Author: Tvankchian Parkev

TREND, Azerbaijan
July 11 2006

There is no framework agreement at peaceful conversations – Russian
co-chairman of OSCE Minsk Group

Source: Trend
Author: E.Huseynov

11.07.2006

There is still no framework agreement at peaceful conversations on
the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, reportedly said Yuri
Merzlyakov, Russian co-chairman of OSCE Minsk Group, in his exclusive
interview to Trend.

Merzlyakov said arbitrators offered the parties to coordinate the
problem settlement principles prior to developing the agreement on
their basis; besides, co-chairmen do not use in conversation process
such terms as "stage-by-stage", "package", "universal" and so on.

The further state of the conversation process, Russian diplomat went
on, will get defined after the first visit of Matthew Bryza as US
co-chairman of OSCE Minsk Group to the region.

"At the moment I am just not ready to state the situation. It will
get clear when he comes there and listen to the parties’ opinions",
he added. Merzlyakov added that Bryza’s visit to the region had been
originally scheduled to later July or early September.

Answering the question about the preparation to the next meeting
between foreign ministers of presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan,
Merzlyakov said: "The co-chairmen’s last statement says the parties
shall put forward their initiative".

THE DOCUMENT IS ACCEPTABLE FOR ARMENIA

Lragir.am
11 July 06

Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan does not exclude that the
Nagorno-Karabakh issue will be discussed in G8 Summit in St.
Petersburg. He does not think, however, that Robert Kocharyan and
Ilham Aliyev will be invited to meet. "If there were serious progress
in Bucharest, they would be invited," stated Vardan Oskanyan July
11. According to Vardan Oskanyan, the statement of the OSCE Minsk
Group Co-Chairs that they cannot come up with new proposals does
not mean that the Minsk Group-mediated process is over. "Simply the
co-chairs want to say that this is the balanced synthesis of what
the presidents and ministers have been discussing over the past two
years." Vardan Oskanyan believes that the document is not ideal for
anyone and is acceptable for everyone who wants to reach the settlement
of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue on the basis of a compromise.

The chairmanship of the European Union has been assumed by Finland.
Vardan Oskanyan said the representative of Finland will visit Armenia
to discuss the plans of the EU New Neighbors Policy. Finland is likely
to adopt an action plan over the first two months. "I hope that it
will be so, and another country’s obligations will not impact our
relations with the EU."

AZERBAIJAN FOREIGN MINISTER VISITING GERMANY
[July 06, 2006, 21:29:23]

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
July 6 2006

Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov who is now in Germany
on the invitation of his counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier. met with
President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert, Minister of State in the
Foreign Ministry Gernot Erler and Heusgen, Dr. Christoph Foreign and
Security Policy Advisor to the Federal Chancellor to discuss prospect
to further develop the bilateral ties between Azerbaijan and Germany as
well as social and economic development of Azerbaijan, its integration
into the Euro-Atlantic structures, democratic processes in the country,
Azerbaijan’s joining the European Union’s neighborhood policy, the
country’s participating in regional projects, and peaceful solution
to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Mr. Mammadyarov handed over a letter to his German counterpart inviting
the Chancellor Angela Merkel to visit Azerbaijan.

The same day, the Azeri Minister joined the meeting organized by
the Friedrich Ebert Foundation and Azerbaijan’s Embassy to bring
together over 400 representatives of Germany’s political, economic
and cultural circles.

Addressing the event, Markus Meckel, Deputy Chairman of the Bundestag’s
Foreign Affairs Committee, said Azerbaijan is a country with rich
cultural heritage, and noted the country’s role in development of
economy in the region.

Elmar Mammadyarov said Azerbaijan is keen to further develop the
bilateral ties with Germany.

He informed the gathered on the social and political situation in
Azerbaijan, economic projects, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan
oil and Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipelines projects, and the planed
Baku-Tbilisi-Akhalkalaki-Gars railway project.

The Azeri Minister also spoke of Azerbaijan’s integration into the Euro
Atlantic structures, and the prospects to further develop the bilateral
ties with the European Union and joining its neighborhood policy.

A very large part of the Azerbaijani Minister’s speech was devoted
to the peaceful solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh.

Speaking of the horrible results of Armenia’s aggressive policy
against his country, Elmar Mammadyarov underlined that this dispute
hampers the establishment of peace and security in the region

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister also noted that Armenia conducted the
policy of ethnic cleansing and illegal settlement in the occupied
Azerbaijani territories and demolished and set on fire the cultural
monuments of Azerbaijan.

Elmar Mammdayarov, who is accompanied in Germany by Azerbaijan
Ambassador Parviz Shahbazov and other employees of the diplomatic
mission, also gave interview to local newspapers "Frankfurter
Allgemeine Zeitung" and "Berliner Zeitung".

Panorama.am

16:42 07/07/06

TURKISH POLICY TOWARDS ARMENIA CONDEMNED

"To initiate a case against a spiritual leader of a
neighboring country is beyond any international
norms," Ruben SAFARYAN, expert on Turkey told a debate
today with Constitutional Rights Union chairman Hrant
KHACHATRYAN. It is difficult, of coarse, to call it a
debate since both opponents had similar ideas about
Armenian-Turkish relations.

Both the political scientist and the political actor
condemned Turkish policy towards Armenia,
particularly, outrageous demonstrations of Turk
nationalists against the Armenian spiritual leader.

R. Safaryan thinks that Europe does not make clear
demands upon Turkey to recognize the Genocide.
However, he also said that "we should raise our
problems ourselves and not wait foreign leaders." H.
Khachatryan thinks the return of West Armenia,
recognition of the Armenian Cause and conducting
referendum there are not realistic. Both think that
the Armenian Genocide must be part of Armenian foreign
policy as it is. "If we do not raise that issue we
lose part of Armenian identity," R. Safaryan said./Panorama.am/

Prime Ministers of Armenia and Georgia met in Batumi

ArmRadio.am
08.07.2006 11:32

Yesterday in Batumi RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan had a
meeting with his Georgian counterpart Zurab Noghaideli, "Armenpress"
informs. Issues of energy, particularly the construction of the
3rd power line, as well as projects related to the Abkhazian,
Akhalkalak-Tbilisi and Tbilisi-Gyumri-Kars railways were
discussed. Reference was made to socio-economic programs implemented
in Javakhk. According to the Prime Minister’s assessment, the problems
in Javakhk, Tsalka are the same as in other regions of Georgia. Of
course, there are some details connected with the withdrawal of the
Russian military base, since many people work here, and this will cause
the problem of employment. However, in this regard construction of
Akhalkalak-Akhaltskha highway is a very important step. New investments
to be made in the region under the " Millennium Challenge" program,
construction of Akhalkalak-Bagdanovka and Akhalkalak-Borjom highways
will also considerably soften the social tension.

KARABAKH PARTOOK IN ESTABLISHING CEASE-FIRE AND IS ENTITLED TO PARTICIPATE IN TALKS

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.07.2006 16:09 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ "The NKR is cautious on possible deployment of
peacekeeping forces," stated NKR FM Georgy Petrosyan. He underscored
that the Karabakh party would like to see not elimination of the
consequences of the conflict, but solution of the issue. He also
reported that during their visit to the US, NKR representatives
voiced their concerns over making public settlement principles of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict to OSCE MG US Co-Chair Matthew Bryza. "Latest
developments in the settlement process created a new situation and it
is not known yet in which format will the talks resume. Our position
is unchanged – NK partook in establishment of the cease-fire, thus
it is entitled to participate in the process of talks, at which its
fate is decided," the Minister underscored, reports IA De-Facto.

STONES OF ANCESTORS FILM ON DESTRUCTION OF ARMENIAN MONUMENTS SCREENED IN MOSCOW

PanARMENIAN.Net
06.07.2006 18:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Initiated by Mitk Union of Armenian Youth Stones of
Ancestors documentary by Yeghishe Gevorgyan (Austria) was presented
at Rolan Moscow cinema. The film is about destroyed Armenian cultural
monuments in Georgia and is based on conversations.

The film does not aim at consideration of scientific issues, it
presents people, who struggle for preservation of their national and
cultural identity, as well as those who have given up, reports Mitk.

OSKANIAN: "NO PRESSURE IS MADE TO THE SIDES RELATED TO REGULATION OF THE CONFLICT"

Today, Azerbaijan
July 4 2006

OSCE Minsk Group American co-chair Matthew Bryza did not say decrease
of democracy rate in Armenia. He has only stated that positive steps
are there in Azerbaijan in this regard.

As APA reports, Foreign Minister of Armenia Vardan Oskanian has told
journalists. He refuted the information on pressure to the sides of
Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

"We do not feel these pressures yet. If in negotiations process an
agreement appears and there were fewer agreed issues, then it might
be possible to feel these pressures."

Oskanian said that position of Armenia remains being unchanged in
the settlement of the conflict.

"The better part of the proposals satisfies us, and we are sure that,
Azerbaijan will look into its position once again."

URL:

PREMIER ERDOGAN CALLS ON TURKISH PEOPLE IN FRANCE TO BE MORE ORGANIZED

Anatolian Times, Turkey
July 5 2006

STRASBOURG – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan called on
Turks in France to get more organized and integrate into the society
in which they live to help to the improvement of bilateral relations
between the two countries.

In an interview with the French Le Figaro daily, PM Erdogan said,
"the EU perceives Turkey in a different way since it comes from a
different civilization and has a population of 70 million. However,
this approach has begun losing its prevalence recently."

When asked whether Turkey’s rejection to open its ports and airports
to the Greek Cypriot vessels and aircraft would lead to the suspension
of entry negotiations, Erdogan said, "I do not want to think about
suspension of talks due to such an irrelevant issue. It is totally
contrary to EU principles."

Referring to the embargo imposed on the Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus (TRNC), PM Erdogan said, "although Turkish Cypriots accepted
the Annan plan in 2004’s referendum, they were punished, while the
Greek Cypriots, who rejected the plan, were awarded. Is this fair?"

Replying to a question about Turkish-French relations, PM Erdogan said,
"France is one of the most important trade partners of Turkey.

I believe that the negative impression of French people towards Turkey
stem from lack of communication. Therefore, I call on Turkish people
living in France to be more organized and integrated (into the society)
for improvement of bilateral relations between the two countries."

Upon a question about the so-called Armenian genocide, Erdogan
indicated, "we believe that historians should deal with the issue.

We have opened all our archives to researchers. I sent a letter
(in this regard) to Armenian President Robert Kocharian, but he did
not responded."

Press Release
Contact: Mira Yardemian
Public Relations Director
Haigazian University
Rue Mexique – Kantari
P.O. Box 11-1748
Riad El-Solh 1107 2090
Beirut – Lebanon

Haigazian University’s 46th Commencement Ceremonies

On Friday, June the 30th, 2005, Haigazian University graduated 111
students, in the First Armenian Evangelical Church courtyard, Beirut.

The ceremony honored 101 students from the faculties of Business
Administration and Economics, Humanities, Sciences, and Social and
Behavioral Sciences with the BA and BS degrees, and 10 students with
the Masters degree.

Among a capacity audience, were present Former Minister Wadih El
Khazen, representing the President of the Republic, Minister of
Administrative Reform, Jean Oghassabian, representing the Prime
Minister, and MP. Kassem Hachem, representing the House Speaker, the
Armenian Ambassador, Vahan Der Ghevontian, in addition to a number of
deputies, former ministers, clergy, university representatives,
diplomats, members of the Board of Trustees, parents and fellow
students.

The ceremony started as Faculty and Graduates marched through the
crowd of parents, relatives and friends in a remarkable processional
march, followed by the National Anthem, and the Invocation by the
Campus Minister, Rev. Nishan Bakalian.

President Haidostian welcomed the audience, and in his trilingual
speech, expressed his joy in harvesting a new generation of
graduates.

"It is a joy to have as wings our graduating students through whom a
university can fly. It is an imperative to have as backbone our core
faculty, and as limbs our staff…It is a duty to have as quality
assurers, the community around us, as officials, supporting bodies,
friends and families…It is our utmost calling, to have as our reason
for existence open skies of the creator in whose grace all goodness
abounds", Haidostian noted.

Talking about the future, Haidosted added that "we are all proud of
a rich past heritage: but heritage should be an empowering factor for
the future…The future needs not only foundations, but the right
commitments, the right energy, the right zeal, the right orientation,
the right spirit and the right education."

The distinguished guest speaker, Dr. Aram Chobanian, President
Emeritus of Boston University, indicated to the students that as they
are among the best and brightest of their generation, much will be
expected of them. As they will become trustees of the future, they
will need to think about the tremendous global changes that will take
place during their lifetimes.

"Scarcities, extreme poverty, hunger, and illiteracy will provide a
fertile environment for violence, terrorism, religious fanaticism,
dictatorships and wars", Chobanian stated.

On another note, Chobanian explained that affluence, can also lead to
problems. For example, in countries such as the US, the excessive use
natural resources, the depletion of the forests, and the heavy use of
fuel, place the our eco-systems under stress.

Taking all these into consideration, Chobanian put on the graduates a
moral responsibility for the betterment of society, asking them to be
involved, to set their goals high, to pursue their dreams and
passions, and to never fear of failure.

Afterwards, Registrar Roubina Artinian and Deans Dr. Fadi Asrawi and
Dr. Arda Ekmekji presented the graduates to receive their degrees
from President Haidostian.

In their valedictorian addresses, Tamar Tamoukian, speaking in
English, acknowledged how has Haigazian University shaped her life
and character, transforming her into a more responsible and
self-confident person, and Omar Sukarieh, speaking in Arabic, said
that he and his fellow students are on the verge of entering a new
episode in their lives. He made everyone sure, that they will always
try to succeed as their hearts are filled with hope and faith.

After singing the Alma Mater, the ceremony was concluded with the
Benediction given by the President of the Union of the Armenian
Evangelical Churches in the Near East, Rev. Meguerdich Karageozian.

The class of 2006, threw their caps and walked heads high with a
unique recessional, while celebratory balloons flew high in the
skies.