Author: Toganian Liana

Today, Azerbaijan
March 16 2007

Alleged Armenian genocide resolution can inflict significant damage
to US efforts to reconcile Turkey-Armenia dispute

16 March 2007 [14:17] – Today.Az

The text of the identical letter sent to the House of Representatives
by the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary
Robert Gates in connection with Armenian ‘genocide’ resolution has
been published.

In the letters, Rice and Gates drew attention to the consequences of
French Parliament’s passing genocide bill that made it crime to deny
Armenian genocide.

"Turkey cut off all relations with France, including military sphere
and refused military contracts under discussion due to the adoption
of that bill. The resolution could inflict significant damage on the
US soldiers dislocated in the region and create problems for the
divisions deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and inflict significant
damage on US efforts to reconcile the long-standing disupute between
Turkey and Armenia," they said.

The appeals went to Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and
representatives John Boehner, leader of the House’s Republican
minority, and Tom Lantos, the Democrat who chairs the House Committee
on Foreign Affairs. APA

URL:

THERE ARE 18 935 MONUMENTS IN ARMENIA NOT SUBJECT TO SALE

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, NOYAN TAPAN. In correspondence with the RA laws "On
Protection and Usage of History and Culture Immovable Monuments and
Historic Environment of RA," "On History and Culture Immovable
Monuments of Considered RA State Property and not Subject to Sale,"
the RA Government affirmed on March 15 the list of history and culture
immovable monuments considered the RA state property and not subject
to sale.

As Hasmik Poghosian, the RA Minister of Culture and Youth Issues
informed the journalists after the sitting, 18 935 monuments were
involved in the list of monuments not for sale, as a result of review
of 24 132 monuments existing in the list of immovable monuments
affirmed by the government. In the Minister’s words, constructions of
different ceturies, buildings and constructions having museum
collections, preserves, preserve-museums, etc. are involved in the
list.

H.Poghosian also mentioned that those churches which are not involved
in the list, are in good state, serve their goal at present and may be
sold. He excluded sale of Armenian churches to other religious
institutions, mentioning that they will be controlled by the state and
Apostolic Church.

PRESS RELEASE
Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) – Yerevan Office
53-55 Pavstos Byuzand Street, 0010
Yerevan, Republic of Armenia
Contact: Inessa Grigoryan
Tel: (+374 10) 522076; 562068
Fax: (+374 10) 522076
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
< xchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=3Dhttps://mail.antigenics .com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=3D ds.org>

Children of Armenia Fund – New York Office
162 Fifth Avenue, Suite 902,
New York, NY 10010, USA
Contact: Anna Sargsyan
Tel: 212 – 994 – 8234
Fax: 212 – 994 – 8299
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:
< xchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=3Dhttps://mail.antigenics .com/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=3D ds.org>

COAF Reviews Psycho-Social Center Activities at a Roundtable

Karakert, Armavir District, Republic of Armenia, March 15, 2007 ¾
Today, the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) held a roundtable in the
newly opened Sirius restaurant complex in Karakert to review the
activities of the Psycho-Social Center and to present the preliminary
results of the project. The project was made possible through the
co-sponsorship of UNICEF and close cooperation with Mission East and the
Arabkir Medical Center.

Launched in June 2006 as part of COAF’s Model Cluster program, the
Psycho-Social Center [PSC] serves all six communities ¾ Argina,
Dalarik, Karakert, Lernagog, Myasnikyan and Shenik. Temporarily
located in Dalarik, the PSC staff travels through the villages to bring
its services directly to the communities. The purpose of the project is
to raise public awareness of child’s rights, with emphasis on training
parents and educators on the rights of children with special needs and
the socially disadvantaged, ultimately aiming at their integration in
the larger society.

Participating in the event from the Armavir District were the Mayors of
the Model Cluster villages, headed by Deputy Governor Dr. Larisa
Muradyan and Ms. Marine Hovakimyan, Head of Child Protection Unit at the
Armavir Municipality. Making presentations on behalf of COAF were Dr.
Arpie Balian, Resident Country Director, Dr. Naira Gharakhanyan, Manager
for Health, Social and Educational Programs and Mr. Ara Amirjanyan,
Psycho-Social Project Manager. Speaking for UNICEF was Mr. Sheldon
Yett, Representative of UNICEF Armenia. Also present at the event were a
multitude of representatives from international organizations and local
NGOs, including Mission East-Armenia and Bridge of Hope NGO.

In her welcoming address, Dr. Balian focused on COAF’s fundamental
purpose, which is the principal driver for creating the Psycho-Social
Center. "This is yet another project that aims to ensure that this
generation of young Armenians is afforded the opportunity to reach full
potential. Our mission cannot exclude the physically or socially
disadvantaged. On the contrary, COAF pays special attention to the
underprivileged and is proud to witness their gradual integration into
society." In turn, Mr. Yett spoke of the importance of the project with
regard to data collection for perusal in formulating government policy
and programmatic direction. On behalf of Armavir Marzpetaran, Dr.
Muradyan ensured the continuous support and cooperation both with COAF,
local NGOs and other international counterparts.

Dr. Gharakhanyan presented the Psycho-Social Center’s service components
and methodology used in the project, followed by a presentation of the
findings and accomplishments by Mr. Amirjanyan. The specific social and
psychological issues found to date were displayed by Ms. Gayane
Asatryan, the Staff Social Worker, and Ms. Tamara Harutyunyan, the Staff
Psychologist. An open discussion followed, during which the
participants exchanged ideas and explored avenues of further
cooperation. The round table concluded with a commitment by all partner
organizations to ensure the project sustainability and expanded service.

# # # # #

ARKADY GHUKASYAN AND BERNARD FASSIER MET IN YEREVAN

ArmRadio.am
13.03.2007 10:40

At NKR Permanent Representation in Armenia President of the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic Arkady Ghukasyan met with the French Co-Chair of
the OSCE Minsk Group Bernard Fassier.

During the meeting the parties discussed the current stage of
settlement of the Karabakh issue, as well as issues related to the
suggestions of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs put on the bargaining
table and full participation of NKR in the negotiation process.

NKR Permanent Representation in Armenia informs that the interlocutors
stressed that the meetings between the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs
and the leadership of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic need to become
more frequent.

Views were exchanged on the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of
Armenia and Azerbaijan to be held on March 14 in Geneva.

Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
Dr. Frieda Jordan, President <[email protected]>
3111 Los Feliz Blvd., Suite 206
Los Angeles, CA
Tel: 323-663-3609
Email: [email protected]

PRESS RELEASE

March 14, 2007
Dr. Frieda Jordan

Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
To Establish Key Partnership with Dana Farber Cancer Center
Expands East Coast Recruitment

(Glendale, CA – March, 2007) – As part of its nationwide expansion efforts,
the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) board members discussed a
key collaboration with the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston, which will
serve as the organization’s bone marrow and stem cell collection station for
donors on the East Coast.

Located in Boston and affiliated with Harvard University, the Dana Farber
Cancer Center is a prestigious, strategically located institution available
to the ABMDR in much the same way the world-renowned City of Hope Hospital
serves the organization on the West Coast. Like City of Hope – which has
provided facilities for collecting ABMDR donor stem cells for patients in
the Los Angeles area – the Dana Farber Cancer Center’s East Coast donors
will be able to conveniently go to this regional center.

While operating a laboratory with highly specialized services in DNA tissue
typing in Yerevan, the ABMDR depends on other institutions for stem cell
harvesting and delivery. Although the non-intrusive operation itself takes
only a few hours, the donor is given medication to accelerate his/her stem
cell generation and needs to be under medical observation for two weeks. The
future collaboration with Dana Farber Cancer Center will greatly streamline
ABMDR operation in the East Coast and provide greater convenience to the
donors.

Richard Boyajian, nurse practitioner at Lance Armstrong Foundation Adult
Survivorship Clinic at the Dana Farber Center, well knows the importance of
making the process leading up to a life-saving transplant as smooth as
possible: Mr. Boyajian is a bone marrow recipient and cancer survivor.
ABMDR President Dr. Frieda Jordan and Board Member Alvart Badalian were
delighted to learn of his interest in helping to promote the project at his
institution, and among its constituents.

In addition, while in Boston, Dr. Jordan attended an urgent donor
recruitment for patient Steve Keshishian , on Februrary 25th at the Armenian
Memorial Church in Watertown, MA organized by Steve’s Godmother, Nora
Orchanian and her family. With the support of Rev. Avedis Boynerian the
drive was a great success and resulted in recruiting over 50 new donors. "We
are grateful to everyone who helped spread the word around, the ABMDR
volunteers, our parish members, and especially to the individual donors
today. We hope and pray that we will soon find a match for our dear Steve".
Stated, Mrs. Orchanian. State Representative and chairman of Joint
Committee on Public Health, Peter Koutoujian, was among those who became a
donor on Sunday. An avid supporter of the ABMDR, Koutoujian made an
emotional appeal for supporting the life-saving work of the ABMDR.

Steve is one of 630 patients identified by the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor
Registry (ABMDR) who are suffering from leukemia and other blood-related
diseases throughout the Diaspora and Armenia desperately waiting to find a
matching donor to help save their lives. A key method of treating people
with life-threatening blood diseases is through bone marrow/stem cell
transplants from a donor. Each donor’s blood or mouth swab sample is tested
to see if there is a genetically suitable match for a patient in need. In
order to treat Armenian patients, bone marrow transplants require compatible
tissue types that match the genetic makeup of the patient, which is most
likely to come from other Armenian donors.

Mrs. Orchanian was concerned that few people would show up to become donors,
but Dr. Jordan provided reassurance, stating, "Even one committed donor is
very valuable to the cause." Observing people at her church opening their
mouths for the simple mouth swab from the inside of their cheek that will
undergo DNA testing to see if there is a match for Steve and other
identified patients in need, Mrs. Orchanian was, indeed, overwhelmed by the
response.

The donors’ data from the recruitment drive will be added to the 12,000
already in the ABMDR database, from which matches for Steve and other
patients can be identified.

Those who wish to learn more about the Registry may contact ABMDR President
Dr. Frieda Jordan at 3111 Los Feliz Blvd., Suite 206, Los Angeles, CA; by
calling (323) 663-3609; or e-mailing [email protected] or
<mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] . The website for the
Registry is <; .

NATO WEEK TO BE HELD IN ARMENIA ON MARCH 12-16

Noyan Tapan
Mar 12 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The NATO week will be held in
Armenia on March 12-16. As Arman Kirakosian, the Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs of Armenia stated at the March 9 press conference,
NATO high-ranking representatives’ visits, a number of information
and representative events, TV programs, meetings with journalists,
broadcast of films about the NATO-Armenia cooperation by a
number of TV channels of the republic are envisaged for those
days. Yerevan-Kosovo TV bridge will also be organized for servicemen
of the Armenian peace-keeping battalion being there and members of
their families. In A.Kirakosian’s words, during the recent years
Armenia widened its participation in the NATO Partnership for
Peace program what will assist improvement of the defence system of
the country. It was mentioned that Armenia’s participation in the
Individual Parnership Actions Plan (IPAP) involves all the spheres
of cooperation with the NATO. Armenia will use the IPAP mechanisms
to improve its defensive and security systems and raise ability of
mutual cooperation. A.Kirakosian also stated that the Defence and
Foreign Ministers of Armenia will participate in April in Brussels
in the NATO meeting with the 26+1 format (NATO members, partners and
Russia) where estimation for implementation of the program by Armenia
will be presented. In the Deputy Minister’s words, during this period
of time, the NATO information center was opened in Yerevan within
the framework of the program. Foundation of a situation center for
crisis management was also started in Armenia. The Deputy Foreign
Minister mentioned that relations of Armenia with the NATO is one of
directions of the foreign policy of the country and elements of the
security system. He emphasized that relations with the North-Atlantic
Alliance and CIS Collective Security Treaty Organization may not be
observed as competitive ones as Armenia is a CSTO member, but only
cooperates with the NATO. It was mentioned that CSTO Secretary Nikolai
Bordyuzha will also visit Armenia soon. He will have meetings with
the country administration, society representatives, students.

RA FM: THERE IS NO ISSUE OF JOINING NATO IN AGENDA OF ARMENIA’S FOREIGN POLICY

arminfo
2007-03-12 15:01:00

There is no issue of joining the NATO in the agenda of Armenia’s
foreign policy, RA FM Vardan Oskanyan said at today’s press-conference
after an official opening of the NATO Information Center in
Yerevan. The official opening of Center was held within the frames
of the Week of NATO in Yerevan, having started today.

The Minister reminded that Armenia had started the Individual
Partnership Actions Program (IPAP) with NATO a year ago. The Program
is rather a solid document and its fulfillment will take much time,
the Minister said. In his turn, the NATO deputy Secretary General
on Public Diplomacy Jean Fournet, who participated in the Center
opening ceremony, noted that the cooperation between Armenia and
the Alliance ""is being well developed". He reminded that the NATO
delegation, having recently visited Armenia, will prepare a report on
the course of the Program fulfillment. The preliminary opinion of the
delegation members is positive, J. Fournet added. According to him,
the intermediate estimation indicates the mutual strive of the sides
to the document fulfillment.

ANY SOLUTION TO NAGORNO-KARABAKH MUST RESPECT AZERBAIJAN’S TERRITORIAL INTEGRITY – TURKISH PRIME MINISTER

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
March 12 2007

Azerbaijan , Baku /corr Trend A. Gasimova / Trend’s exclusive interview
with Turkish Prime Minister Rejep Tayyib Erdogan

Question: How does Ankara estimate further changes in the apportionment
of Forces in South Caucasus amid the implementation of energy and
Transport projects, further strengthening Azerbaijan’s position? What
joint efforts can be made by two countries to intensify Azerbaijan’s
dominating role in the region?

Answer: Turkey and Azerbaijan enjoy excellent relations. Since
Azerbaijan’s independence, Turkey has displayed solidarity with
Azerbaijan and will continue its endeavors in this perspective. The
close relations that so happily exist between our two countries will
be further reinforced by economic and trade partnerships.

Regional co-operation schemes are undoubtedly pivotal in order to
improve the regional climate amongst the countries in the South
Caucasus. Against this backdrop, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia
have covered significant ground in advancing their trilateral
co-operation, by accomplishing Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline projects and advancing the
Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad project. More of such projects, including
rehabilitation of highways and modernization of border check points
are under consideration.

Needless to say, these bilateral and regional cooperation schemes
which we have long been designing and successfully implementing with
Azerbaijan will not only strengthen to the economic and political role
of Turkey and Azerbaijan, but also will assist the efforts directed
to create a more favourable environment for ensuring peace, security
and prosperity in our region.

Question: Armenia and different pro-Armenian factions are constantly
aiming to taint the history of the Turkish people and raising the
issue of the so-called "Armenian Genocide" of 1915. Simultaneously,
the Armenian aggression against Azerbaijan continues and Azerbaijan’s
territory is under Armenian occupation. What measure does Turkey
intend to take to refute the Armenian propaganda.

Answer: The Armenian circles have significantly increased their
activities so as to have their baseless claims regarding the events
of 1915 recognized by the national parliaments of the third countries.

We are of the opinion that history should be left to the judgments
of historians. In this context, I would like to mention that the
documents in the Ottoman archives including the military ones are the
primary source for the research of the historians and have been open
for all researchers for a long time.

In 2005, Turkey proposed to Armenia the establishment of a joint
commission composed of Turkish and Armenian historians and other
experts to study the developments and events of 1915, in the archives
of Turkey and Armenia and all other relevant archives in the third
countries and to share their findings with the international community.

We have not received any positive reply from the Armenian side to
our proposal, yet.

We expect the support of the friendly countries to this historical
proposal.

Question: What further assistance is the Turkish Government prepared
to offer in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict?

Answer: Turkey believes that "frozen conflicts" in the South Caucasus
undermine the efforts that are geared towards lasting peace and
stability in the region. Resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
and withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied Azerbaijani
territories are long overdue. It certainly is needless to emphasize
that any solution in this vein must respect Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity. Return of the internally displaced persons is a pressing
humanitarian issue, requiring our constant attention, and thus should
also be urgently addressed.

Last year was viewed by the international community, including my
country, as a window of opportunity in the resolution process.

However, we regret to note that the efforts so far exerted have
failed to yield a meaningful breakthrough that is acceptable to both
sides. The international community, therefore, should urge Armenia to
adopt forthcoming and constructive policies towards its neighbours,
fully adhering to international law. Turkey, for its part, will
sustain its efforts to facilitate a solution based on a compromise,
and in any case acceptable for Azerbaijan.

Question: Several monuments have been built in Azerbaijan in the memory
of Turkish soldiers who died for the independence of Azerbaijan. How
do you feel about commemorating the Azerbaijani volunteers who died
in the battle for Chanaggala?

Answer: Our ties of kinship with Azerbaijan are exceptionally strong.

We share the same language, same religion and enjoy common cultural
and historical bonds. The sacrifices of the Azerbaijani volunteers
who died during the battle of Canakkale should come as no surprise for
those who can appreciate the sentiments surrounding the relationship
between our peoples.

In this respect, we consider the Azerbaijani martyrs no different than
hundreds of thousands of Turkish men and women who have lost their
lives while defending their homeland. They found their eternal resting
place in Canakkale War Cemetery and in our hearts as the soldiers of
the Caucasian Islamic Army, who were martyred in 1918 in Azerbaijan

Question: Is the Turkish Government satisfied with current amount of
goods turnover between the two countries? How it could be boosted?

Answer: The Bilateral trade volume between Turkey and Azerbaijan has
been growing steadily at an average rate of about %40 since 2003,
reaching 1,025 billion Dollars in 2006. The increase in Turkey’s
imports of oil and its by-products, as well as other intermediate
goods from Azerbaijan, played an important role in increasing the
bilateral trade volume.

In spite of the fast growing pace of trade between Turkey and
Azerbaijan, the level of bilateral trade is far from reflecting the
true economic potential between the two countries.

I believe that Turkey will become the first trading partner of
Azerbaijan within a few years. For this, further diversification
of the products which are subject to trade, gradual liberalization
of bilateral trade, improving the transport infrastructure and
simplification of custom procedures are the necessary steps.

The Turkish-Azerbaijani Joint Economic Council, which is an important
mechanism contributing to the development of our bilateral economic
relations held its 4th session in Baku in July 2006.

The meeting produced an opportunity to adopt decisions that will
enable the increase of the trade turnover.

We should intensify our joint efforts for increasing the volume of
bilateral trade between our countries.

Question: Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia have been successfully
cooperating over three huge regional projects – BTC, BTE and BTK.

What additional efforts could these countries take for cooperation and
implementation of the new projects? In what major directions should
these countries unite efforts for more efficient use of these serious
arguments in international policy?

Answer: The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and the
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum natural gas pipeline, being among the most
important regional projects carried out by our countries, are success
stories.

However, we should not stop here. Recent developments in the energy
sector have once again demonstrated the importance of diversification
of supply sources and routes. In this context, the contributions that
Turkey and Azerbaijan could make for the global and regional energy
supply security became more visible.

Following the recent developments, the Trans Caspian Natural Gas
Project has gained importance and urgency. Together with Azerbaijan,
we should strive for the realization of this project. This project
which foresees the transportation of Turkmen and Kazakh gas to western
markets will strengthen the roles of Turkey and Azerbaijan in the
enhancement of energy supply security. Only after the realization of
this project, the East-West Energy Corridor will have been completed.

On the other hand, The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars New Railway Connection (BTE)
Project, together with the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum
energy pipeline projects are important not only for economic reasons
but also because they constitute a cultural bridge between Asia
and Europe.

The signing of the Intergovernmental Agreement between
Turkey-Azerbaijan-Georgia on 7 February 2007 in Tbilisi was
an important step towards realizing this important project. The
foundations of the new railway line will be laid as early as summer
of this year.

Realization of these significant projects will promote prosperity and
thus contribute to stability in the whole of the region. Therefore,
we should increase our efforts to convey this message to the world
opinion.

Question: Does Turkey plan to increase investing in the development
of non-oil sector of Azerbaijan and what areas are of your country’s
interest?

Answer: Since the early days of its independence, Turkish entrepreneurs
have been active in Azerbaijan, establishing firms in various economic
sectors and thus, contributing to the establishment of a competitive
free market economy in Azerbaijan.

Today, the total value of Turkish investments in various sectors
of Azerbaijan, excluding the petroleum sector, is estimated to be
as high as 2.5 billion Dollars, making Turkey, with a 45% share,
the most important foreign investor in that sector.

Our mutual aim is to increase the amount of direct investments of large
scale Turkish companies in Azerbaijan. Reforms undertaken successfully
towards improving the foreign investment climate in Azerbaijan will
surely accelerate this process.

Turkish companies can play a vital role in diversifying Azerbaijan’s
economy, notably by investing in the agricultural and food processing
sectors. Turkish companies can also contribute to the modernization
of industrial facilities of Azerbaijan that were built during the
Soviet era.

In this context, intensified dialogue between the business communities
of the two countries will be instrumental in developing mutual
investments. In this regard, Turkish-Azerbaijan Business Council is
an important mechanism that should be rendered even more active.

I am convinced that both Turkish investments in Azerbaijan and Azeri
investments in Turkey can be considerably increased in the near future,
given that we provide the private sector necessary incentives, as
well as, a convenient investment climate to operate in.

NEITHER BAKU NOR YEREVAN CONSIDER QUESTION OF MEMBERSHIP IN NATO?

Regnum, Russia
March 12 2007

The issue of joining NATO is not on Armenia’s foreign policy agenda,
Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan told reporters today. As
a REGNUM correspondent informs, according to Oskanyan, the Individual
Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) is the key regulating document of the
bilateral relations. "Implementation of all IPAP statements takes
too much time; in this connection we intend to focus development
of our relations with NATO in the context of the program only,"
the minister said.

Commenting on the question how Armenia assesses the possibility
of Georgia entering NATO, Oskanyan said that the Armenian side had
repeatedly stated that every country resolves issues of its security
being guided by its own interests. Until the process is based on
a common dialog, there will be no negative consequences for the
region, the minister believes. "Cooperating with NATO and other
institutions, we are seeking one aim: to maximally secure regional
safety, so political dialog and cooperation are extremely important,"
Oskanyan concluded.

Speaking on prospects of Azerbaijan entering NATO, Jean Fournet,
NATO Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy said that the
question is not on the agenda of Baku’s foreign policy either. "We have
cooperation with Azerbaijan in the frameworks of IPAP. And partnership
is already a very important and stable factor," he concluded.

DeFacto Agency, Armenia
March 10 2007

RA FM: BAKU’S STATEMENTS DO NOT ALWAYS CORRESPOND TO SPIRIT AND
ESSENCE OF THE DOCUMENT ON THE NEGOTIATING TABLE

RA and AR FMs’ Geneva meeting to be held March 14 may become
positive, RA FM Vardan Oskanian stated at a press conference held
March 9, IA REGNUM reports. According to the Minister, the meeting
may be positive, unless the Azeri party makes complications.
In his words, OSCE Minsk group Co-Chairs are seriously preparing the
two FMs’ meeting and hope after the Parliamentary elections are held
in Armenia a meeting of the two countries’ Presidents will be
organized. `’The Co-Chairs wish positive shifts to be fixed in the
negotiation process at the Foreign Ministers’ level before the
meeting of Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan”, Vardan Oskanian
noted, adding OSCE MG French Co-Chair Bernard Fassier, who had left
Yerevan for Baku, would again visit Yerevan March 12.
Touching upon the Azeri party’s last statements concerning the
current stage of Nagorno-Karabagh conflict settlement, Vardan
Oskanian remarked the Azeri party’s statements did not always
correspond to the spirit and essence of a document on the negotiating
table. According to RA FM, the Nagorno-Karabagh leadership is always
informed of the talks’ course. `’They can have their viewpoint, they
may not agree with something, however, we inform (the
Nagorno-Karabagh authorities – ed.) of the talks after every meeting
with the Azeri party”, Vardan Oskanian stated.
RA FM also stated it was premature to speak of the Azeri refugees’
return to the places of their residence in the Nagorno-Karabagh.
`’Until all the details of the possible conduct of a referendum in
Nagorno-Karabagh are verified, in part, the terms and who can
participate in it, it is premature to speak of the refugees’
return”, Vardan Oskanian summed up.