Author: Torgomian Varazdat

TURKEY SAYS PIPELINE TALKS WITH GDF CONTINUING

Agence France Presse — English
April 6, 2007 Friday 2:43 PM GMT

Turkey is still negotiating with Gaz de France (GDF) for the French
firm to take a stake in a major gas pipeline project, a foreign
ministry official said Friday.

A press report had claimed Thursday that state-owned Turkish oil
and gas company BOTAS had suspended talks with GDF because of French
pressure to label Turkish action against Armenians during World War
I as genocide.

"This is not a final decision. We understand that the negotiating
process has not yet come to an end," the diplomat told AFP on the
condition of anonymity.

"This is a commercial issue between companies and they will make the
final decision on the basis of financial considerations," he added.

The five-company Nabucco consortium involving BOTAS plans to build
a 3,300-kilometre (2,000-mile) pipeline that will carry natural gas
from the Middle East and Central Asia to the European Union via Turkey
and the Balkans, bypassing Russia.

The other partners are Austria’s oil and gas group OMV, Hungary’s MOL,
Bulgaria’s Bulgargaz and Romania’s Transgaz.

The consortium is seeking a sixth partner in the six-billion-dollar
(4.5-billion-euro) project, expected to become operational in 2012.

The other partners reportedly approved GDF’s participation, but BOTAS
has opposed it because of a French draft law on the Armenian massacres.

A bill was adopted by the National Assembly in Paris in October
calling for jail sentences for those who deny that Ottoman Turks
committed genocide against Armenians during World War I.

It must still go before the Senate, then back to the lower house
before becoming law.

Turkey had at the time threatened unspecified measures against the
bill, which followed a 2001 resolution by the French parliament
recognising the killings as genocide.

In November, the Turkish army froze bilateral military ties with
France over the bill.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million of their kin perished in orchestrated
killings between 1915 and 1917 under the Ottoman Empire.

Turkey categorically rejects the genocide label and says thousands of
Turks and Armenians were killed in civil strife when Armenians took
up arms for independence in eastern Anatolia and sided with Russian
troops invading the crumbling empire.

1147 PEOPLE TARGET AT 131-SEAT PARLIAMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.04.2007 15:48 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ 1147 candidates target at 131-seat parliament. 133
candidates will run by the majority system; 24 parties and one bloc
will run by proportional system. The RA CEC completed the process
of registration of political forces that submitted the essential
documents.

Registration of parties was closed up April 4; registration of
candidates by majority system in 41 electoral districts was finished
April 5. 7 out of 141 candidates were rejected, IA Regnum reports.

KOSOVO PARLIAMENT ADOPTED MARTI AHTISAARI’S PLAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
07.04.2007 15:04 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Parliament of Kosovo adopted the plan of UN
Special Representative Marti Ahtisaari. The document concerns the
status of region in the framework of conflict settlement between
Serbia and Kosovo Albanians, who press for establishing their own
state. The Parliament of Kosovo expressed support to the settlement
plan. The adopted resolution says the Ahtisaari plan is " a legal and
balanced solution that corresponds to the free will of Kosovo people".

Parliamentarians stated about their "unconditional support for
international civil and military presence in Kosovo" and committed to
"cooperate and assist that presence in every possible way", ITAR-TASS
reports.

At the same time Serbian President Boris Tadić stressed Serbia
will not agree with Kosovo and Metochia’s independence and will
struggle for its sovereignty and territorial integrity by all legal
ways. "Neither country in the world will agree with such a plan that
allows a part of its territory to cut off without his consent, since
it’s a question of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the state,"
the Serbian leader stated.

The Ahtisaari plan on Kosovo settlement supposes granting the
autonomous region wide attributes of independent, practically excluding
any possibility for Belgrade to influence on domestic life of Kosovo.

Alongside the document supposes a certain control over Kosovo by
international, and first of all European organizations.

EXHIBITION OF ARSHILE GORKY’S WORKS OPENED IN PARIS

Noyan Tapan
Apr 05 2007

PARIS, APRIL 5, NOYAN TAPAN. An exhibition of American Armenian great
painter Arshile Gorky’s (Vostanik Adoyan, 1904-1948) works opened
on April 2 at the Pompidou Center of the Paris National Museum of
Modern Art and at the Calouste Gulbenkian cultural center within the
framework of the Year of Armenia in France. More than 40 canvases and
drawings of the painter which were brought from the U.S., Portugal,
England as well as from the Pompidou Center and separate individuals’
collections are presented.

Chairman of the George Pompidou Art and Culture National Center Bruno
Racine, Emilio Rui Vilar (Lisbon), the Administrative Council Chairman
of the Calouste Gulbenkian institution and Ambassador of Armenia Eduard
Nalbandian participated in opening of the exhibitions. According to
the information submitted to Noyan Tapan by the RA Foreign Ministry’s
Press and Information Department, A. Gorky’s wife, daugther and
grandchildran also participated in the ceremony.

EU CONFERENCE CALLS ON TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE ITS CHRISTIAN HOLOCAUST

ml?newsid=6635&lang=US
Thursday, 05 April 2007

Brussels – A conference related to what has been often called as
the Christian Holocaust, that is the destruction and genocide of
Christian Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians, was held early last week
in the European Parliament in Brussels.

The event was hosted by the European parliamentary groups of the
European United Left-Nordic Green Left, and the Seyfo Center, an
Assyrian institution working on increasing wider public awareness of
the genocide of the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks by Turkey.

The genocide took place in the years between the end of the Ottoman
empire and the creation of the Turkish state by Mustafa Kemal Pasha
(Ataturk). It has been estimated that at least 3.5 million Christians
were slaughtered and another 2 million were forced to exile.

The panel speakers included MEP Eva-Britt Svensson of the GUE/NGL,
Sabri Atman, Director of the Seyfo Center, Prof. Dr. David Gaunt,
Sodertorns University College, Sweden, MEP Markus Ferber of the EVP-ED,
and Dr. Willy Fautre, Director Human Rights Without Frontiers, a
major human rights NGO. The panel was chaired by Ms. Nicme Seven of
the Assyrian Youth Federation.

MEP Svensson called for Turkey’s membership in the EU, but not without
first complying with the Copenhagen criteria regarding the genocide as
well as the "unrestricted opening of Ottoman archives for the world
to see." Svensson further stated that "in a democratic environment,
such issues should be discussed openly and not suppressed. Turkey
should not be an exception."

Sabri Atman agreed that the current Turkish position regarding
the genocide and the silence by the EU countries is ethically
unacceptable. "33% of the [Turkish] population was Christian. Today
in Turkey, the total number of Christian people only amounts to 0.1%
of the population. What happened to these people? What happened to
the Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks? Where are they? Where did they
disappear to?" he asked.

Atman also addressed some of the counter arguments offered by some
Turkish politicians that "Armenian organizations were fighting against
the Turkish authority for independence and for that reason hundreds
of thousands of Armenians lost their lives. This is just complete
fabrication. How about the Assyrians, which Assyrian organization
was fighting for independence? "

Prof. Gaunt provided an answer to Mr. Atman’s questions by stating
that "evidence shows that Assyrians did not have any armed offensive
measures". Gaunt also provided a historical overview of the genocide
and how it expanded past the Ottoman areas and well into Persia. He
also completed a book on the Assyrian genocide.

Dr. Willy Fautre, focused on the specific Assyrian experience during
the genocide and the current activities of Turkish groups in Brussels,
the capital of Belgium and the European Union. On the Assyrian
experience, Fautre stressed that "based on the formal definition of
Genocide, the widespread persecution of the Assyrian civilians indeed
constituted a form of Genocide. Up to now the international community
has been hesitant in recognizing the Assyrian experience as a form
of genocide. However, the Assyrian Genocide is indistinguishable,
in form, from its Armenian counterpart."

Fautre also provided numerous accounts of blatant interference and
activities by Turkish groups in Belgium to suppress any talks and
actions that shed light on the genocide perpetrated by Turkey. He
called on the Belgian government to take action by recognizing the
genocide unambiguously as well as have their government members do
so and by screening their candidates regarding the genocide and to
swear the allegiance to the Belgian state.

MEP Markus Ferber stressed that the evidence, he has seen, shows that
over 3 million people (Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians) were victims
of genocide by Turkey and that his party will only support membership
if Turkey faces its past and addresses it. Ferber went even further
and opposed a full membership of Turkey, offering insted the status of
"privileged partner."

Finally, Ms. Nicme Seven explained that the conference was held at
this specific week when Turkey’s chief EU negotiator Ali Babacan is
to travel to Brussels to attend the intergovernmental conference for
the restart of membership talks with Turkey.

EU accession negotiations with Turkey have been at a standstill for
almost a year for reasons related to the Cyprus problem, Turkish
obligations towards EU and Cyprus and the European public’s profound
opposition to the EU membership of Turkey, a Muslim country.

The European Parliament conference hall was filled over capacity by
mostly Assyrian family members of genocide victims and survivors who
traveled from various European countries and even the USA.

The conference was concluded by the signing of a joint press statement
by the panel speakers, in which it was stressed among others that
Turkey must come to terms with the genocide of its Christian minorities
before obtaining EU membership.

�he governments of various EU member-states, among which France and
Greece, have also stressed the necessity for Turkey to acknowledge
the genocides of Armenians, Greeks and Assyrians before eventually
acceding to the European Union.

>From AINA and other sources

–Boundary_(ID_eslK0/o6FUGlUxIFq+Og5w)–

RUSSIA FM WINDING UP OFFICIAL VISIT TO ARMENIA WED

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
April 4, 2007 Wednesday

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday is winding up
his official visit to Armenia and departs for a working visit to
Turkmenistan in order to discuss with the country’s leadership issues
related to the development of bilateral cooperation.

Lavrov’s talks in Yerevan with his Armenian colleague Vartan Oskanian
focused, among other things, on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In the words of the Russian minister, the conflict "is qualifying
for the unique status, because in the practical sense the interests
of the United States, Russia, the EU do not contradict each other,
as well as the conflicting sides."

"A specific project has been worked out within the OSCE Minsk group
that makes it possible to untie the knot, but the Armenian and
Azerbaijani leadership have the final say," Lavrov stressed. "We
highly assess the sides’ efforts to settle the conflict," he said.

"Russia will be ready to act as a guarantor of the agreements," the
Russian diplomacy head noted. "We want a quick conflict settlement and
hope that the sides will manage to reach agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh
in the near future," Lavrov pointed out.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikhail Kamynin said that the
programme of Lavrov’s visit to Turkmenistan "envisages meetings with
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov and Turkmen Foreign Minister
Rashid Meredov."

The sides "will consider the state of and prospects for the development
of bilateral relations in the economic sphere," according to Kamynin.

"The Russian side considers necessary to take a number of additional
steps in order to make relations in this sphere more stable and
sustained, more fully use with this end in view the two countries’
rich potential," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman pointed out.

"In Ashgabat the sides will exchange views on international problems,
the situation in the Central Asian region, on the settlement of the
Caspian Sea legal status," Kamynin said.

AZERBAIJAN TO CHAIR COUNCIL OF EUROPE COMMITTEE OF MINISTERS IN 2014

Today, Azerbaijan
April 3 2007

Serbia will chair the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe
from next year.

The Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis paid a two-day
visit to this country in connection with rotation of the chairmanship
to Serbia. Serbia will take over the chairmanship of the Committee
of Ministers from San Marino in May.

The chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers transfers to one of
the CE member states once in six months according to the alphabet.

Azerbaijan will chair the Committee from May till November in 2014.

Armenia will chair the CE Committee of Ministers on May-November 2013,
Turkey November-May in 2011.

The period of the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers can change
in connection with admission of new members to the Council of Europe,
APA reports.

URL:

MOST OF PARTICIPANTS OF RA STOCK MARKET DO NOT SEE THREAT OF ENTRY OF COMMERCIAL BANKS IN CORPORATE EQUITY MARKET

Arminfo
2007-03-30 12:49:00

The most of financial analysts and participants of Armenia’s stock
market do not see a threat of entry of the commercial banks in the
corporate equity market. This is the result of voting upon completion
of yesterday’s "English debates" in the "Marriott Armenia", organized
by an independent Rating Agency AmRating, a member of the international
Global Rating Group. The debates with participation of over 40 banks,
Heads of Investment Companies and experts were dedicated to the
subject " Entry of Commercial Banks in the Corporate Equity Market –
a Threat of Financial Stability and Development of the Market. Is it
true?". The debates were held under support of the USAID, the EAST
WEST MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE within the frames of the "Partners for
Financial Stability" Programme.

In his speech, an independent expert and a management specialist
Harutiun Mesropyan reminded the participants that after several
unsuccessful attempts to create a civilized stock market in Armenia,
the matter now concerns a more extended model that envisages an
activation in the market of banking Institutes. In his opinion,
the admittance of the banks to the corporate equity market will be
accompanied by risks and threats. "The practice shows that if we
want to create a free market in a limited space, where everyone
knows each other, and many of those aware do not say about it,
some undercover problems for this market creation arouse here. The
involvement of the banking system in a non-formed stock market means
an appearance of additional risks in the banking activities. A strong
market monopolization and oligarchy exist in Armenia", he said.

In the opinion of the member of the Board of RA Central Bank, Vache
Gabrielyan, the stock market at the present stage of development
is necessary not only for the economy in whole, but for the banking
system, in particular.

According to him, the financial world had forgotten the times of
depression long ago, that entailed a separation of the investment and
commercial banking. It is groundless to beware of the fact that the
banking system will not be able to manage the risks of the stock
market that just starts to appear in the country. Moreover, the
legislative experience, accumulated by Armenia’s regulator within
the latest 15 years, and the whole world practical experience show
that the risks can be managed, while the regulation mechanisms are
well studied and are successfully applied in many countries. "At the
present stage of development, the stock markets are necessary not
only for the economy in whole, but for the banking system as well,
since the banking sector of Armenia without the more or less developed
stock markets will not grow with such high rates that are presently
observed ", V. Garbrielyan stressed.

Along with it, in the opinion of the Head of the "Cascade Investment"
company, Haik Papyan, the participation of banks and other mortgage
companies in a stock market is welcomed, but only provided that
common regulative rules are available. He is sure that there should
be no privileged participants in the market. He noted that the draft
legislation puts the banking and mortgage companies in a priority
position that threatens the financial stability. "The one that
participates in this market should obey the same legislation, that
is, there should be no privileged participants", the expert said. "I
would not like for you to be given an impression that the banks are
striving for the stock market", he stressed addressing the audience.

The chairman of the board of ArmSwissBank Gevork Machayan supported
the market regulator project as giving commercial banks access to
the investment market. At the same time, he pointed out that all
participants must be given equal opportunities. "We have been marking
time for already 15 years. It is time to take specific actions. If
we do everything correctly, we will succeed. We all should change
our views and start proposing new products. It is always like this
on the market: some people lose, some people gain," Machayan said.

Speaking of the stock market development in Armenia, the co-director
of AEPLAC Tigran Jrbashyan pointed out that the country has strong
informal institutions and a very conservative market. What we have
today is not a securities market or stock exchange and even if we
push the banks they will not go to this market as they have nothing
to do there. In the coming three years Armenia will hardly have a
developed corporate stock market but we should start developing it,
linking it with other markets (possibly Russian and European) with
technologies and laws.

It is necessary to integrate the Armenian stock market into the global
stock market. At first, we should trade not in the shares of Armenian
corporates but in the shares of the markets they will be connected
with. As soon as the Armenian companies realize that they can invest,
get profit and carry out transactions, they will enter the market. Only
5-10 companies will act on this market in the coming 10 years. For
example, in some 3-5 years companies like ArmenTel, ArmRosgazprom,
Electric Network of Armenia, Zangazour Copper-Molybdenum Factory,
Armenal may appear on the market with corporate securities. Today we
should realize that we have no stock market and by letting banks in
we will stimulate its development.

The representative of IFC in Armenia Nerses Karamanukyan pointed
out the necessity of enlarging the number of potential market
participants and supporting banks in their work with clients. The
banks should encourage their clients to enter the market with their
own shares. We should train clients, inform them about stock market
and its advantages.

The chief editor of Delovoy Express newspaper Eduard Nagdalyan said
that the past 15 years of stock market stagnation, huge shadow economy
and high rate of monopolization inspire little hope for success. "I
doubt that this is the right moment. There is a big danger that we
may discredit good ideas once again," he said.

The president of Global Rating Group Richard Hainsworth pointed out
that similar measures have already been carried out in Eastern and
South-Western Europe. This is a good ground for partner relations and
exchange of experience and this is good for financial stability. This
is very important for the markets of the countries who have different
situations but common roots – something they should use to find the
right way.

ITALIAN CO. WINS TURKISH HELI CONTRACT
By Selcan Hacaoglu Associated Press Writer

BusinessWeek
March 30 2007

ANKARA, Turkey – Italy’s Agusta Aerospace on Friday won a major
Turkish tender worth $2.7 billion to co-produce attack helicopters
as Turkey sought to diversify resources from its usual supplier _
the United States.

For the first time since they began cooperating in arms sales,
no U.S. companies bid for the contract because of strict Turkish
regulations. The rules stipulate Turkey be given full access to
the aircraft’s specific software codes _ which the U.S. considers a
security risk _ and a guarantee from the provider’s government that
there would be no political obstacles to the sale.

U.S. firms have been the main arms suppliers to Turkey, a key
element of NATO’s southern flank during the Cold War. Turkey, whose
neighbors include Iran, Iraq, Syria and traditional rival Greece,
has been eager to supply its large army, which is also dealing with
a domestic Kurdish insurgency.

The contract is for the co-production of 30 Mangusta A-129 helicopters
with an option for 20 more, Defense Minister Vecdi Gonul said. The
Turkish model will be named T-129.

The only other company to be shortlisted in the tender was Denel of
South Africa. Franco-German company Eurocopter and Kamov of Russia
were eliminated earlier in the process.

Denel’s Rooivalk helicopter was powered by an engine manufactured by
France _ with whom Turkey suspended military relations in November
in response to proposed French legislation that would criminalize
denying that the mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire at
the end of World War I amounted to genocide.

Asked whether the use of a French engine in the South African model and
the tensions with France over the Armenian bill negatively affected
the selection process, Gonul said: "all aspects were evaluated,"
private Dogan news agency reported.

But Gonul said the main factor in the decision was the huge price
difference, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported. He did
not elaborate.

Turkey imposed new bidding rules for military contracts in 2005, after
it canceled a 2004 tender when a deal for U.S. firm Bell Helicopter
Textron’s "King Cobra" _ a Turkish version of the AH-1Z Super Cobra
used by U.S. Marines _ collapsed over price, technology transfer and
licensing problems.

Turkey went through a low point in defense relations with Washington
following its refusal to host U.S. troops for the invasion of Iraq
in 2003. It has actively sought out other potential arms suppliers,
making Turkey’s business less attractive for U.S. companies.

The new rules also empower Turkey to substitute alternative, locally
manufactured components such as weapon systems, the mission computer,
avionics and electronic warfare suites, and require the supplier to
integrate other systems or equipment built by Turkish companies.

Turkey’s concerns over technological control of its weaponry increased
after it faced arms blockades from several countries because of
human rights problems in its fight against Kurdish guerrillas, while
Washington demanded Turkish progress on human rights as a condition
for arms sales.

Meanwhile, Turkish firm Otokar, which produces armored vehicles, won
a tender of $500 million to develop a main battle tank prototype,
private CNN-Turk television said. If successful, the firm could be
granted the authority to produce tanks to replace Turkey’s aging tanks.

Gonul expressed hope that his country would be allowed to produce
upgraded F-16 warplanes under U.S. license. Turkey had assembled
previous F-16 models under U.S. license.

FOREIGN MINISTRY: "US SENATE’S RESOLUTION ON DINK MURDER WON’T SERVE ANYONE’S INTEREST"

Turkish Press
Star
March 30 2007

A Foreign Ministry statement said yesterday that a resolution passed
by the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee condemning the murder of
journalist Hrant Dink, who was convicted with "insulting Turkishness,"
a crime under controversial penal code Article 301, would not serve
anybody’s interests. The resolution reopened the question of whether
Congress should weigh in on the debate over the Armenian genocide
allegations. The Foreign Ministry also said that the resolution would
only help those who want to illicitly link the murder with the events
of 1915.