Author: Tvankchian Parkev

AZERBAIJAN’S PRESIDENT PROMISES TO LIBERATE NAGORNY KARABAKH

Novosti
2005-03-12 16:41

BAKU, March 12 (RIA Novosti) – Azerbaijan’s President Ilkham Aliyev
is ready to negotiate on peaceful settlement of the Nagorny Karabakh
conflict but does not rule out other ways of solving this problem.

“We shall hold talks even if we have little chance of success,
Mr. Aliyev said at the ceremony dedicated to the 13th anniversary of
the establishment of the Interior Ministry’s troops of Azerbaijan.

He pointed out recent progress in the talks. The conflict settlement
should meet the principles of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and
the international law, Ilkham Aliyev stressed.

“If this is impossible we shall quit the negotiations and search for
other ways of the conflict settlement,” the head of state added.

“We need no war. A war is a humanitarian catastrophe but we should
be ready for this. We should liberate our territories at all costs,”
Mr. Aliyev emphasized.

In his words, violations of the cease-fire agreement in Nagorny
Karabakh are Armenia’s provocation pursuing certain goals. “If they
take any offensive efforts we shall rebuff them and Armenians will
never want to do this again,” the president noted.

He is ready to meet with his Armenian counterpart Robert Kocharyan
but it is necessary to draft the agenda of the meeting.

According to Ilkham Aliyev, mutual concessions are out of the question.

Meanwhile, the security of the Armenian population of Nagorny Karabakh
can be discussed, he said.

Speaking about the domestic situation in Azerbaijan, Mr. Aliyev
said that the Georgian and Ukrainian scenarios are impossible in
the republic.

“I am not afraid of such power shift. It is impossible in Azerbaijan,”
the president told journalists.

In his opinion, such revolutions are possible in the countries where
people and authorities are separated by a gap of misunderstanding.

“Azerbaijan’s authorities serve the people,” Mr. Aliyev stressed. He
promised to take all effort to gain people’s support.

Nagorny Karabakh is Azerbaijan’s region with Armenian population. The
armed conflict in Nagorny Karabakh in the early 1990s left dozens of
thousands of people killed. Hundreds of thousands of people became
refugees. Military operations were stopped there on May 12, 1994.

Turkish Daily News
March 9 2005

>>From the columns
Wednesday, March 9, 2005

‘Turkish Republic cannot be held responsible for events of 1915’:

Also on the alleged Armenian genocide, Milliyet’s Derya Sazak
comments on the Monday interview with history professor Halil
Berktay, whose opinions about the alleged Armenian genocide issue are
controversial in Turkey. Sazak says some readers reacted to the
interview and said Berktay’s insistence on identifying the events of
1915-1916 as “ethnic cleansing” was falsified by the state archives.

Sazak says, “It is clear that some thousands of people died during
the removal of Armenians from eastern Anatolia, though we don’t
identify it as ‘genocide’,” adding: “The events led to the death of
not only Armenians but also Turks and Kurds. But who can put the
blame on the Turkish Republic just because it is the ‘successor’ of
the Ottoman Empire?”

“Despite the intolerance of some ultra-nationalist circles,
Berktay’s opinions provide significant propositions that will help
Turkey tackle the problem,” Sazak says.

Also commenting on the same issue, Yeni ªafak’s Akif Emre says the
British Parliament’s assessment of the events of 1915-1916 as
genocide cannot be analyzed without considering the international
relations of the time when the book framing the Parliament’s
understanding of the issue, titled “The Treatment of Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire, 1915-1916,” was published.

Noting a book of prominent English historian Arnold J. Toynbee
(1889-1975) that was recently published in Turkey, Emre says that as
the assistant of Lord Bryce, who edited the book, Toynbee was
explaining the international political environment in which the
Ottoman Empire appeared to attain an advantageous position.

Emre also claims that Toynbee asserted that the publishing of that
book by Bryce was the result of politics and that the book was
intended as propaganda.

–Boundary_(ID_kpTzQ1xpbqhGRTH/fOJnDA)–

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
March 11 2005

PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN ILHAM ALIYEV RECEIVES DELEGATION OF UN
SOCIO-ECONOMIC COMMISSION ON ASIA AND PACIFIC AND DELEGATION OF
ECONOMIC COMMISSION ON EUROPE
[March 11, 2005, 17:17:17]

President of the Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev on March 11 at the
President Palace has received the delegation of UN Economic-Social
Commission on Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP) and delegation of UN
Economic Commission on Europe (UNECE).

Noting that visit of the delegations of UNESCAP and UNECE to the
country opens a new page in cooperation, the Head of the Azerbaijan
State dwelt on the economic development processes in the Republic,
stressing macroeconomic and other economic indices.

Speaking of realization of a number of economic programs, including
regional development and poverty reduction, President Ilham Aliyev
said in the last year over 170 thousand workplaces have been opened
in the country, emphasizing that cooperation with the international
structures in this field is high level. As he underlined, large
energy projects are successfully being realized in Azerbaijan and the
main is that there is special attention for social security issues.

Touching upon the question of regional cooperation, President Ilham
Aliyev said the ongoing economic development processes in Azerbaijan
and socio-political stability make contribution to establishment of
cooperation, peace and security in the region. Unfortunately,
aggression by Armenia to Azerbaijan, as a result of which over 20
percent of Azerbaijan~Rs lands were occupied, one million of citizens
became refugees and IDPs, seriously impedes cooperation and economic
development in the region. Continuation of the conflict is a great
threat to regional safety, advancement of economic processes. The
international organizations should increase their efforts towards
similar issues.

President Ilham Aliyev expressed confidence that visit of the
delegations to the Country would serve expansion of international
economic links, strengthening of the mutually beneficial ties between
Azerbaijan and UNESCAP and UNECE.

Executive Secretary of the UNECE, UN Assistant Secretary General
Brigitta Schmognerova highly assessed admission of Azerbaijan to
UNESCAP. Giving great value to active participation of Azerbaijan in
the regional development processes, she said UESCAP and UNECE
welcomes cooperation with the Country. Brigitta Schmognerova stressed
the importance of these processes and expressed confidence that
admission of Azerbaijan to UNESCAP is of great significance for
expansion of regional economic cooperation between Azerbaijan and
Central Asian countries. She reiterated that the mutual cooperation
would further enhance and develop.

Armenian president, new Georgian envoy discuss ties

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
10 Mar 05

The newly-appointed Georgian ambassador to Armenia, Revaz
Gachechiladze, has submitted his credentials to Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan.

President Kocharyan congratulated the Georgian ambassador on his
appointment and spoke about the recent intensification of
Armenian-Georgian ties in various spheres.

The meeting also discussed issues pertaining to cooperation in the
energy and transport spheres. The ambassador informed the president
of the latest processes in Georgia, particularly in the economic
sphere.

“The West Tells Azerbaijan That It Lost Karabakh In War and Should Abandon That Territory”

Azg/arm
11 March 05

Erdogan Refuses to Negotiate on Opening Borders with Armenia

“The West tells Azerbaijan that it lost Karabakh in the war and
should abandon this territory for the sake of peace and prosperity
and work on the process of integrating to NATO and EU. Such talks
only make the positions of the nationalists stricter. They think that
the oil and gas incomes will help them return the territories by
military force,” Mrs. Zeyno Baran, Head of Nixon Center of
International Security and Energetic Programs, said.

According to Mediamax, she said this during the hearings of “The
Future of Democracy in the Black Sea Region” at the External
Relations Committee of the US Senate, on March 8. Other US officials
also held speeches on the US policy in the region, on Russiaâ~@~Ys
role in the conflict settlement, the progress of democracy.

Zeyno Baran said that Armenia and Azerbaijan are sure that the time
is on their side. “Armenia thinks that the time is on its side for
achieving de jure ratification of Karabakh separation from
Azerbaijan. They think that Azerbaijan will not run the risk of
beginning the war, realizing that the oil and gas carriers may be
attacked and cause the destruction of the economy,” Baran said.

Baran believes that “the US should get engaged into the Karabakh
conflict settlement at the highest level, to change the political and
economic conditions and the calculations of both sides.” She reminded
that in 2002 presidents Bush and Putin made a statement on the
importance of settlement of the frozen conflicts in Karabakh and
Abkhazia,” but “no further steps were taken.”

“They left the Nagorno Karabakh process to the OSCE Minsk group that
canâ~@~Yt secure settlement, as the issue requires discussions at the
highest levels. Notwithstanding the positive factor of continuing the
dialogue between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the inability to achieve the
settlement disappoints the people and affects the authority of the
OSCE,” Baran added.

“Besides, continuing the discussions at the level of Bush and Putin,
in order to settle the Karabakh conflict, democratic progress is also
needed in Armenia and Azerbaijan, so that the governments became
legitimate for their people. This is needed to contribute to the
final settlement. The US should call on the leaders of both countries
to accept the democratic processes as an important precondition for
maintaining regional security and stability,” Baran emphasized.

John Tefft, Coordinator for US Assistance to Europe and Eurasia, said
that “There are essential distinctions between the positions of
Armenia and Azerbaijan concerning Nagorno Karabakh but Presidents
Kocharian and Aliyev are for the peaceful settlement of the
conflict.” “We support the efforts of the OSCE and are encouraged
with the course of the last yearâ~@~Ys negotiations,” Tefft said.

Itâ~@~Ys worth reminding that on February 19, John Evans, US
Ambassador to Armenia, said during the meeting with American
Armenians that notwithstanding the US policy directed to the
territorial integrity of the states, “Everybody realizes that
Karabakh canâ~@~Yt be given back to Azerbaijan, as that would be a
disastrous step.”

On March 4, Dmitry Rupel, OSCE chairman, foreign minister of
Slovenia, called Nagorno Karabakh “a controversial territory.”
Holding a speech in New York at the sitting of the UN security
Council, Rupel said that “The OSCE tries to settle the conflicts in
Moldova, Georgia and in the controversial territory of Nagorno
Karabakh, that were considered frozen once, but began “melting”
recently.”

Zeyno Baran said during the hearings that “The strength of Armenian
Diaspora limits US ability to encourage democratic change in this
country.”

“The US merely canâ~@~Yt exert the same pressure on President
Kocharian, as they did on Leonid Kuchma in Ukraine. One canâ~@~Yt
even imagine that Washington threatens the high ranked
representatives of the Armenian government to forbid them enter the
territory of the US in case of violating the elections,” Baran said.

Bruce Jackson, head of Transitional Democracy Programs, stated in his
speech that the US should discuss the issues concerning the Armenian
Genocide of 1915 with Turkey. “The fact that at the mention of the
genocide committed against the Armenians by the authorities of the
Ottoman Empire in the beginning of the last century arouse the
indignation of Turkish officials doesnâ~@~Yt mean that historical
issues shouldnâ~@~Yt be discussed between democratic allies,” Jackson
said.

He added that Erdogan, Turkish Prime Minister, refused to negotiate
with Armenia over opening the border, creating an obstacle for the
peaceful negotiations of Nagorno Karabakh conflict.”

On her turn, Zeyno Baran said that there have been recessions and
rises in the USâ~@~STurkish relations before, but “Todayâ~@~Ys level
of anti-American moods in Turkey is unprecedented. The recent BBC
research testified that 82% of the Turks treats negatively the policy
of Bush administration, considering America one of the biggest
threats against peace.”

Baran stated that “taking into account the opinion spread in Turkey
that the US campaigning against Turkey, the adoption of “The Armenian
Formula” by the US Congress can have disastrous consequences.” “Such
a formula will fan the fires of antiâ~@~SAmerican moods that
increases in Turkey and will have negative impact on Armenian-Turkish
reconciliation,” Baran thinks.

According to Georgian Internet web site, John Tefft said
that Russia supports the separatist movements in Moldova and Georgia.
On his turn Bruce Jackson motioned that Transdnestria, Abkhazia and
Soot Ossetia became hotbeds for weapon, drugs, women and children
trafficking. Vladimir Sokor said that Russia wants to keep unsolved
the conflicts in the CIS territory “to exert pressure over Georgia,
Azerbaijan, Armenia and Moldova and hinder their Euro-Atlantic
integration.”

By Tatoul Hakobian

–Boundary_(ID_IhlslGxoNuiIGbMGk/uQ7w)–

CubaXP

Sports :

Cuban Leinier Dominguez Ends Seventh in Russian Chess Tournament

Posted by adel on 2005/3/7 16:22:55 (32 reads)
Cuban Great Master (GM) Leinier Dominguez ended in the 7th place Monday in
the international chess tournament in Poikovsky, Russia, dominated by French
player Etienne Bracot.

Dominguez did not play in the last round, after he played his match with
Russian Serguei Rublevsky in advance and ended with 4 points of 9 possible
ones, because of 1 win, 6 ties and 2 defeats.

Dominguez defatted Kazakhstan”s Darmen Sadvakasov, was beaten by Russian
Alexei Dreev and Moldavian Victor Bologan, and divided the point with
Russians Alexander Grischuk, Rublevsky and Svidler, US Onischuk, Armenian
Rafael Vaganian and French Bracot, the champion of the tournament, who ended
with 6 points, tied with Bologan, who lost to the French player because of
his inferior tie-break points.

After them, Grischuk and Dreev, respectively, got the 3rd and 4th places
(5.5 points each at the end of the competition) and Svidler got the 5th
place (5 points).

Vaganian, Leinier and Onischuk were the ones who got the 6th, 7th and 8th
places respectively.

By: Prensa-Latina

EU seeks neighborhood deals with Egypt, Lebanon, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia

AP Worldstream
Mar 02, 2005

The European Union head office on Wednesday proposed strengthening
economic, trade and security ties with Egypt, Lebanon, Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia.

The European Commission outlined the agreements it wants to see
negotiated with those five countries as part of a “European
Neighborhood Policy” that aims to draw countries closer _ even without
the prospect of EU membership.

Launched last fall, the “ring of friends” policy offers extensive
cooperation in political, security and economic matters.

The EU already has negotiated neighborhood deals with Israel, Jordan,
Moldova, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Tunisia and Ukraine.

“The challenge … will be to turn the commitments and aspirations
contained in such plans into reality, through measurable reforms
bringing concrete benefits for our neighboring countries and their
citizens,” said EU External Relations Commissioner Benita
Ferrero-Waldner in recommending negotiations with the five.

High on the EU agenda, she said, were far-reaching economic and
political reform, good governance and respect for human rights. They
must commit to economic reforms, a healthy business and investment
climate as well as trade, market and regulatory reforms, she said.

The reward will be unfettered access to the EU’s vast internal market
of more than 450 million consumers.

The neighborhood accords also provide for cooperation in justice,
liberty and security issues which require legal reforms, upgrading
energy, transport and telecommunications networks and cooperation in
environmental issues.

Kurdish Info, Germany
March 2 2005

International Observers to Attend FOE Cases

BianetISTANBUL / 2 March 2005 / by IPA/International PEN
2 March trials of Fikret Baskaya and Ragip Zarakolu symbolise the
continuation of freedom of expression problems in Turkey.
International PEN, and the IPA, as well as other international NGOs,
among them Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, are in
Turkey to attend as observers the trial hearings against writer
Fikret Baskaya and publisher Ragip Zarakolu, set for 2 March 2005.

Fikret Baskaya will be tried in Ankara on charges of ‘insult to the
State, State institutions, and the military’ under Article 159 of the
current Penal Code. He could face a three-year jail sentence. The
charges stem from articles published in the early nineties (since
republished as a book entitled: “Articles against the Current”) in
which he was critical of the Turkish authorities.
Ragip Zarakolu, co-founder and owner of Belge Publishing, is charged
in Istanbul with ‘incitement to racial hatred’ under Article 312 of
the current Penal Code, charges occasioned by his writing of an
article critical of Turkey’s foreign policy on Kurdish issues. The
charges carry a two-year jail sentence. An additional case was
initiated against him in December 2004 for the publication of George
Jerjian’s Book entitled: “The truth will set us free/Armenians and
Turks reconciled” for insulting the State and the memory of the
founder of the Republic, Atatürk. The first hearing in this case is
due to take place in Istanbul on 16 March 2005. An investigation was
also opened for his publication of Zulkuf Kisanak’s “Lost Villages”.
Lars Grahn, Chairman of the IPA Freedom to Publish Committee,
declares: “Both Fikret Baskaya and Ragip Zarakolu have been subjected
to a series of long, time-consuming and expensive court hearings.
Whatever the outcome of these trials, this is in itself a form of
harassment and punishment for daring to produce works which touch on
sensitive issues”.
There are currently an estimated 60 writers, publishers and
journalists under judicial process in Turkey for practicing their
right to freedom of expression. In this regard, the 2 March trial
hearings of Fikret Baskaya and Ragip Zarakolu are just two out of
many. Eugene Schoulgin, Member of the Board of International PEN
says: “To us, they symbolise the continuation of freedom of
expression problems in Turkey”.

Armenian Speaker complains of campaign against his party

Iravunk, Yerevan
1 Mar 05

Text of Tagui Tovmasyan’s report by Armenian newspaper Iravunk on 1
March headlined “‘An organized campaign is being carried out against
me by the opposition as well as some government officials'”

Rumours have been disseminated recently that National Assembly Chairman
Artur Bagdasaryan received an official invitation directly from the
chairman of the Austrian parliament bypassing the Foreign Ministry,
as the latter made an attempt to foil that visit. Are these rumours
true? Artur Bagdasaryan answers this and other questions.

[Artur Bagdasaryan] Indeed I received an invitation from the chairman
of the Austrian parliament, but I do not think that the Foreign
Ministry tried to foil the visit, because after receiving the official
invitation I applied to the ministry so that the Austrian embassy in
Armenia deals with the organization of the visit.

[Iravunk correspondent] Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov did
not meet you during his visit to Armenia. Why?

[Bagdasaryan] In general, foreign ministers of other countries
visit the National Assembly within the framework of their visit to
Armenia. I do not know why Mr Lavrov did not visit our parliament,
although meetings in the parliament were not included in his
schedule. [Sentence as given]

[Correspondent] What are the reasons for disagreements within the
authorities?

[Bagdasaryan] The reason for disagreements within the authorities
is that the coalition forces have different positions on many
issues. This is natural because there is a difference between the
mechanism of proposed solutions and conducted reforms. Naturally,
different views on different issues cause gossips.

The Law-Governed Country [Orinats Yerkir] Party, as a political
force, has never been guided by the principle the worse the better,
that is to say by a policy that discredits others. The public know
all of us. I think that disagreements should not prevent us from
acting together and settling the problems of the country. Finally,
we work for the sake of, but not against, changing something in the
country for the better, but not for the sake of hampering positive
developments or discrediting somebody.

In 2005 the parliament will become 15 years old, and I have
declared this year the year of accord and tolerance. It would be
better if political forces, including those within the coalition,
were tolerant. We should neither underestimate nor overestimate
disagreements within the authorities. Politics is fight. I understand
that someone is irritated by the kind deeds of the National Assembly
or Artur Bagdasaryan. We are acting according to our programmes.

There is a saying – “No good work remains unpunished”. But I do not
want this principle to rule in our society. Very often I see that an
organized campaign is being conducted by the opposition, as well as
some officials within the authorities, against the Law-Governed Country
Party and me, because there are people who are not satisfied with
their success. They are happy only when not only they are successful
but when others are unsuccessful. I reiterate that I have become
immune and I do not think this is the best way to settle problems.
People know all of us very well, they know who is who. Finally,
he who mischief hatches, mischief catches.

FEDERATION EURO-ARMENIENNE
Pour la Justice et la Démocratie
Avenue de la Renaissance 10
B ~V 1000 BRUXELLES
Tel: +32 (0) 2 732 70 26
Tel./Fax : +32 (0) 2 732 70 27
E-mail : [email protected]
Web :

COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE
28 février 2005
Contact: Talline Tachdjian
Tel.: +32 (0)2 732 70 27

JACQUES TOUBON DEMANDE LA RECONNAISSANCE DU GENOCIDE AUX DEPUTES TURCS

РEn ̩voquant la question du g̩nocide dans le cadre de la d̩l̩gation
interparlementaire UE-Turquie, le député européen a provoqué une violente
réaction des officiels turcs

РSes propos outrageusement d̩form̩s par la presse turque

Bruxelles, Belgique ~V Ce jeudi 24 février à Strasbourg, M. Jacques Toubon
(PPE, France) a évoqué la « réalité indiscutable » du génocide des Arméniens
durant la 53ème réunion de la délégation interparlementaire UE-Turquie,
délégation dont il est le vice-président. Durant son intervention, M. Toubon
a indiqué à ses homologues turcs que la reconnaissance de ce génocide
constituait un « élément important pour l’Europe », élément participant de
ses « valeurs communes ». Il a notamment évoqué les nombreuses
reconnaissances dont ce génocide avait fait l’objet de la part des pays de l
‘Union et tout particulièrement la dernière en date, celle des Pays-Bas qui
est survenue le 21 décembre 2004, juste après le Sommet européen de
Bruxelles.

Son intervention a provoqué la fureur des officiels turcs qui participaient
à la réunion, et notamment de M. Sükrü Elekdag (CHP- Parti kémaliste),
ancien ambassadeur auprès des Etats-Unis et de M. Oguz Demiralp, le
représentant permanent de la Turquie auprès de l’Union européenne.

M. Toubon a alors rappelé que le Parlement européen, depuis 1987, avait à de
nombreuses reprises reconnu la réalité du génocide et depuis lors, demande
continûment à la Turquie d’en faire autant. Il a expliqué que « en refusant
de ratifier le Traité de Sèvres en 1920, la Turquie n’avait pas voulu
reconnaître ce génocide » et que cela était explicable dans le contexte
politique d’alors, mais que « 90 ans après, la Turquie doit changer » et
adopter les valeurs européennes en reconnaissant cette réalité historique.

La presse turque, l’agence officielle Anatolie et le Turkish Daily News en
tête, a le jour même travesti les propos de M. Toubon, alléguant qu’il avait
demandé à la Turquie de ratifier le Traité de Sèvres. Ce traité signé
notamment par la première république d’Arménie et par l’Empire ottoman
constituait une réparation pour le préjudice du génocide mais ne fut jamais
ratifié par Ankara et fut remplacé par le Traité de Lausanne qui éludait la
question.

« Nous saluons le courage et la persévérance de M. Jacques Toubon que les
méthodes habituelles d’outrance et de surenchère des députés turcs n’ont
pas impressionné » a déclaré Hilda Tchoboian, présidente de la Fédération
Euro-Arménienne. Aussi longtemps que l’Etat turc usera de la menace
vis-à-vis de l’Europe, et de la peur vis-à-vis de son opinion publique, il
fera la preuve que la Turquie n’est toujours pas européenne » a conclu Hilda
Tchoboian.

####

–Boundary_(ID_o1u6plyOPi7yghM5tME2cQ)–