Author: Tvankchian Parkev

TERRI DAVIS DOES NOT CONFIRM FACT OF INVITING KOKOITY AND BAGAPSH IN CE

Prime News
Jan 24 2008
Georgia

Tbilisi. January 24 (Prime-News) – Terri Davis, Secretary General of
European Council, does not confirm fact of inviting Eduard Kokoity,
De-facto president of South Ossetia, and Sergey Bagapsh, De-facto
president of Abkhazia, in CE to hear their points of view.

The CoE press office spread a statement, which said the information
of the Georgian TV companies is "completely untrue."

"The position of the Secretary General in support of the territorial
integrity of Georgia is unequivocal, well known and consistent. He
has no intention to invite or meet any representatives from these
two breakaway regions which are a part of Georgia, and he has made
no statements to this effect," the statement said.

Georgian TV reported that the proposal to invite the secessionist
leaders, came from the Armenian PACE delegation and was supported by
Russia. No formal decision has yet been taken.

HRANT DINK COMMEMORATED IN PARIS

PanARMENIAN.Net
22.01.2008 17:13 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An event dedicated to memory of slain Turkish
Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was held in Paris, independent
correspondent Jean Eckian told PanARMENIAN.Net.

Edward Nalbandian, Armenia’s Ambassador to France, and Alexis Govciyan,
President of the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of
France (CCAF) attended the ceremony.

The Archbishop of Paris, Norvan Zakarian, evoked the drama of Istanbul
with a metaphor pointing out the history of Cain and Abel. "To kill
or deny is much easier than to reform and face the truth," he said.

BARRACK OBAMA VOWS TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

Lragir
Jan 21 2008
Armenia

The U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama pledged to recognize
the Armenian genocide if he is elected president.

"Obama made a statement urging the U.S. Congress to pass Resolution
106 on the recognition of the genocide of Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire at the beginning of the past century," runs the release of
the Armenian National Committee of America.

PACE ADOPTS WRITTEN DECLARATION BY AZERBAIJANI MP

Azeri Press Agency
Jan 21 2008
Azerbaijan

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has
adopted a written declaration submitted by MP Ganira Pashayeva,
member of Azerbaijani delegation to PACE, APA Bureau reports.

The written declaration, undersigned by more than 30 members of the
Assembly, recalls independence movements, events leading to Black
January, invasion of Baku by 26,000 Soviet troops, atrocious attack on
innocent civilians, slaughtering 133 people and wounding approximately
700 on January 20.

A report published by Human Rights Watch was quoted in the declaration
as saying "among the most heinous violations of human rights…were the
numerous attacks on medical personnel, ambulances and even hospitals".

The second document, a motion for recommendations, presented by Ms
Pashayeva and others, recalls destruction of Azerbaijani historic
monuments and cultural heritage by Armenia in the occupied Azerbaijani
territories for 20 years.

Having expressed its deep concern over the destruction of Azerbaijani
historic monuments inconsistent with European values the Assembly
encourages the Committee of Ministers and CoE member-states: – to
call immediately on the Council of Europe member states to take the
necessary steps to influence Armenia to stop destruction of Azerbaijani
historic monuments on the occupied Azerbaijani territories; – to give
a legal and political assessment to these actions by Armenia; – to call
on Armenia to implement Resolution 1416 from 2003 (demanding withdrawal
of Armenian forces from the occupied Azerbaijani territories). /APA/

RESOLUTION OF NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT WILL HELP AZERBAIJAN ASSUME ROLE AS BRIDGE BETWEEN EU AND CENTRAL ASIA: AZERBAIJAN FOREIGN MINISTER

Trend News Agency
Jan 21 2008
Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, Baku, 21 January / corr Trend K.Ramazanova / The Resolution
of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh will help
Azerbaijan assume its role as a bridge between the EU and Central Asia,
according to Elmar Mammadyarov, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister.

As the EU expansion moves further east, Central Asia, with its rich
oil and gas resources, is becoming increasingly important, the minister
said during an interview for The Wall Street Journal.

The EU must have a strong interest to develop stability and the economy
in a region that could play a central role in helping Europe meet its
energy needs. Closer relations with Azerbaijan can also be seen as
part of a European outreach to Central Asia, he said. "I believe that
Armenia would also benefit from regional integration and development,
and should look beyond the lingering conflict. The resolution of this
issue would not only improve our bilateral relations but could also
improve Armenia’s relationship with Turkey," Mammadyarov said.

"A European perspective of closer economic integration is as relevant
to the Caspian as is the partnership with Russia and China.

Azerbaijan is committed to pursuing all these links. However, a truly
regional framework hinges on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, which is why this problem can no longer wait," he said.

The conflict between the two countries of the South Caucasus began
in 1988 due to Armenian territorial claims against Azerbaijan. Since
1992, Armenian Armed Forces have occupied 20% of Azerbaijan including
the Nagorno-Karabakh region and its seven surrounding districts. In
1994, Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement at which
time the active hostilities ended. The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk
Group ( Russia, France, and the US) are currently holding peaceful
negotiations.

Russia & CIS General Newswire
January 15, 2008 Tuesday 10:18 AM MSK

Azerbaijan interested in Nagorno-Karabakh settlement – Minsk Group
co- chairman

BAKU Jan 15

Co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group have discussed Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement proposals in Baku, Russia’s co- chairman of the Minsk
Group Yury Merzlyakov said.

"As yet, we learnt the position of one party [Azerbaijan]. Now we
have to talk with the other party [Armenia]. I can say that Baku’s
reaction was positive. Everything is normal and even good," Merzlykov
told journalists before leaving Baku for Yerevan on Monday evening.

Merzlyakov, however, did not voice the essence of settlement
proposals.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian
Affairs, U.S. co-chairman of the Minsk Group Matthew Bryza also
hailed the Baku talks, saying that Azeri President Ilkham Aliyev has
a desire to reach an agreement and wants to settle the problem within
the framework of Azeri interests.

The parties to the conflict have a potential to come to a common
denominator, Bryza said. The talks are a competition to a certain
extent, and every party protects its interests, the U.S. diplomat
said.

One cannot say that the Madrid proposals satisfy both parties, Bryza
said, adding that there exist elements that make the parties both
satisfied and dissatisfied at the same time.

ARMEN RUSTAMIAN: I MISTRUST STATEMENTS ABOUT DEFINITE DEADLINES FOR SETTLEMENT OF CONFLICTS

Noyan Tapan
Jan 17 2007

YEREVAN, JANUARY 17, NOYAN TAPAN. Definite deadlines for solution of
the Karabakh problem have been indicated repeatedly in recent years,
however, "the cart has not yet moved", member of the ARF Armenia
Supreme Body Armen Rustamian said during a talk with NT correspondent
when commenting on the U.S. co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew
Bryza’s statement about the possibility to make progress in negotiation
process in 2008. "I mistrust statements about definite deadlines for
settlement of conflicts," he remarked.

He expressed his disagreement with the idea that the upcoming
presidential elections in Armenia and Azerbaijan will not close "the
window of opportunities" for settlement. He attached importance to
the fact that the current president of Azerbaijan may run in the
elections and continue his presidency, while Robert Kocharian may
not. A. Rustamian reminded that the son Aliev, who continues the
political course of his father in the Karabakh problem, stated after
coming to power that negotiations must start from the beginning
which caused considerable difficulties in ensuring the continuity
of negotiations. The election of the new president of Armenia may
essentialy change the process of negotiations, and, according to
A. Rustamian, the current visit of co-chairs to the region has the
purpose of examining such opportunities.

A. Rustamian agreed with the critical remark of the former Russian
co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Vladimir Kazimirov that the Armenian
side is not active enough in negotiation process. According to him,
the nonparticipation of Nagorno Karabakh – a conflict party in
negotiations is "nonsense" and there are no such examples in the
resolution of other conflicts.

A. Rustamian said that the Kosovo problem is in the center of attention
of the international community, and the Karabakh problem will hardly
be put on the agenda in the near future. At the same time he pointed
out that the Kosovo process cannot suspend the active course of other
processes, especially as, despite the stated deadlines, it is still
unclear when the Kosovo problem will be solved. In the opinion of
A. Rustamian, although it is said that the possibility of using the
formula of Kosovo problem’s settlement in other similar conflicts
is excluded, the solution of this problem, whatever it be, will
undoubtedly have an impact on settlement of the other problems.

OSCE MG FRENCH CO-CHAIR: 2008 WILL BECOME CRUCIAL FOR SETTLEMENT OF KARABAKH CONFLICT

arminfo
2008-01-16 16:14:00

ArmInfo. We have already stated that the year 2008 will become crucial
for settlement of Karabakh conflict, the parties have a good will
and that there is hope for a breakthrough in the implementation of
basic principles in the current year, OSCE Misnk Group French Co-chair
Bernard Fassier said at a meeting with NKR President in Stepanakert,
ArmInfo special correspondent to Stepanakert reports. The mediators
arrived in NKR on January 15 within the frames of their visit to
the region.

The French Co-chair stressed that it is desirable to make this
breakthrough before the presidential election in Armenia, but it is not
easy. However, it will be better if the breakthrough is made after the
election in Armenia or in Azerbaijan. There is such possibility in the
current year and we intend to achieve specific results, B. Fassier
said. He told journalists that the perspectives of the conflict
settlement, the present situation in Azerbaijan and the relations
of the region’s countries were discussed with NKR president. As
regards the perspectives of Karabakh party joining the negotiations,
Bernard Fassier said the given issue was discussed both in Yerevan and
Baku. Asked if Kosovo can become a precedent for settlement of other
conflicts, the French mediator called it a very difficult question.

The situation in Kosovo is quite different. We told about it in
Yerevan, Baku and Stepanakert. One can take only some aspects of the
Kosovo conflict.

It is an intrastate conflict. In the case of Karabakh we deal with
the international law, the conflict inside Azerbaijan and interstate
conflict at once. The example is single, but the situations are
different, Bernard Fassier said.

PACE WINTER SESSION TO BE CONVENED ON JANUARY 21-25 IN STRASBOURG

YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. The PACE winter session of the
current year will be convened on January 21-25 in Strasbourg. The
Armenian delegation in PACE, led by David Haroutiunian, the Chairman of
the RA NA Standing Committee for State and Legal Issues, a member of
the RPA faction, will also take part in it.

No issues immediately regarding Armenia are on the session’s agenda.
The only issue concerning the South Caucasian countries is the process
of fulfilment of the commitments assumed by Georgia towards the Council
of Europe. Adoption of the respective resolution is also envisaged as a
result of its discussion.

PRODUCTION OF OPTICALLY ACTIVE NONPROTEIN AMINO ACIDS IN SMALL AMOUNTS
STARTS AT "BIOTECHNOLOGY" INSTITUTE

YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. "Biotechnology" Scientific and
Research Institute CJSC of the RA Ministry of Trade and Economic
Development has started producing optically active nonprotein amino
acids in small amounts with grant funds of the International Science
and Technology Center (ISTC), NT correspondent was informed by Gayane
Avetisova, the scintific secretary of "Biotechnology".

According to her, it is the ISTC’s first program, which is being
implemented in Armenia with the aim of commercializing scientific
devlopments. Until now such programs have been related to
implementation of sceintific developments.

The ISTC has allocated funds for the purchase of equipment and reagents
and the repairs of the production space. The program will continue
until March 2008.

G. Avetisova said that nearly 50 types of nonprotein amino acids can be
made at "Biotechnology". Measures aimed at expending their market are
currently being taken. So far "Biotechnology" has supplied nonprotein
amino acids in small amounts only to Acros Organics company (Belgium).