Author: Tavakalian Edgar

SUPPORT FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION REACHED 210 IN HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

PanARMENIAN.Net
28.06.2007 14:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Congresswoman from Los Angeles Lucille Roybal-Allard
has joined forces with over 210 cosponsors of the Armenian Genocide
resolution (H. Res. 106). She is working in the Halls of Congress
to end the Turkish Government’s denial of the Armenian Genocide, the
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) reports. "The growing
support for H. Res. 106 reflects the call for strong moral leadership
that Americans demand from their elected officials. This resolution
honors those killed during this dark period of history and sends an
important message to all countries, where the lives of every man,
woman, and child are in danger," Lucille Roybal-Allard underscored.

Votes of 218 U.S. congressmen are necessary to put the H. Res. 106
to the vote in the House of Representatives.

RUSSIA COMPLETES WITHDRAWAL FROM 1 OF 2 REMAINING BASES IN GEORGIA

The Associated Press
International Herald Tribune, France
June 27 2007

TBILISI, Georgia: Russia completed its withdrawal from one of two
remaining military bases in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia on
Wednesday, a long-promised move that Georgia’s president has pressed
for years.

At a ceremony attended by First Deputy Defense Minister Levan
Nikoleishvili, Maj. Gen. Andrei Popov, the Russian commander for the
Caucasus, signed the documents turning over the Akhalkalaki base to
Georgian control, Defense Ministry spokeswoman Nana Intskirveli said.

At one point, the base in the southern Georgia, which has been under
Russian control for nearly 100 years, hosted some 15,000 military
personnel.

Russian officials plans to pull out their last military personnel
from their base in the Black Sea port of Batumi by late next year. On
Wednesday, a railroad convoy of tanks, armored personnel carriers and
other materiel left the Batumi base en route to another Russian base
in neighboring Armenia.

Georgia and Russia agreed in 2005, after months of contentious
negotiations, that Russian forces would pull out of the two bases.

The move was considered a key victory for Georgia President Mikhail
Saakashvili.

Relations between the two countries have been strained in recent
years. Georgia has long accused Russia of supporting separatists
while Russia fears Georgia is moving closer to the West.

Georgian authorities in September briefly detained four Russian
military officers on spying charges and Moscow retaliated with a
transport and postal blockade and a crackdown on Georgian migrants
in Russia.

ARMENIAN FM URGES OPENING OF BORDER AT RARE TALKS WITH TURKISH COLLEAGUE

Agence France Presse — English
June 25, 2007 Monday 1:04 PM GMT

Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian urged Turkey on Monday to
open the border between the two arch-foe neighbours, saying that such
a move would help mend fences.

Oskanian made the appeal after he held a rare meeting with his
Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul on the sidelines of a summit of the
organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) in Istanbul.

"If you are serious about dialogue, please open the border first,"
Oskanian told a press conference, saying that was the key message he
conveyed to Gul.

Turkey dealt a heavy economic blow to impoverished Armenia in 1993 as
it shut the border between the two countries in a show of solidarity
with its close ally Azerbaijan, which was at war with Armenia over
the territory of Nagorny-Karabakh.

Turkey also refuses to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia
because of Yerevan’s campaign for the international recognition of
mass killings of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during World War
I as genocide.

In response to Oskanian’s demand, Gul responded at their meeting
that Armenia should work to resolve the Nagorny-Karabakh dispute with
Azerbaijan, a Turkish diplomat said.

"We also expect some gestures from you," the diplomat quoted Gul
as telling Oskanian in reference to a Turkish proposal to set up
a joint committee of Turkish and Armenian academics to study the
genocide allegations.

Oskanian said that if Turkey opened the border, Yerevan "is willing
to create any commission that is needed to address whatever issue
standing in the way of normalising bilateral ties."

He added, however, that his meeting with Gul gave him no hope that
Ankara might soften its stance.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kinsmen died in deportations
and systematic killings under the Ottoman Empire, the predecessor of
modern-day Turkey, and want the killings to be recognised as genocide.

Ankara categorically rejects the label and argues that 300,000
Armenians and at least as many Turks died in civil strife during
World War I when the Armenians took up arms for independence in
eastern Anatolia and sided with Russian troops invading the crumbling
Ottoman Empire.

The European Union, which Turkey is seeking to join, has also called
on Ankara to normalise with Yerevan.

Turkish and Armenian officials have met several other times on the
sidelines of international gatherings.

PRESIDENT SAAKASHVILI VISITS MAINLY ETHNIC ARMENIAN JAVAKHETI REGION
Written by Ramaz Mitaishvili

Abkhazia, CA

Ju ne 25 2007

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili today visited the predominately
ethnic Armenian-populated Javakheti region. Saakashvili opened a
sports hall in Ninotsminda together with locals who had participated
in the Patriot youth camp programme. The president also opened a dairy
factory in the village of Spasovka, where in remarks to journalists he
touted the region’s potential in the tourism and agriculture sectors.

"There are three main factors in this region: one is stability and
calm, the second is the permanent supply of electricity, which is
very important, and the third is good roads. During my first term as
president, none of the main roads in Javakheti – a region which had
been forsaken and ignored by everyone and left destroyed and ruined –
will remain in poor condition.

"Agriculture here has a unique potential which will be fully
realized. There is a great potential for agriculture here and there is
a great potential for tourism. There are lakes, mountains and forests
here, there are various minerals and curative means here that are
not found in Europe or anywhere else.

"But there was no road and there was no information. A very important
thing has happened in this region over the past years which many
people cannot yet see. This region has become completely integrated
into Georgia. Now we are much more confident and this is the result
[holds up a piece of cheese on a toothpick]. This is not just cheese,
this is the combination of stability, roads and electricity,"
Saakashvili told journalists at the factory opening.

The president then travelled to Akhalkalaki, where he met students
who had failed to pass university entrance exams because they do not
know the Georgian language. Saakashvili promised that special stipends
would be allotted for the region’s prospective university students
to encourage them to receive a higher education inside Georgia.

"I declare today that from August we will allot 100 presidential
stipends for natives of Akhalkalaki and Ninotsminda so that they can
enrol in preparatory faculties in Tbilisi and later become students.

We will give stipends to all of you. We will teach all of you for
free so that you can later properly continue your studies in the
departments you choose.

"Of course, I know that there are people who go to Minsk and Yerevan
and other institutions of study in Kiev and in Russia. I propose –
and I will facilitate this – that you stay in Georgia, in your own
homeland. Study in your homeland. We will give you the best education
in the region," Saakashvili said in Russian before a group of students
in Akhalkalaki.

PERINCEK: VERDICT CONFIRME

La Tribune de Geneve
21 juin 2007 jeudi
Edition Tribune de Genève

La Cour de cassation vaudoise confirme le verdict prononce en mars
a Lausanne contre Dogu Perincek. Le nationaliste turc a ete condamne
pour discrimination raciale après avoir nie publiquement le genocide
armenien de 1915. Son avocat va recourir au Tribunal federal.

L’Association Suisse-Armenie (ASA), qui a revele hier l’information,
s’est felicitee de ce verdict notifie en debut de semaine. Son avocat,
Philippe Nordmann, a precise que la Cour a siege a huis clos et que
seul le dispositif a ete transmis aux parties. "L’arret est executoire,
tous les frais reviennent a Dogu Perincek. "

Jusqu’a Strasbourg

L’avocat du nationaliste turc, Laurent Moreillon, a annonce de son
côte qu’il allait recourir devant le Tribunal federal. Il n’a pas
voulu faire d’autres commentaires ni developper ses arguments.

"J’attends les considerants", a-t-il ajoute. Lors du procès, Dogu
Perincek a affirme qu’il etait pret a aller jusqu’a Strasbourg pour
defendre sa cause.

En juillet 2005, le chef du Parti des travailleurs de Turquie
a declare a Lausanne que le genocide armenien est "un mensonge
international". Le 9 mars, le Tribunal de police de Lausanne lui a
inflige quatre-vingt-dix jours-amende (100 francs par jour) avec sursis
pendant deux ans et une amende de 3000 francs. Il doit verser en outre
1000 francs d’indemnites a l’ASA pour tort moral et s’acquitter de
10 000 francs de depens et de 5800 francs de frais de justice. Dans
son verdict, le juge a souligne que le genocide armenien est "un fait
historique avere selon l’opinion publique suisse".

–Boundary_(ID_js4ElKVKlCpp9rJo0TKO /A)–

RAFAYEL VAHANIAN GAINS 4 OUT OF 5 POSSIBLE POINTS AT INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT HELD IN ROMANIA

Noyan Tapan
Jun 22 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, NOYAN TAPAN. International Chess Royal Tournament
started on June 16 in Romania. Rafayel Vahanian is also among 11
participants of the tournament. In the 6th tour he drew the game with
Ulf Anderson (Sweden).

Alexander Khalifman (Russia) and Rafayel Vahanian are in the lead at
the tournament with 4 points each (the Armenian grand master has had
one more game).

The tournament will finish on June 27.

SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE OF NATO SECRETARY-GENERAL IN SOUTHCAUCASUS TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA ON JUNE 20

Noyan Tapan
Jun 19 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The Special Representative of the NATO
Secretary-General in the South Caucasus, Ambassador Robert Simmons,
will come on a three-day visit to Yerevan on June 20, NT was informed
by the RA MFA Press and Information Department.

During the visit, R. Simmons will meet with the Armenian president
Robert Kocharian, the speaker of the RA National Assembly Tigran
Torosian, the prime minister Serge Sargsian, the defence minister
Mikael Harutyunian, and the foreign minister Vardan Oskanian.

R. Simmons will participate in the sitting of the Armenian commission
on the implementation of the Armenia-NATO Individual Partnership
Action Plan (IPAP) on June 22.

AZERBAIJANI OPPOSITION PARTY’S LEADER: IT IS HIGH TIME TO GIVE PREFERENCE TO MILITARY ACTIONS TO REGULATE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT

TREND News Agency, Azerbaijan
June 19 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr. E.Huseinli / Etibar Mammadov, the
leader of the Azerbaijani National Independent Party (ANIP), stated
on the 19th of June that it was high time for Azerbaijan to give
preferences on a military alternative regarding the regulation of
the Armenian-Azerbaijani Conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The activities of the co-chairmen of the Minsk group of OSCE will
not provide results.

"The key obligation of the Azerbaijani Government is to liberate
the occupied territories by Armenians and to restore the State
sovereignty. The opposition of the country should not hinder the
Government in this direction," Mammadov noted.

The leadership of the ANIP will create corresponding decisions once
the decision to organize a meeting of the heads of opposition parties
with President Ilham Aliyev to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh problem
has been determined.

ANIP was founded in 1992 and was the first party which was registration
in Azerbaijan..

The founder and chairman of the party in 2004, Etibar Mammadov is still
currently the deputy chairman of the International Democratic Union.

GEORGIAN GOVERNMENT DOES NOT UNDERTAKE ANY STEPS TOWARDS INTEGRATING ARMENIANS OF JAVAKHETI

PanARMENIAN.Net
19.06.2007 14:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ There are no corresponding conditions for integrating
the Armenian community in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region, and the
Georgian government does not undertake any steps in this respect,
head of the Armenian Studies Center of YSU (Yerevan State University)
Haykazun Alvrtsyan stated to the PanARMENIAN.Net journalist. He said,
in fact Armenians in Javakheti do not have any opportunities to find
a job, since it compulsory to know the Georgian language. "But these
are just stipulations.

Armenians do know the Georgian language, it is being taught in
schools. They clearly realize that without the Georgian language
there is no way for them. The problem is in the policy of the Georgian
government.

For some reason politicians in Tbilisi think that Armenians of
Javakheti want to separate from Georgia by all means, although there
is no such intention there," H. Alvrtsyan underlined.

He also noted after the withdrawal of the Russian base in Akhalkalaki
Armenians began to leave the region.

"If earlier the base anyhow solved the social-economic problems of
the region, nothing similar happens now.

Judge yourself, there are only 20 000 Armenians left in Akhaltsikhe,
10 000 of which reside in nearby villages. A lot of Armenians who
have Russian citizenship are leaving from Akhalkalaki.

Turk-Meskhetians are replacing them. They are few yet, but next year
there will be much more of them.

However, we have a guarantee from the European Union that there will
be no ethnic collisions in Javakheti," H. Alvrtsyan underscored.

MASIS MAYILYAN: HOLDING A CIVIL ELECTION SHOULD BE THE PRIMARY GOAL OF THE LEAVING GOVERNMENT

KarabakhOpen
19-06-2007 17:09:56

Masis Mayilyan, NKR presidential candidate, stated this in
an interview with the Regnum Agency. Mayilyan believes that the
country’s international reputation and further development depends
on the quality of the election.

Masis Mayilyan thinks a correct manpower policy and public control over
the activities of the branches of power are essential to building a
legitimate state. Respect for law in citizens is essential to reaching
the goals we set, Masis Mayilyan said.

With regard to his nomination, Masis Mayilyan said he has real
opportunities to win, and expects the support of broad layers of the
society, everyone who believes that the country needs structural
reforms. Masis Mayilyan says there are a lot of such people in
government agencies, parties and NGOs.

Masis Mayilyan presented his pre-election program in a sentence:
real reforms, improvement of the moral and psychological atmosphere
and the rule of law, which will lead to the international development
of Karabakh and raise the quality of life.