Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

OLLI REHN CALLS ON TURKEY TO ESTABLISH NEIGHBOR RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.09.2006 15:02 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During the discussions of the report on Turkey EU
Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn made the following statement:
“Freedom of expression is indeed a fundamental human right on which
any open society is based, and a foundation for modernization, social
progress and solving conflicts between various social groups.
An open and constructive exchange of views is needed in Turkey,
including the most sensitive issues. This is necessary both for the
democratic process in Turkey and for facing tomorrow’s challenges,
as well as for Turkey’s reconciliation with its neighbors, including
Armenia. Reconciliation is a principle that is both the origin and
the outcome of the European integration project. I therefore urge
Turkey to continue to take concrete steps in this direction.
Freedom of religion is another area where tangible progress is
needed. The Law on Foundations, which is currently debated in the
Turkish Grand National Assembly, should address the shortcomings.
Restrictions applied to non-Muslim religious groups on property rights,
management of foundations and training of the clergy must be lifted,”
reports abhaber.com.

GOVERNOR SIGNS BILL EXTENDING TIME FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE SUITS
By Kenneth Ofgang, Staff Writer
Metropolitan News-Enterprise, CA
Sept 27 2006
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation giving victims
of genocide in Armenia and their heirs and beneficiaries another 10
years to sue for the loss or theft of assets deposited in European
or Asian banks.
SB 1524, which the governor signed on Monday, extends the limitations
period for such claims to Dec. 31, 2016. The bill is similar to prior
legislation allowing additional time for victims to sue for unpaid
insurance proceeds or restitution of misappropriated artworks.
A group of plaintiffs earlier this year sued Germany’s Deutsche Bank
and Dresdner Bank. The putative class action complaint filed in
the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California in
Deirmenjian v. Deutsche Bank, A.G., CV 06-00774, alleged the banks
wrongfully held Armenian assets and froze Armenian bank accounts
during the period of the Armenian Genocide.
The plaintiffs are represented by three attorneys of Armenian descent,
Brian Kabateck, partner with Kabateck Brown Kellner; Mark Geragos,
partner with Geragos & Geragos; and Vartkes Yeghiayan of Yeghiayan
and Associates.
“Deutsche Bank and Dresdner Bank were approached by Turkish leaders to
store Armenian artwork, gold and other valuables that were illegally
seized by the Turks during the Armenian Genocide,” Kabateck explained
in a release. “The assets and the money deposited by Armenians in
these banks mysteriously disappeared and were considered lost for
decades. With most of the rightful owners massacred, these banks
apparently thought they could get away with stealing family assets
from an entire generation of Armenians. A new generation of Armenians
has set out to right this wrong.”
The class action plaintiffs estimate that the banks took more than
$22.5 million in looted assets, based on 1915 dollars.
Schwarzenegger also signed AB 424, permanently designating April 24
as the Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.
He explained in a statement:
“Between 1915 and 1923, a systematic and deliberate campaign of
genocide by the Ottoman Turkish government resulted in the deaths
of over 1.5 million Armenians and the exile of a people from their
historic homeland. During this period, tens of thousands of displaced
Armenians took refuge in the United States, many in California. These
survivors embraced this country and this state. Among them and their
descendents emerged leaders in business, agriculture, sports, academics
and the arts. Today, a few survivors remain as a living testament to
the horror that took place 90 years ago. We must recognize crimes
against humanity if we are to prevent them; silence in the face of
genocide effectively encourages those who would commit such atrocities
in the future.”
The Turkish government has called the 1.5 million figure “grossly
erroneous” and has attributed the deaths of Armenians in that period to
“intercommunal” political, rather than ethnic and religious, conflict.
Schwarzenegger earlier signed a bill directing the state’s public
employee retirement funds to divest from companies that do business
in Sudan, where the government persists in denying reports that
an estimated 200,000 black Africans in the Darfur region have been
killed and many times that number displaced as a result of attacks
by Arab militias.

RUSSIA ELECTRICITY GIANT TO INVEST $20 MLN IN ARMENIA POWER GRID
RIA Novosti, Russia
September 26, 2006
YEREVAN, September 26 (RIA Novosti) – A subsidiary of Unified Energy
System [RTS: EESR] said Tuesday it would invest $20 million in
Armenia’s electric power grid by the end of the year.
On Tuesday Inter RAO UES officially took possession of 100% shares in
Armenian Electric Power Networks JSC servicing about 913,000 consumers
in the South Caucasus republic.
Yevgeny Tod, director general of Inter RAO UES, said the investment
would focus on projects designed to cut electric power losses, improve
energy supplies and upgrade power units of the Armenian power grid.
RAO UES owns 60% of stock in Inter RAO UES and the Federal Agency for
Nuclear Power holds 40%. The company, which has an authorized capital
of 160 billion rubles ($6 billion), handles imports and exports of
electric power, and runs energy assets in and outside Russia.

OSKANIAN: “WE HAVE AGREED TO EACH OF THE CORE PRINCIPLES OF THE FRAMEWORK AGREEMENT ON THE SETTLEMENT OF THE CONFLICT”
Today, Azerbaijan
URL:
Sept 26 2006
One cannot blame Armenia for thinking that Azerbaijan is not ready
or interested in a negotiated peace, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian stated at the 61st session of the UN General Assembly.
“Yet, having rejected the other two compromise solutions that have
been proposed over the last 8 years, they do not want to be accused
of rejecting the peace plan on the table today. Therefore, they are
using every means available to try to bring the Armenians to do the
rejecting. But Armenia is on record: we have agreed to each of the
basic principles in the document that’s on the table today. Yet, in
order to give this or any document a chance, Azerbaijan can’t think,
or pretend to think, that there is still a military option. There
isn’t. The military option is a tried and failed option. Compromise
and realism are the only real options. Garabagh succeeded in ensuring
its self-defense, it proceeded to set up self-governance mechanisms,
and it controls its borders and its economy. Formalizing this process
is a necessary step toward stability in our region,” Oskanian stressed.
Armenian Minister said he is closely following Kosovo peace process
stressing that this can be a precedent for the solution of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict, APA reports.
He said Azerbaijan’s intention to patronize “Nagorno Karabakh
population” cannot be understood and is unacceptable.

WB AND ARMENIA NEGOTIATE TERMS OF SECOND JUDICIAL REFORM CREDIT PROGRAM
Armenpress
Sept 25 2006
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS: Arthur Tunian, head of an office
set up to supervise implementation of a set of judicial reforms funded
by a World Bank credit, said the government of Armenia and the World
Bank are negotiating the terms of a second judicial reform credit.
Tunian said the second credit is expected to amount to $20-25 million
and will run for five years. He said an agreement on release of
$800,000 advance for preparation work was signed and sent to Armenian
National Assembly’s ratification.
The second credit will be used to repair around 30-31 court buildings
and construct 10-111 new premises. Apart from construction works the
second credit program envisages also purchase of new equipment.
Tunian said the government of Armenia and World Bank are pleased
with the outcome of the first $11.5 million worth credit program
that was used for construction, repair of court houses in Armenia
and furnishing them with new modern equipment.
He said part of the second credit will be used for installment of a
test voice system for recording of court hearings.

Armenia stores weapons in occupied land – Azeri defense chief
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
Sept 22 2006
AssA-Irada 22/09/2006 23:39
Minister of Defense Safar Abiyev has said Armenia is storing
large quantities of illegal weapons and ammunition in the occupied
Azerbaijani territories.
“This means violation of the Treaty on Conventional Arms in Europe,”
Abiyev said receiving Deputy Commander of the US European Command,
General William Ward on Thursday.
The minister briefed the American official on the current political
situation in his country and the status of the Armenia-Azerbaijan
conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh.
“The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are dealing with the issue and the
UN Security Council passed four resolutions on the unconditional
withdrawal of Armenian armed forces from the Azerbaijani territories.
Armenia is ignoring these resolutions,” Abiyev said.
General Ward, in turn, said he had visited some military units of
the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. The Azerbaijani Army is successfully
being brought into compliance with NATO standards, he said, adding
that the United States is ready to provide assistance in this area.

OSKANYAN REPRESENTS ARMENIA
A1+
[12:13 pm] 22 September, 2006
Today RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan will leave for Berlin to
participate in the international forum “Bertelsmann”.
Minister Oskanyan will leave Berlin for New York in order to
participate in the session of the UN 61st Assembly General. On
September 25 the Foreign Minister will make a speech.
In New York Minister Oskanyan will meet a number of officials, as
well as the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs.
Oskanyan will return to Armenia on September 27.
By the way, in the international forum “Bertelsmann” Azerbaijan will
be represented by President Ilham Aliev.

Arminfo, Yerevan, in Russian
16 Sep 06
ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER DENIES MEETING WITH AZERI COUNTERPART IN NEW YORK
Yerevan, 16 September: No meeting is planned between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani foreign ministries in the near future, Armenian Foreign
Minister Vardan Oskanyan told journalists after the annual meeting of
Armenian ambassadors today.
He said that new separate meetings between the ministers and the
[OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairs will probably be held. The Azerbaijani
news agency Trend quoted the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry as saying
that a meeting between the two countries’ foreign ministers is
planned to be held within the framework of the UN General Assembly
session in New York on 25-26 September.
The Armenian minister confirmed that he is planning to visit New
York. “I will go to New York on 24 September. I will make a speech on
25 September. I plan numerous bilateral meetings in New York. A
meeting with the co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group is also planned.
But no meeting is planned with [Azerbaijani Foreign Minister] Elmar
Mammadyarov,” Oskanyan said.

A1+
HAYRIKYAN WILL TAKE THE INITIATIVE
[01:17 pm] 15 September, 2006
Leader of the Union for National Self-Determination Paruyr Hayrikyan
has decided to take a new initiative during the celebration of the
15th anniversary of the RA Independence.
According to him, `September 21 is not represented properly and is not
valued’. He calls on the authorities to declare a Week of
Independence. He himself is going to prepare a number of events until
September 21 not as leader of the UNSD but as the initiator of the
strategy of the Referendum of Independence.
Paruyr Hayrikyan is going to have meetings with students and pupils
and tell them how the program of the Referendum of Independence was
started. He is going to tell them about the initiator of independence
Haykaz Khachatryan. «We must not forget to honor the names of those
who gave their lives for independence», he says. With this aim he
calls on the authorities to grant Haykaz Khachatryan the title of
National Hero and transport his ashes to the Pantheon.
Tomorrow Paruyr Hayrikyan is leaving for Tsakhkadzor to hold seminars
about the formation of free press. The list of events will be
concluded with discussions in the National Academy of Science and the
Institute of History.

‘CATHOLICOS OF ARMENIANS DOES NOT RESIST TEMPTATION TO SPEAK OF THE GENOCIDE’
By Hakob Chakrian
AZG Armenian Daily
15/09/2006
Turkish Hurriyet Paper Writes
His Holiness Karekin II Catholicos of All Armenians is currently in
Astana, Kazakhstan, participating in the Congress of Leaders of World
and Traditional Religions. The Supreme Patriarch was to make a report
on September 12 titled “Freedom of Faith and Respect to Followers of
Other religions”. On the final day of the congress on September 14,
leaders of religions made a joint statement emphasizing the need
“to fight against biased approaches and ignorance”.
Informing about the leaders’ statement, Turkish Hurriyet newspaper
wrote in September 12 issue that more than 150 journalists covered
the works of the Congress, and its end was marked by Karekin II’s
“propaganda of the so-called genocide”.
“Availing of the right of final speech, Karekin II Catholicos could
not resist the temptation of speaking touching upon the genocide
issue. ‘Despite the genocide of 1915, persecutions and pursuits,
Armenians remain faithful to what they believe,’ he said.
Leaders of Orthodox churches as well as Yona Metzger, Ashkenazi Chief
Rabbi of Israel, welcomed Catholicos’s speech with applauses.
“The Armenian Catholicos who expresses the mood of the Armenian
Diaspora uses every occasion to defend the genocide thesis. In
Istanbul a lawsuit was filed against him for insulting Turkish
national self-esteem. His meeting with Greek Patriarch Bartholomeos
during his Istanbul visit incited lively discussions.”