Author: Tambiyan Samvel

STRATFOR PREDICTS INCREASE OF TENSION IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS

ArmRadio.am
18.01.2007 17:40

Experts of the American "Stratfor" security consulting intelligence
agency consider that the diplomatic settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict in the near future is hardly possible.

"Azerbaijan has considerably increased its revenues from energy
programs and has promised to spend $1 billion on defense instead of
$700 million in 2006.

Although the Azerbaijani Army yields to that of Armenia, the arms race
can aggravate the confrontation over Nagorno Karabakh controlled by
Armenia," say the predictions "Stratfor" issued yesterday.

According to the authors of the analysis, clarification of the Kosovo
status will lead to the strengthening of the Karabakh conflict,
like it was the case with Georgian separatists."

"Stratfor" experts conclude that in 2007 the "tension in the South
Caucasus will increase."

AMNESTY REQUEST DENIED FOR ARMENIAN WHO SHOT TURKISH CONSUL IN LOS ANGELES

Hurriyet, Turkey
Jan 15 2007

Hampig Sasunian, currently serving a life sentence for the murder
of Turkish Consul Kemal Arikan in Los Angeles in 1982, admitted to
this past week to the amnesty board to which he had applied for
a lighter sentence "My partner and I had been planning to murder
Turkish diplomats in Europe."

Sasunian’s request was overturned by the board, but had it not been,
Turkey would have requested Sasunian’s extradition from the US anyway.

Speaking to the Hurriyet, David Saltzman, who has been representing the
Turkish side of the case since 1993, said "We will request Sasunian’s
extradition at the time we see most fit. He is not a US citizen,
but in fact a Lebanese citizen. There is an agreement between Turkey
and the US on extradition of criminals. If Sasunian is freed here,
he will be sent immediately to Turkey."

Sasunian had ties to two radical Armenian groups

Sasunian, who has ties to the Armenian Revolutionary Federation,
which Saltzman noted was the "armed wing" of the Armenian Genocide
Justice Commandos, put the amnesty board into a "deep silence" when
he made the admission that he and a partner had been planning on
carrying their killing spree to Turkish diplomats living in Europe.

Asserted Salzman "Sasunian told of many things he had never said
before, but there is still a lot he is hiding."

Well-known Armenian lawyer Geragos defending Sasunian

The current Turkish Consul to Los Angeles, Engin Ansay, watched the
proceedings with Sasunian on the condition that he remain silent.

Sasunian’s lawyer is the well-known Mark Geragos, who told the amnesty
board from the very start "I too am an Armenian." He added "The Turks
cut open the bellies of pregnant Armenian women with their bayonets."

The murder of Turkish Consul Kemal Arikan in 1982 took place as Arikan
was on his way to work in a private vehicle. The gunfire which sprayed
Arikan from both sides in his car killed him immediately.

Kirkor Saliba, who carried out the murder with Sasunian, was later
killed himself in Lebanon. No one knows who killed Saliba.

Said lawyer Saltzman, "The case of Hampig Sasunian is important,
because it represents a period when Turkish diplomats were being
massacred. We have been going after them step by step for years now.

Sasunian is the only murderer left over from that period."

The situation in Kosovo and children’s rights in PACE’s winter session
agenda

Strasbourg, 16.01.2007 – A debate on the current situation in Kosovo on
Wednesday 24 January, with the participation of the UN
Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on the future status process for
Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari, is one of the highlights of the Council of
Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Winter Session (Strasbourg, 22-26
January 2007).

His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I is due to address
the Assembly on Monday 22 January, as a contribution to intercultural
and inter-religious dialogue, one of the priorities of PACE President
René van der Linden. Also invited to address the Assembly are the
Prime Ministers of Belgium, Guy Verhofstadt, and Greece, Kostas
Karamanlis.

Princess Caroline of Hanover, President of the World Association of
Children’s Friends, and the Executive Director of UNICEF Ann Veneman
will intervene, on Tuesday 23 January, in the debate on combating
violence against children and other forms of child exploitation and
abuse, as part of the three-year Council of Europe campaign "Building a
Europe for and with children".

Other highlights on the agenda include debates on:

* The peril of using energy supply as an instrument of political
pressure

* Fair trial issues in criminal cases concerning espionage or divulging
state secrets

* Sexual assaults linked to ‘date-rape drugs’

* HIV/AIDS, and more specifically the situation of children, including
AIDS orphans, as well as women and girls

* Monitoring reports on Albania and Armenia

Requests for urgent debates have been submitted on:

* Threats to the lives and freedom of expression of journalists

* Current tensions between Russia and Georgia

There is also a request for a current affairs debate on "Effectively
combating violence in everyday life".

On the sidelines of the session, the parliamentary delegations of
Armenia and Azerbaijan are due to attend a joint meeting to discuss the
implementation of Assembly Resolution 1416 (2005) on the conflict over
the Nagorno-Karabakh region dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference
(Thursday 25 January, 2 p.m., not open to the press).

* * *

Monday 22 January (11.30 am)

* Election of the President and Vice-Presidents of the Assembly and
opening speech by the President
* Address by His All Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I
* Communication from Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of
Europe, on the state of the Council of Europe
* Sexual assaults linked to "date-rape drugs"
< link=3D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc06/EDOC11038.htm& gt;

Tuesday 23 January

* Child victims: stamping out all forms of violence, exploitation and
abuse

– Statement by Ann M. Veneman, Executive Director of UNICEF

– Statement by Princess Caroline of Hanover, President of the World
Association of Children’s Friends (AMADE)

* Address by Guy Verhofstadt, Prime Minister of Belgium
* Peril of using energy supply as an instrument of political pressure
* Honouring of obligations and commitments by Armenia

Wednesday 24 January

* Current situation in Kosovo
< 3D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc06/EDOC11018.htm>

– Statement by Martti Ahtisaari, Special Envoy of the
Secretary-General of the United Nations for the future status process
for Kosovo

· Address by Kostas Karamanlis, Prime Minister of Greece

· Communication from the Committee of Ministers to the
Parliamentary Assembly presented by Fiorenzo Stolfi, Minister for
Foreign Affairs of San Marino, Chairperson of the Committee of Ministers

* Agriculture and illegal employment in Europe
* The situation of migrant workers in temporary employment agencies
< k=3D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc06/EDOC11109.htm>

Thursday 25 January

* Possible urgent debate
* The Precautionary Principle and responsible risk management
* HIV/AIDS in Europe
< 3D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc06/EDOC11033.htm>
* A future for HIV/AIDS children and AIDS orphans
< =3D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc06/EDOC11113.htm>
* The spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic to women and girls in Europe
< 3D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc06/EDOC11108.htm>

– Statement by Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe
Commissioner for Human Rights

* Honouring of obligations and commitments by Albania

Friday 26 January

* Fair trial issues in criminal cases concerning espionage or divulging
state secrets
< =3D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc06/EDOC11031.htm>
* Towards responsible food consumption
< link=3D/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc06/EDOC11010.htm& gt;

Practical information

PACE President René van der Linden will give a press conference on
Monday 22 January at 10 a.m. in Room 1. Other press conferences will be
announced on the spot.

See the Assembly’s website,
< t/> , for further details. Additional information
may also be found on the Council of Europe web portal,
<;

Contact: PACE Communication Unit:

Tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93; Fax +33 3 90 21 41 34; [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>

For accreditation: Directorate of Communication,

Danielle Schreiber-Somoza, [email protected]
<mailto:danie [email protected]> , Tel. +33 3 88 41 25 44.

Fresno Bee
Meet Our Letter Writers

Sevag Tateosian

January 14, 2007

Age: 25

Occupation: Student, city of Fresno staff.

Hobbies: When I am not working on household projects or running around with
my German Shepherd, Maxie, I edit, produce and co-host San Joaquin
Spotlight, a show about people in Fresno who are making it a better place.
It airs on Sundays from 11:30 a.m. to noon on KFSR 90.7. More information:

Bee reader since: High school.

How many letters: 14 since 2005.

Favorite topics: City, state, national and world issues. I also admire and
look forward to The Bee’s "Political Notebook" section on Saturdays.

Why do you write? One thing I learned from working for former City Council
Member Tom Boyajian is that people should voice opinions about issues that
are dear to their hearts. Writing and reading editorials allows me to
understand and respect the reasons people feel certain ways.

Excerpt from recent letter: "The veil has begun to lift and the time has
come for the Turkish government to admit and apologize to the Armenians,
Greeks and Assyrians for causing havoc and almost destroying the culture of
these people who have been in existence for thousands of years."

Reaction to letters: My parents, family, teachers and instructors are proud
of the fact that I am willing, at a young age, to openly express my beliefs.

Topic that doesn’t get enough attention: Our overburdened court system.
Judges, prosecutors and public defenders have huge case loads to get
through.

Education: Central High School; California State University, Fresno
(bachelor of science degree in criminology); San Joaquin College of Law,
(juris doctorate in progress).

Family: Parents, brother, sister-in-law and sister.

Political philosophy: Conservative Republican.

— Compiled by Pam Rowse

ml

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Jan 13 2007

PACE WINTER SESSION TO START SHORTLY
[January 13, 2007, 11:58:04]

Winter session of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) will commence in Strasbourg, 22 January.

The session is to discuss a number of questions, including the report
of the Russian deputy Vera Oskina `Women’s role in South Caucasus’,
the report of PACE Migration, Refugees and Population Affairs
Committee related to the POW, hostages and missing in Armenia and
Nagorno Karabakh (Leo Platvoet). The Armenian delegation will answer
the questions of the European parliamentarians on execution of
Armenian’s obligations.

Mr. Leo Platvoet will widely focus the problems Azerbaijan faces as a
result of Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the head of
the Azerbaijan delegation at PACE Samad Seyidov said.

The winter session will end on 26 January.

ARFD TO HELP SERGE SARGSIAN TO BECOME PRESIDENT RECEIVING DEFENCE MINISTER’S
POST IN RETURN, HAYKAKAN ZHAMANAK WRITES REFERRING TO COMPETENT SOURCES

YEREVAN, JANUARY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The Haykakan Zhamanak daily
referring to competent sources reports that Tigran Mukuchian, Chairman
of RA Appeal Court on Civil Cases, is going to resign for being
included in the proportional list of the Bargavach Hayastan
(Prosperous Armenia) Party and holding the post of Minister of Justice
after the parliamentary elections.

According to the newspaper, there are also rumors that Deputy Defence
Minister Artur Aghabekian will also resign soon for being included in
ARFD’s proportional list: "they say they promised the post of defence
minister to him, if after the elections Serge Sargsian becomes prime
minister," the newspaper writes and adds: "S.Sargsian provides a
serious resource for ARFD: in return the ARFD will help him to become
President receiving the post of the defence minister before this." And
as a "good background for striking this deal the newspaper mentions
the engagement of ARFD Bureau member Vahan Hovhannisian’s daughter and
Serge Sargsian’s borther’s, Sashik Sargsian’s son, that took place in
early December.

Massis Weekly Online
MassisWeekly.com
VOLUME 26, NO. 49 (1299)
SATURDAY, JANUARY 13, 2007

– President Bush Resubmits Hoagland Nomination For U.S. Ambassador To Armenia
– Opposition Leaders In New Alliance Talks
– Orhan Pamuk Attacks Oppression of Intellectuals in Turkey
– U.S. Diplomat Says Washington Wants Railway Connecting Turkey With
Azerbaijan to Run Through Armenia
– Very Rev. Fr. Baret Yeretzian Assigned New Pastor of St. Gregory the
Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church of Pasadena

– President Bush Resubmits Hoagland Nomination For U.S. Ambassador To Armenia

WASHINGTON, DC — President George W. Bush on Tuesday re-nominated
Richard Hoagland as ambassador to Armenia whose confirmation was
blocked by Senate Democrats in the last Congress.
The White House announced the submission of Hoagland despite calls by
top Democrats to withdraw the nomination because of his refusal to
call the World War I-era killings of Armenians genocide.
Senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat, blocked the nomination after
Hoagland?s refusal to use the word genocide at his confirmation
hearing in June. Bush needed to resubmit the nomination, because it
effectively expired at the end of the previous Congress in December.
Menendez and the Senate?s top Democrat, Harry Reid, wrote a letter to
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in early December asking the
Bush administration to withdraw the nomination.
The Bush administration has warned that even congressional debate on
the genocide question could damage relations with Turkey.

– Opposition Leaders In New Alliance Talks

YEREVAN — Armenia?s leading opposition forces are holding
negotiations on the possibility of forming new alliances ahead of next
spring?s parliamentary elections, their leaders told RFE/RL on Monday.
Artashes Geghamian, the leader of the National Unity Party (AMK),
indicated in particular that he is considering ways of teaming up with
another opposition heavyweight, Stepan Demirchian, and his People?s
Party of Armenia (HZhK).
?There have been some discussions on such possibility with the
People?s Party,? he said. ?We have primarily talked about doing
everything to ensure that the upcoming elections are democratic and
preventing falsifications.? Geghamian declined to give further
details, and HZhK leaders could not be immediately reached for comment.
Geghamian and Demirchian have had an uneasy personal rapport, falling
out during the presidential elections of February-March 2003 when they
were Robert Kocharian?s main opposition challengers.
The two men joined forces a year later to lead an ill-fated opposition
attempt to force Kocharian into resignation with a campaign of street
protests. The failure of the campaign opened a new rift between them.
It seemed to have deepened in May last year when Demirchian accused
the outspoken AMK leader of lying about his late father and the HZhK?s
founder, Karen Demirchian. Geghamian was quick to try to mend fences
with his Demirchian at the time. It is not yet clear if the two
leaders are prepared to again have another, more radical
oppositionist, Aram Sarkisian of the Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party,
on board. Sarkisian claimed that he is also involved in the ongoing
talks. ?Formation of alliances is always much easier ahead of
elections,? he said. ?I am really delighted with the current
negotiations in terms of their quality and responses of opposition
leaders.?
Sarkisian added that the talks have so far focused on the nomination
of single opposition candidates in all of Yerevan?s 15 electoral
districts. He would not be drawn on chances of a new broad-based
opposition alliance emerging soon in place of the largely moribund
Artarutyun (Justice) led by Demirchian.
Meanwhile, there is also growing talk of another major electoral
alliance that could be led by former parliament speaker Artur
Baghdasarian and the former commander of Nagorno-Karabakh?s army,
Samvel Babayan. Among their potential allies is the Union for
Constitutional Rights (SIM), a small opposition party affiliated with
Artarutyun.

– Orhan Pamuk Attacks Oppression of Intellectuals in Turkey

ISTANBUL — Writer and Nobel Prize winner Orhan Pamuk used a day as
guest editor of a newspaper to highlight oppression of intellectuals
in his native Turkey. Mr. Pamuk, who has a degree in journalism, was
asked to edit the Radikal daily as part of its 10th anniversary
celebrations.
His cover story accused the Turkish state of suppressing free
expression and oppressing dissident thinkers. Mr. Pamuk, an acclaimed
novelist, is a controversial figure in Turkey. He is the author of
works such as Snow and My Name Is Red, and in 2006 won the Nobel Prize
for literature. A year earlier, he had faced charges of ?insulting
Turkishness? over comments on the mass killing of Kurds and Ottoman
Armenians, charges which were later dropped.
His cover article quoted a 1951 story about Turkish poet Nazim Hikmet,
declared a traitor and imprisoned for his left-wing views, in which
the public were urged ?to spit in his face?. ?This expression…
summarises the unchanging place of writers and artists in the eyes of
the state and the press,? the cover story said.
Other articles on his front page included a piece on the low
percentage of women in politics and reactions to video footage of
former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein?s execution.

– U.S. Diplomat Says Washington Wants Railway Connecting Turkey With
Azerbaijan to Run Through Armenia

BAKU –?We have always backed all projects which are designed to boost
transport links between neighbor countries and we have been trying to
develop projects aimed at linking the West and East and certainly we
would like that a railway that is supposed to connect Turkey with
Azerbaijan runs through Armenia,? a senior U.S. diplomat was quoted as
saying by Azerbaijani Press Agency (APA).
The diplomat, Mathew Bryza, a deputy assistant secretary of state for
European and Eurasian affairs and a U.S. cochairman of the OSCE Minsk
Group, said the U.S. administration cannot block the construction of a
railway that Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan want to build, but added
that the U.S. hopes that in near future a transportation scheme that
will include all the countries of the region will emerge.
Last December U.S. President George W. Bush signed into law a
resolution imposing a ban on U.S. financing of a proposed railroad
that would bypass Armenia. The proposed new Caucasus rail line – at
the urging of Turkey and Azerbaijan – would circumvent Armenia.
Promoters of the project have sought, even at the planning stages, to
secure U.S. financing for this undertaking, prompting Congressional
friends of Armenia to preemptively block such attempts.
In October of 2005, the European Commission voiced official opposition
to the proposed Caucasus railroad bypass of Armenia. A formal
statement by the Commission?s Directorate General for Transport and
Energy noted that its construction was both unnecessary and
inefficient in light of the existing railroad connecting Kars, Gyumri
of Armenia and Tbilisi.

– Very Rev. Fr. Baret Yeretzian Assigned New Pastor of St. Gregory the
Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church of Pasadena

Very Rev. Fr. Baret Yeretzian has been assigned the new pastor of St.
Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church of Pasadena by His
Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese
of the Armenian Church of North America. Fr. Baret will celebrate his
first Divine Liturgy as pastor at 10:30 AM on Sunday, January 14,
2007. His Eminence Archbishop Hovnan Derderian will formally introduce
Very Rev. Fr. Baret Yeretzian to the St. Gregory the Illuminator
Armenian Apostolic Church faithful before the sermon. Upon the
conclusion of the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, January 14.
Fr. Baret brings a wealth of pastoral experience to his new ministry
in Pasadena. A native of Jerusalem, he started serving in the Armenian
Church at a young age. Fr. Baret is a graduate of the Armenian
Theological Seminary (Jharankavoratz Varjharan) of the Armenian
Patriarchate of Jerusalem. In 1966, he was ordained into the sacred
order of priesthood by the late Archbishop Yeghishe Derderian, the
former Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem. The late Bishop Guregh
Kapikian served as Fr. Baret?s /khardavilag /(sponsoring priest of
ordination).
Fr. Baret is a member of the St. James Brotherhood of Jerusalem. Fr.
Baret has had vast pastoral experience. Upon the invitation of the
former Primate of the Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
(Eastern), Archbishop Torkom Manoogian, Fr. Baret was accepted into
the Eastern Diocese in 1974. He served as assistant pastor of St. John
Armenian Church in Southfield, Michigan from 1974 ? 1977. Fr. Baret
was pastor of St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Cathedral in
Montreal, Canada from 1977 ? 1981, Holy Cross Armenian Church of
Lawrence, Massachusetts from 1981 ? 1985, and Sts. Sahag and Mesrob
Armenian Church of Providence, Rhode Island from 1985 ? 1993. Fr.
Baret returned to Detroit as pastor of St. John Armenian Church from
1993-1998. Fr. Baret served as pastor of St. Kevork Armenian Church of
Houston, Texas from 1999 ? 2000.
Fr. Baret served for twelve years as a member of the Diocesan Council
of the Eastern Diocese, two of which he was the vice-chairman. He has
also served as Vicar General of the New England region of the Eastern
Diocese.
In 2000, upon the invitation of His Beatitude Archbishop Torkom
Manoogian, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, Fr. Baret returned to his
birthplace to serve as Dean of the Armenian Theological Seminary
(Jharankavoratz Varjharan) until 2006. Upon the invitation of the
Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North
America, Fr. Baret was accepted into the Western Diocese in September,
2006. He served as Director of the Mission Parishes of the Western
Diocese and as visiting clergy to the Armenian Church of Arizona.
Fr. Baret holds a Bachelor?s degree in political science from the
American University of Jerusalem. He also studied for three years at
the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Biblical Archeology. He
completed his graduate courses in political science from Wayne State
University of Detroit. Fr. Baret was elevated to the rank of
/Dzayrakooyn Vartabed/ in 1982.

—
Massis Weekly Online
MassisWeekly.com
1060 N. Allen Ave, Suite 203
Pasadena, CA 91104
Tel. 626.797.7680
Fax. 626.797.6863

TURKEY: DIYARBAKIR MUNICIPALITY LAUNCHES ‘STREET OF CULTURES PROJECT’

Anatolia News Agency, Turkey
Jan 11 2007

["DIYARBAKIR MUNICIPALITY TO RESTORE STREET WHERE RELIGIONS MEET" –
AA headline]

DIYARBAKIR (A.A) -11.01.2007 -Municipality of southeastern province
of Diyarbakir has launched a project to restore a street where the
holy shrines of the three major religions sit together, in a bid to
promote tolerance and harmony between different faiths.

"Street of Cultures Project" aims at bringing Diyarbakir’s historical
and cultural riches into daylight, Diyarbakir’s Sur town mayor,
Abdullah Demirbas, told the AA today.

Under the 4.5 million euro project, a 15th century mosque, a 19th
century Chaldean church and an Armenian Orthodox church, and a 16th
century synagogue will be restored.

The project is planned to be completed in 4-5 years.

U.S. CONGRESS TO MULL NEW ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL
By Aram Vanetsian in Los Angeles

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Jan 10 2007

Buoyed by the Democratic takeover of the U.S. Congress, pro-Armenian
members of the House of Representatives will re-introduce this month a
draft resolution recognizing the World War I-era killings of Armenians
in Ottoman Turkey as genocide.

Their Armenian-American backers are confident that the new House
leadership will not seek to block the bill which is certain to
anger Turkey and prompt strong objections from the administration of
President George W. Bush.

Its language is expected to be virtually identical with that of
two resolutions that were overwhelmingly approved by the House
International Relations Committee in September 2005. Their passage
by the full House was subsequently thwarted by the White House and
leaders of the then Republican majority in Congress. One of those
resolutions was co-sponsored by 140 lawmakers and called on Bush to
"accurately characterize the systematic and deliberate annihilation
of 1,500,000 Armenians as genocide."

The new House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, is a longtime advocate of Armenian
issues who has supported such resolutions in the past.

"Prospects for [the passage of a genocide resolution] this year are
certainly better than they have been in recent years," said Bryan
Ardouny, executive director of the Armenian Assembly of America,
a Washington-based lobbying group.

Ardouny told RFE/RL that the draft resolution will be introduced later
this month by the two co-chairmen of the congressional Armenian Caucus
and two other congressmen known for their close ties with the Armenian
community in the United States. He said that unlike its previous
analogues, the new legislative measure is a mere "House resolution"
that does not have to be endorsed by the U.S. Senate and signed into
law by Bush.

Ardouny insisted that its passage by the lower chamber of Congress
would still amount to official U.S. recognition of the Armenian
genocide. "I would certainly consider congressional recognition of
the genocide to be official recognition," he said.

The Armenian Assembly and other Armenian-American advocacy groups
have for decades been campaigning for such recognition. They nearly
succeeded in that endeavor in October 2000 when a last-minute
intervention by then President Bill Clinton scuttled the almost
certain adoption of a relevant congressional bill.

"I think we have the best chance probably in a decade to get an
Armenian genocide resolution passed," Congressman Adam Schiff, a
California Democrat, was quoted by the Associated Press as saying
late last month.

USA DID NOT SUPPORT KARS-AKHALKALAKI-TBILISI-BAKU RAILWAY PROJECT

Yerevan, January 10. ArmInfo. "Year 2006 has remained in one’s memory
by numerous meetings with Azerbaijani officials. It seems to me I have
met with the Foreign Minister, Elmar Mamediarov in 2006 more often
than with my family. From the strategic viewpoint, the year 2006 was
successful in relations between the USA and Azerbaijan. The visit
of AR President Ilham Aliyev has become an important moment in the
development of relations", the deputy State Secretary for the issues of
Europe and Asia, OSCE MG Cochairman, Mathew Bryza, said, APA informs.

Having underlined that the President of Azerbaijan had informed the
USA officials about the development of Azerbaijan, the novelty of
the political atmosphere, liberalization of the political system, M.

Bryza has also called the visit the First Lady of Azerbaijan,
Mehriban Aliyeva to Washington very successful. He also underlined
that the year 2006 has become important in cooperation in the energy
sphere. M. Bryza has expressed optimism, commenting on the increase
of prices by Russia for the natural gas import to Azerbaijan. M.
Bryza stressed he is against of perception of the USA opposition to
the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway project after the President
Bush has signed a law that prohibits the project financing. "We have
always supported the projects aimed at strengthening the transport
relations. We try to develop al the projects, I repeat, all the
projects which unite all the countries, located in long the East-West
Corridor. Of course, we would like the railway, which will connect
Turkey and Baku, to pass through Armenia", the diplomat said. First,
because it reflects out policy, secondly, connection of Turkey and
Georgia is more expedient through the territory of Armenia from the
economic viewpoint. However, we cannot resolve on it. The investors
themselves advance an investment diagram, profitable for them. If
Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey wish to lay a railway, we cannot object
it. However, we do not specially support this project and hope to
shortly become witnesses of a transport diagram, covering all the
countries of the region", M. Bryza said.