Author: Toganian Liana

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 27 2007

NO VIOLATIONS FIXED IN THE COURSE OF MONITORING OF NKR AND AZERI
ARMED FORCES’ CONTACT LINE

Today OSCE mission held planned monitoring of the contact line of the
Nagorno-Karabagh and Azeri Armed Forces at the settlement of Talysh
of the Nagorno-Karabagh Republic Martakert region.
According to the information DE FACTO got at the NKR MFA Press
Office, from the NKR Defense Army positions the observation was
headed by OSCE Chair-in-Office’s Personal Representative Andrzey
Kasprzyk.
The monitoring passed according to the schedule. No cease-fire
violations were fixed.

Arkady Ghukasyan sends a telegram of condolence

ArmRadio.am
26.03.2007 16:42

NKR Presidnet Arkady Ghukasyan sent a telegram of condolence to the
family of Andranik Margaryan, a prominent state and political figure,
President of the Republican Party of Armenia, the Prime Minister of
the Republic of Armenia.

The message says,
`Andranik Margaryan gifted all his experience, knowledge and patriotic
ardor to the creation and reinforcement of the independent Armenian
state, the economic progress of Armenia, to the well-being of the
Armenian people. >From the very first day of the Artsakhi war
Andranik Margaryan actively participated in the national-liberation
movement, made his unique contribution to the achievement of victory,
the socio-economic development of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and
its formation as a second independent Armenian state.
The memory of the true patriot will always remain bright in the memory
of all Armenian people.’

AZG Armenian Daily #053, 23/03/2007

National Interest

OSCE RAPPORTEUR EMPHASIZES THE QUESTIONS OF
ACCESSIBILITY AND EXPLOITATION OF SURB KHACH CHURCH

OSCE Rapporteur on Culture Heritage in South Caucasus
Edward O’Hara welcomed the reconstruction of the Surb
Khach (The Holy Cross) church of Akhtamar. The
comments of the OSCE official on the reconstruction
issue are rather remarkable.

In particular Mr. O’Hara said that the joint work of
the Turkish authorities, Armenian Church
administration, Turkish and international universities
and expert is a brilliant example how collaboration
can save the rich cultural heritage of the region. He
added that henceforth the attention must be drawn
towards the exploitation of the church and insuring
its accessibility.

To be reminded, O’Hara was to visit South Caucasus in
April 2007, but his visit has been delayed for unknown
terms.

Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
March 22, 2007 Thursday 6:18 PM EET

Armenia to sell 10% in ArmenTel to VimpelCom for 38 mln euros

The government of Armenia has decided to sell its 10% stake in
telecom operator ArmenTel to Russia’s VimpelCom for 38 million euros,
Armenian media sources reported Thursday, citing a spokesman for the
country’s government.

The deal will give Russia’s second largest mobile operator full
control of ArmenTel. In November 2006, VimpelCom bought 90% in the
operator from Greece-based Hellenic Telecommunications Organization
for 341.9 million euros and assumed ArmenTel’s debt of about 40
million euros.

VimpelCom is currently in talks with Armenia’s government over the
terms of the deal, a spokesman for VimpelCom said, without providing
timelines.

ArmenTel is a fixed-line and mobile operator in Armenia with licenses
in the GSM-900 and CDMA standards. ArmenTel’s subscriber base
includes approximately 600,000 fixed-line subscribers and 400,000 GSM
subscribers.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER: MEETING IN GENEVA IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BE CONSIDERED PROGRESS

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
March 21 2007

On 21 March in Yerevan, the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Vardan
Oskanyan, expressed his regret that the Armenia and Azerbaijan are
not very close to signing the document to confirm the principles of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement, Mediamax reports.

During his speech at the conference, Oskanyan said that many
contradictions remain and the final meeting in Geneva cannot be
considered as progress. The Armenian Foreign Minister believes that
the parties will continue consultations to organize a meeting of the
Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia after the parliamentary elections
in Armenia.

Oskanyan voiced that Armenia is prepared to continue negotiations
on the basis of the document that is on the negotiations table at
present. According to him, in 1996 it was only possible to hope
that the document would be discussed, which aims at recognizing the
self-appointment rights of Nagorno-Karabakh people through conducting
a referendum.

OSKANIAN AND LAVROV WILL DISCUSS A BROAD RANGE OF ISSUES

ArmRadio.am
21.03.2007 14:44

April 3-4 the Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov will visit
Armenia.

RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said at today’s press conference
that the agenda of the visit is inclusive and deep. The priorities
are the bilateral relations, which are multifaceted. Issues related
to the spheres of energy, security, education and culture will be
discussed. Reference will be made to regional, transport communication
issues. The Nagorno Karabakh conflict will be among the most important
topics to be discussed.

According to Vartan Oskanian, deep discussions have always been
launched with all Russian Foreign Ministers on global issues as
well. This time also the Minister will learn about Russia’s position
on Iran issue, the situation in the Middle East and Palestine, the
Kosovo issue, NATO enlargement, reformation of the UN and OSCE.

Provisional status without preconditions

19-03-2007 12:46:57 – KarabakhOpen

After the talks in Geneva the Russian co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group
Merzlyakov told news reporters that the basic principles that were
discussed during the meeting presuppose the solution of two underlying
problems `withdrawal of the Armenian force from the territories around
Nagorno Karabakh and granting provisional status to the unrecognized
state until a referendum on status is held. KarabakhOpen.com asked
Member of Parliament Gagik Petrosyan, Azat Hayrenik Party, to comment
on the problem of provisional status.

`Evidently, the talks over Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have reached a
deadlock. Recently the mediators have been trying to involve NKR in
the talks, which currently supposes one of these two things: either
the mediators are trying to foil the talks, which started in 1997,
through Karabakh or they have realized that it is impossible to reach
resolution without Karabakh.

Both reasons are possible. The first needs no comment, the second is
not acceptable currently, since it will turn out that we have lost 10
years,’ Gagik Petrosyan says.

There are positive things in Merzlyakov’s statement, the member of
parliament says. The mediators and Azerbaijan should take into account
the reality and accept the de facto situation. `I would offer to the
mediators to grant a provisional status to NKR without preconditions,
and afterwards change the format of the talks, in which Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Karabakh would be full-right participants. I think this
is an optimal way for a rapid resolution of the conflict. Without a
provisional status of Karabakh the involvement of NKR in the ongoing
talks is not acceptable,’ Gagik Petrosyan says.

Agence France Presse
16 mars 2007 vendredi 5:15 AM GMT

L’Arménie rêve de sortir de son isolement (MAGAZINE)

KHOR VIRAP (Arménie) 16 mars 2007

Des remparts du monastère Khor Virap, le mont Ararat semble si
proche, à quelques kilomètres seulement. Le volcan éteint, symbole
par excellence de l’Arménie, est pourtant tellement loin, posé chez
l’"ennemi" turc. Comme un résumé de l’isolement de l’Arménie.

"Ararat symbolise toute l’Arménie, toute la souffrance dans notre
me", dit Arsene Eguikian, 32 ans, qui visite le monastère de Khor
Virap, excellent point de vue vers le Mont Ararat, ce sommet enneigé
censé selon la Bible avoir accueilli l’arche de Noé après le Déluge.

L’isolement, un problème majeur pour l’Arménie : les quatre
frontières du pays sont fermées ou posent problème, obligeant ce
territoire enclavé et pauvre en ressources de trois millions
d’habitants à lutter pour se frayer un accès au monde.

En 1993, la Turquie a fermé sa frontière en signe de soutien à
l’Azerbaïdjan, engagé à l’époque dans une guerre contre l’Arménie
pour le contrôle de l’enclave azerbaïdjanaise à majorité arménienne
du Nagorny Karabakh.

Seule voie d’accès des Arméniens : la Russie, son principal allié
économique et militaire, via la Géorgie. Las, les tensions
russo-géorgiennes compliquent singulièrement la situation.

Même cas de figure au sud avec la frontière iranienne, où certes un
nouveau gazoduc exporte le gaz iranien mais où la crise latente entre
Téhéran et Washington fait craindre des répercussions à la frontière.

Progressivement, l’Arménie, un pays fier de sa langue ancestrale et
de son alphabet propre, se voit écartée de tous les projets
d’envergure qui remodèlent le visage du Caucase.

Les oléoducs et gazoducs devant transporter les hydrocarbures
d’Azerbaïdjan aux marchés occidentaux passent par le nord. En
février, Bakou, Tbilissi et Ankara ont signé un accord pour une voie
ferrée est-ouest, évitant une nouvelle fois l’Arménie.

Du coup, Erevan s’appuie fortement sur son importante diaspora,
descendants des réfugiés du génocide arménien de 1915, en Europe,
notamment en France, aux Etats-Unis et au Moyen-Orient.

Selon l’économiste Tigran Jrbachian, cette diaspora a participé en
2006 à hauteur de 1,2 milliard de dollars à un PIB évalué à 6,5
milliards de dollars.

"Les émigrés sont la version arménienne de la manne pétrolière",
résume l’économiste.

Selon M. Jrbachian, cet isolement forcé a un moins eu une vertu :
l’Arménie a dû oublier ses routes de commerce traditionnelles et
promouvoir des secteurs à forte valeur ajoutée, comme les hautes
technologies ou l’industrie du diamant.

"Je ne voudrais pas exagérer, mais nous avons malgré tout réussi à
obtenir des succès économiques dans des conditions de blocus par
l’Azerbaïdjan et la Turquie", se félicite un vice-ministre des
Affaires étrangères Arman Kirakossian.

Ces assurances cachent mal les craintes des Arméniens quant à leur
vulnérabilité. Beaucoup d’habitants s’inquiètent par exemple de la
manière avec laquelle les investisseurs russes absorbent une à une
les entreprises stratégiques arméniennes, notamment la plupart du
réseau énergétique du pays.

Arsen Eguikian espère que son pays sortira de l’isolement.

"Tout le monde ici (en Arménie) est pour l’ouverture de la
frontière", avec la Turquie, dit-il en regardant un village turc du
haut du monastère.

"La globalisation est en marche et nous ne pouvons pas en être
écartés", estime-t-il.

Les Arméniens ne feront "jamais" confiance aux Turcs, "mais quand il
faut parler le langage des affaires, alors tout le reste est relégué
au second plan", ajoute-t-il.

"Bien sûr que c’est difficile à supporter", estime également M.
Kirakossian. "Mais si nous avions des relations normales avec nos
voisins, alors les gens pourraient au moins venir en Arménie".

ARMENPRESS

ARMENIAN ORGANIZATIONS DEMAND THAT RUSSIA CONDEMN 1921 MOSCOW TREATY

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS: Two Communist
parties of Armenia, a nationalistic party and several
non-governmental organizations announced today they
will ask the National Assembly to convene
parliamentary hearings on the 1921 Turkish-Russian
Treaty.
Rafik Hambardzumian, head of an obscure National
Pilgrimage organization, said the National Assembly of
Armenia must condemn officially the treaty of March
16, 1921 which gave sizeable portions of historical
Armenian lands to Turkey and placed Nakhichevan under
Azerbaijan’s rule.
He said the Republic of Armenia, as a sovereign
state, should ask Russia to also condemn and
invalidate the 1921 Moscow Treaty.

A1+

HEARTH OF THE ILLNESS ERADICATED
[12:51 pm] 16 March, 2007

`I was the first person to discover the illness. I
immediately aroused an alarm and informed the Ministry
of Health. The representatives of the ministry
immediately came, checked the information and found
six cases of illness’, Gevorg Tovmasyan, village head
of Tsovagyugh informed A1+. To remind, cases of
tularemia were discovered in Tsovagyugh a week ago.
Tularemia is a serious contagious disease passing via
animals.

Currently there are ten bacilli-carriers in the
village.

Ara Asopyan, the RA chief infectiologist and the
director of the `Norq’ infectious hospital, claims
that the `the hearth of the disease is already
eradicated’ and the bacilli-carriers are not
increasing. `The patients weren’t even taken to
hospital; they got treatment in their homes’.

Both the chief infectiologist and the village head
exclude the possibility that the cause of the disease
is water. Gevorg Tovmasyan says that only two
bacilli-carriers are elderly people, the others are
children.

This gave ground to assume that the hearth of the
infection might be the school canteen. But it turned
out that half of the patients didn’t attend the
canteen. `The infection is spread through rodents
which move from one settlement to another’, says the
village head and adds, `Can you name any city where
there aren’t rodents’.

To note, Tsovagyugh has got 4500 inhabitants. 2300
people have been inoculated.

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