Author: Vanyan Gary

TEENAGER CONFESSES TO KILLING 37

Moscow News (Russia)
June 1, 2007

MOSCOW (RIA Novosti) – A young nationalist suspected ofkilling an
Armenian businessman confessed to killing, together withhis friend,
37 other people, a popular Russian daily reportedMonday.

Vremya Novostei reported that Artur Ryno, a student at an iconpainting
school, detained in mid-April on suspicion of killingKaren Abramyan,
an Armenian, told investigators that he has "sinceschool hated people
from the Caucasus who come to Moscow, unite andoppress Russians," and
added that he suddenly realized "the cityneeded to be cleaned." Ryno
said he and his friend PavelSkachevsky, both aged 18, attacked and
killed dark-skinned peoplein Moscow’s suburbs.

They did not confess to Abramyan’s murderuntil a videotape from
surveillance cameras installed at thebuilding’s entrance where the
victim lived was shown to them.Prosecutors said Ryno and Skachevsky
were detained after aneyewitness called the police and said the two
people who stabbedAbramyan 20 times escaped in a streetcar. Police
stopped thestreetcar and arrested the two students whose clothes and
a knifefound on them were covered in blood. A police source said:
"At firstwe doubted whether what Ryno said was true – he mentioned
too manydetails and boasted about what he had done, but at the
same time thedates and crime scenes named were not precise. But the
investigationswe have carried out confirm that everything he says is
true." However,Ryno’s alleged accomplice has denied attacking anyone.

VremyaNovostei wrote that the teenagers carried out their first
killingAugust 21, 2006, which coincided with an explosion carried
out byskinheads at Moscow’s Cherkizovsky market, where many traders
fromthe North Caucasus region, former Central Asian Soviet republics,as
well as Vietnam and China worked. The explosion left 11 peopledead
and at least 49 injured. Ryno said when they were attackingpeople,
bystanders did not interfere, preferring to leave the crimescene as
quickly as possible. Routine attacks by skinheads and younggangs on
foreigners and people with non-Slavic features have beenreported
across Russia in recent years. But authorities have beengenerally
reluctant to treat the attacks as race-hate crimes,portraying them
instead as acts of hooliganism.

AKHALKALAKI DEMILITARIZED!
by Koba Liklijadze (Radio Liberty)
Translated by A. Ignatkin

Source: 24 Saati (Tbilisi), May 25, 2007, EV
Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
May 30, 2007 Wednesday

Georgia Bids Adieu To The Russian Military Base In Akhalkalaki;
Russian military presence in Georgia is nearly over.

Time has run out for the Russian military base in Akhalkalaki, which
is now almost 200 years old. The last echelon with Russian military
hardware departed the head yard in Akhaltsikhe for Russia on May 24.

Several dozen Russian officers and soldiers guarding the empty
warehouses and headquarters are all that remains of the military base.

The locals grew accustomed to the inevitability of the pullout.

Barely three years ago they were convinced that the withdrawal of
the base would leave them without jobs. Unnerved by the prospect,
they were prepared to form a live ring of protesters around this
fossil of the 200-year long occupation.

Some observers predicted ethnic tension and separatism in the
Armenian-populated Akhalkalaki following withdrawal from the base.

The Georgian authorities in the meantime began offering alternatives
to the locals a year ago. "Employees of the base will be employed by
the Georgian military base and guaranteed salaries adequate to their
current ones. People with apartments in the so-called cantonment will
become their rightful owners," Goga Chakhidze, President’s Envoy in
Samtskhe-Javakhetia, explained.

Regardless of whether or not a Georgian military unit would be
installed where the 62nd Russian Military Base was to provide jobs
for the locals, the latter could only accept their reassurances.

According to the Defense Ministry of Georgia, some military materiel
is still present on the territory of the base in Akhalkalaki, but
the amount is so insignificant that Russia will be able to carry it
out by lorries.

"The Georgian authorities cannot lay claims to anything that belongs
to Russia but they must make sure that the territory of the cantonment
is absolutely safe," RL quoted military expert Irakly Aladashvili as
saying. "I mean the shells, munitions, and landmines – not to mention
radioactive substances – that pose a danger."

Bombs and shells abandoned on the territories of Russian military bases
in Georgia cost 20 Georgians their lives over the last four years. The
army depot of the 12th Military Base (Batumi) in Khelvachauri is
particularly hazardous from this standpoint. Georgy Muchaidze,
Chief of the Department of International Contacts of the Defense
Ministry of Georgia, claims that the territories of the military
bases in Akhalkalaki and Batumi require chemical decontamination and
engineering surveillance. "We will demand from Russia all documents
on the ecological shape of the base. We want to have all the relevant
information," he said.

According to the Georgian Defense Ministry, the Akhalkalaki military
base will be closed down in autumn of 2007, the one in Batumi by
2008. Georgia will meet May 26, 2006, without Russian military bases
on its territory.

SOME 479 FOREIGN TOURISTS VISIT HOLY CROSS ARMENIAN CHURCH IN TURKEY IN TWO MONTHS

ARMENPRESS
Jun 01 2007

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS: In the last two months since the official
opening of the restored Armenian Holy Cross Church on Akhtamar Island
in Lake Van in eastern Turkey only 479 foreign tourists visited the
site which acts as a museum.

An official of the tourism department of the town of Van told Net
Internet newspaper that their hopes connected with the Church did
not justify.

"The island is visited mainly by local people, who made about 6,000
people in the last two months. We hope that many Armenians from abroad
will visit the site," he said.

The newspaper said also that a petition by Archbishop Mesrop Mutafian,
the religious leader of Turkish Armenians, to the government of
Turkey requesting a permission for holding a service once a year in
the Church and placing a cross on it has not been answered so far.

INTERNATIONAL EURASIAN PRESS FUND TO CONDUCT TRAINING FOR MINE VICTIMS AT GRANT OF US DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Trend News Agency, Azerbaijan
May 31 2007

Azerbaijan, Baku / corr Trend A.Gasimova / The funds granted by the
Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement in the US Department of State
will enable the International Eurasian Press Fund establish regional
branches in the Aghstafa and Fizuly regions of Azerbaijan to conduct
exercises for all those persons who have suffered from mine explosions,
Rahman Mammadov, the Program Director of the Fund announced.

The Office of Weapon Removal and Abatement in the U.S. Department of
State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs has awarded a total of
$187,084 to support mine victims in Azerbaijan. "It was very important
for us to win this grant and expand the organization’s activities,
Mammadov said, This grant will enable us to encourage mine victims
to work."

The International Eurasia Press Fund has been active in Azerbaijan
since 1992 with respect to preventing and resolving conflicts, finance
publications on Azerbaijan refugees and internally displaced people
and human rights.

The major direction of measures is the improvement of public awareness
in the medical legal sectors.

The Fund’s projects are applied throughout the territory of the
country. Their cost frequently exceeds $200,000. The annual turnover
of the organization is $600,000.

According to the Azerbaijan National Agency for Mine Action (ANAMA),
over 400mln sq m of Azerbaijani territory is mined or has unexploded
mines. Since September 2001, 53 people died and 122 received injuries
as a result of 83 mine explosions.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 due
to the territorial claims by Armenia against Azerbaijan. Armenia has
occupied 20% of the Azerbaijani land including the Nagorno-Karabakh
region and seven Districts of the country surrounding it. Since
1992 to the present time, these territories have been under the
occupation of the Armenian Forces. 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 USA)
are presently holding peaceful negotiations.

ERDOGAN RECEIVES U.S. CONGRESS DELEGATION

Turkish Press
May 30 2007

ANKARA – Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan received on Monday members of
the U.S. Congress Turkey Working Group who are currently in Turkey
to hold a series of talks.

After the talks held at Erdogan`s office at the parliament, co-chairman
of the working group Edward Whitfield and U.S. Senator from Nebraska
Benjamin Nelson held a press conference.

Whitfield stated that Turkish public`s disappointment regarding the
PKK terrorism exported from Iraq, the general situation in Iraq,
the bill introduced to the U.S. Congress regarding the allegations on
so-called Armenian genocide and the prospective effects of such bill in
case of its adoption were the main issues discussed during the talks.

Moreover, Turkey`s EU membership process, France and Germany`s
prejudiced stances against this issue and unification of Cyprus were
also on the agenda of the meeting, Whitfield said.

Upon a question on his opinion regarding the possibility of Turkey`s
waging a cross-border operation to Iraq, Whitfield said that they
thought USA should take some concrete steps on the issue, however, they
did not encourage Turkey to carry out a military operation as well.

Replying to a question on whether the U.S. warplanes` violation of
Turkish airspace was discussed during the meeting, Senator Nelson
said that talks regarding such "violation" still continued and they
hoped the conflict could be solved in a positive way.

Turkey-U.S. Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group chairman Egemen
Bagis will host a dinner in honor of the guest delegation this evening.

The U.S. delegation, which is expected to proceed to Istanbul on
Tuesday, will depart from Turkey on Friday.

PanARMENIAN.Net

May 28: Day of First Republic of Armenia
28.05.2007 12:54 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On May 28 Armenia marks the Day of the First
Republic.

Having defeated the Turkish army in Sardarapat May 26 the Armenian
troops succeeded in stopping the Turkish intervention in the
Transcaucasus and rescue Armenia from complete elimination. The
Armenian Republic was proclaimed the Armenian National Council May 28,
1918 in Tiflis after the decline of the Transcaucasian Democratic
Federative Republic.

May 29 the western and eastern bureaus of ARF Dashnaktsutyun appointed
Hovhannes Kajaznuni the first-ever Prime Minister of independent
Armenia with Yerevan as capital. The last Prime Minister was Simon
Vratsyan.

The Republic of Armenia had existed for two years in all. December 2,
1920, the troops of the 11th Red Army entered Yerevan and the republic
became soviet.

In 1991 the Armenian SSR proclaimed independence and the parliament
announced May 28 a legal holiday.

A monument to Sardarapat battle heroes was inaugurated in 1968.

IS THERE PERMANENT STABILITY IN ARMENIA?

A1+
[07:31 pm] 25 May, 2007

"I was taken by numerous surprises at the May 12 elections. The most
striking for me was that Stepan Demirchyan, Artashes Geghamyan and
Gurgen Arsenyan were not elected to the parliament," said political
analyzer Richard Kirakosyan.

On the other hand, I am glad that Raffi Hovannisian will bring
freshness to the National Assembly and present the opposition in a
new way. I believe that Armenia will have more dynamic and active
democracy.

The new opposition will open a new page in the country’s
inter-political life, he said.

Kirakosyan is sure that the Republican Party will offer Gurgen Arsenyan
a post.

The political analyzer declined to make comments on the opposition’s
struggle saying that he "lives abroad and it is difficult for him to
give estimations". On the whole, he is satisfied with the election
outcome.

"The election was a step forward, there was obvious progress, and
Armenia has taken a democratic way."

"Surely, there were shortcomings, as no country can conduct ideal
elections."

"Armenia stands out among the South Caucasian countries due to its
characteristics-stability."

DEPUTY OF EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT THINKS THAT ADOPTION OF THE RESOLUTION ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BY ALL THE MEMBERS OF EU IS NECESSARY AND REAL

ArmInfo
2007-05-25 19:22:00

The problem of the Armenian genocide recognition in Europe should
be settled in a diplomatic way. As Armenian correspondent in France
reports, today deputy of the European Parliament Martine Roure said
this in Lion at opening of the two-day symposium "Europe – Armenian
memory".

"Some double-dealers try to deny the fact of the Armenian genocide,
but this does not do credit to them as one cannot escape the
history and should be brave to recognize the fact that took place", –
Martine Roure said. She also added that she is trying to persuade the
European countries separately to recognize the fact of the Armenian
genocide. Further this recognition will help to coordinate the points
of the relevant resolution.

Specialists on Armenian history from several European states,
including Germany and Austria will make speeches within the
frameworks of symposium, organized by the Armenian culture house in
Decines. Foreign historians prepared documents that prove the fact of
the Armenian genocide in Western Armenia at the beginning of the 20th
century. Mayors of all the cities of the region and Armenian ambassador
to France Edward Nalbandyan are taking part in the symposium.

ARMENIAN CHESS-PLAYERS IN LEADING THREE IN WORLD YOUTH STARS INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT

Noyan Tapan
May 24 2007

KIRISHI, MAY 24, NOYAN TAPAN. Games of 7th tour of Chess Youth
International Tournament took place on May 23 in Kirishi. Zaven
Andriasian beat Eduard Gorokhov (Russia) and Avetik Grigorian drew
the game with Daniil Linchevski (Russia). Yan Nepomnyashchi (5.5
points. Russia), Zaven Andriasian (5 points) and Avetik Grigorian
(4.5 points, both from Armenia) are in the leading three.

OPPOSITION MEMBER OF ARMENIAN CEC CALLS CEC CHAIRMAN ‘STUPID AND ILLITERATE’

arminfo
2007-05-23 14:21:00

Representative of Justice opposition bloc at the Armenian Central
Electoral Commission, a member of People’s Party of Armenia,
Felix Khachatryan called CEC Chairman Garegin Azaryan "stupid and
illiterate."

Speaking at a press conference, Wednesday, he mentioned that on
May 19 meeting of the Commission, Garegin Azaryan stated that Felix
Khachatryan was included in the ticket of Justice bloc during the
parliamentary election of 2003 being a member of CEC. "Heading CEC for
already 4 years, Garegin Azaryan has not even read the Election Code
and the Constitution. Otherwise, he would know that the law does not
ban a member of CEC to run for parliament on the proportional system."

He said that representatives of the Republican Party of Armenia and
United Labour Party are also members of CEC and ran for parliament on
the proportional system. "If Azaryan a man of principle, why didn’t
he notice that RPA ticket includes deputy ministers, vice governors,
prefects, which is banned by the law?" Felix Khachatryan asked.

He is sure that Garegin Azaryan’s allegations against him were just
"an attempt to catch a representative of the opposition in violation
of the law." "It is nothing but a display of stupidity and illiteracy,"
he concluded.