction with the actively developing
Armenian-Cyprian friendly relations, underlining the important role of
the Armenian community of Cyprus in these relations. M. Karoyian also
expressed a high opinion about the level of bilateral links, pointing
out the necessity to deepen them and the existing potential for that.

According to the RA MFA Press and Information Department, the
interlocutors discussed the opportunities of promoting cooperation
between the parliaments of the two countries. They also exchanged ideas
about the prospects of solving the Cyprus problem, the negotiation
process on the Artsakh problem, and some regional issues.

ARMENIAN POLITICAL SCIENTIST: "ARMENIA HAS NO CONCEPT OF EXTERNAL POLICY, THERE IS ONLY A CONCEPT OF PRESERVATION OF POWERS"

Today.Az
litics/48934.html
Nov 12 2008
Azerbaijan

"The Karabakh conflict settlement must be considered only in the
light of regional events", said head of the Institute of Political
Economy Andranik Tevayan.

He stressed the influence of the Georgian-Ossetian conflict on the
Karabakh conflict settlement.

According to Tevanyan, those who expect the soonest resolution of the
conflict, will be disappointed which is proven by the changes in the
Armenian political rhetorics.

"The lands ceding was probed before signing the Moscow declaration
but after the Azerbaijani President declared that they need the entire
Karabakh, this propaganda ended", said Tevanyan.

He added that Sargsyan will never propose definite solutions and
proposals on the conflict settlement.

"There is no concept of external policy, there is only a concept of
powers preservation", said the political scientist.

The external policy of Armenia, he said, should be regarded in the
framework of the powers’ intention to get elements of their legitimacy
from outside.

"I consider the first cycle on the Karabakh issue in the post-election
period to be completed. It will not resume this year", concluded
Tevanyan.

SERZH SARGSYAN: "THE WILL OF NAGORNO KARABAKH PEOPLE IS THE INTENTION TO EITHER JOIN ARMENIA OR BECOME AN INDEPENDENT STATE"

Today.Az
itics/48900.html
Nov 11 2008
Azerbaijan

"The Moscow declaration opens good opportunities for the settlement
of the problem of unrecognized "Nagorno Karabakh Republic", said
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in his interview to Euronews channel.

Sargsyan noted that the formulation "old conflict" must not be used
while speaking of the Karabakh conflict.

"Nagorno Karabakh strives for self-determination, while its people
have already expressed their will at the referendum. It implies the
intention to either annex Armenia or become an independent state,
bearing no attitude to Azerbaijan", noted he.

He said even if a declaration not a treaty is implied, it proves,
however, that it will be possible to settle the conflict by a political
way, excluding forced measures.

Noting that the "football diplomacy", like in case of Turkey may
become quite productive in establishing relations with Azerbaijan,
Sargsyan noted that the two parties have been holding talks for
already 15 years.

"I am sure that by the help of the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group on
Nagorno Karabakh, including representatives of Russia, the United
States and France, these talks will end in a promising result,
requiring no diplomacy", noted he.

NKR PRESIDENT BAKO SAHAKYAN SIGNED A DECREE…

Azat Artsakh Daily
11 Nov 08
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh [NKR]

On November 9 NKR President Bako Sahakyan signed a decree appointing
members of the State Council on Statistics of the Nagorno Karabagh
Republic. In accordance with the decree Irina Avanesyan and Ella
Babouryan were appointed members of the council with a six year term
in office.

MESROP MOVSISIAN CONSIDERS RESTORATION OF A1+ TELEVISION COMPANY’S RIGHTS MORE IMPORTANT THAN FINANCIAL COMPENSATION

Noyan Tapan

Nov 10, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian government approved the
draft decision submitted by the RA ministry of justice, under which
the ministry will allocate a sum in Armenian drams equivalent to 30
thousand euros in pursuance of the European Court of Human Rights’
ruling on A1+ television company. Meltex LLC, which includes A1+
– a company deprived of the right to be on the air in April 2002,
will receive 20 thousand euros as nonmaterial compensation and 10
thousand euros as a compensation for expenses on legal proceedings.

In June 2008, the European Court of Human Rights made a ruling, by
which the interference with Meltex’s right to spread information and
ideas, in particular, the refusal to provide a broadcasting licence to
this company 7 times, does not meet the requirements of the European
Convention of Human Rights.

In his interview with Radio Liberty, the president of Meltex Mesrop
Movsesian said that the losses incurred by their company are much
greater than the indicated compensation. However, he considered the
restoration of the company’s rights more important than financial
compensation. "We should focus our attention on implementation of the
other points of the court ruling, the most important of which are the
restoration of rights and the holding of transparent competitions,"
he said.