Author: Vanyan Gary

Noyan Tapan News Agency
Oct 14 2005

VICE-SPEAKER OF TURKISH PARLIAMENT INTENDS TO REFUTE STATEMENTS MADE
BY HALIL BERKTAY IN YEREVAN IN HIS LETTER TO NATO PA

ISTANBUL, OCTOBER 14, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Turkish
press widely touched upon the participation of historian Halil
Berktay, Sabanc University lecturer, in the Rose Roth Yerevan seminar
of NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA). According to the “Marmara” daily
of Istanbul, the publications in Turkish press make known that the
Turkish parliament refused to send a Turkish delegation to the
seminar in order that Halil Berktay should become the only Turkish
participant of the seminar. Berktay left for Yerevan and speaking at
the seminar, supported the point of view that the leadership of the
Ottoman period pursued the goal of annihilating the Armenian people
by means of displacement and slaughter and the events of 1915 must be
qualified a genocide.

Simon Lu, NATO PA Secretary General, sent the text of Halil Berktay’s
Yerevan speech to Vahid Erdem, Vice-Speaker of Turkish Parliament,
after which Vahid Erdem gave commentaries at the October 12 press
conference. He reported that NATO PA had applied to the Turkish
parliament with a request of sending a delegation to the seminar, but
the parliament, putting forward reasons about a “long and unsafe
way,” decided that the Turkish delegation won’t participate in the
seminar. Erdem mentioned that indeed the delegation was able to come
to Yerevan but the parliament made the opposite decision motivating
it by the fact that Turkey has no diplomatic relations with Armenia.

After these explanations Erdem regretted to say that the organizers
gave the floor to “such a historian as Halil Berktay” whose speech
was “one-sided.” Objecting to Berktay’s viewpoints, Erdem declared at
the press conference that there is no study proving that Armenians
became victims of a genocide.

Vahid Erdem noted that the NATO organizers didn’t have a secret
purpose but they had better send someone who were “unbiassed” and in
this case there would be a more “sound” debate on the issue.

Vahid Erdem added that he is going to send a letter consisting of 3
pages to NATO PA Secretariate General, in which he will respond to
Berktay’s points of view.

COMPENSATION FOR ARMENIAN GENOCIDE VICTIMS

Sofia News Agency, Bulgaria
Oct 13 2005

Heirs of thousands of Armenian genocide victims have reached a deal
with French insurance company Axa for compensating the deaths of
their insured relatives during the mass murders of 1915. They had
brought a case against Axa for not paying the due premiums on the
life insurance policies purchased by Armenians before the beginning
of the genocide. Axa agreed to pay USD 17 M to Armenian charity
organizations. The case was held in the state of California.

KOCHARIAN: COOPERATION WITH RF REGIONS IS A GOOD BASIS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF INTERSTATE RELATIONS AS WELL

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Oct 12 2005

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA President
Robert Kocharian received Alexander Tkachov, the Governor of the
region of Krasnodar, Russian Federation, on October 12.

The President of the republic expressed satisfaction with the fact
that within the framework of the Year of Russia in Armenia, mutual
visits, different initiatives and cultural events became rather active.

Attaching importance to the cooperation with regions of Russia,
Robert Kocharian mentioned that this is a good basis for development
of interstate relations as well.

The head of the region of Krasnodar notices a considerable activization
in the business field of Armenia and said that he is impressed by
the volume of construction works going on in Yerevan.

Alexander Tkachov mentioned the great role of the Armenian community
of the region in the issue of deepening bilateral ties. According to
the Governor, good relations are created with the community, and they
are involved in almost all the spheres of the life of the region.

As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA President’s Press Office,
the sides touched upon the process of the Armenian-Russian
economic relations as well. Robert Kocharian mentioned that owing to
activization of business ties, the Russian business gradually occupies
a greater place in the economy.

ALTERNATIVE DEMANDED

A1+
| 16:19:08 | 12-10-2005 | Official |

October 11 in the margins of his visit to the USA the RA Power Minister
Armen Movsisyan met the US Power Secretary Samuel W. Bodman.

During the meeting the RA Minister highly appreciated the US support to
the different spheres of power in Armenia. Speaking about the possible
shutting down of the nuclear power station the Minister mentioned that
it is possible only in case of creating an alternative power source.

An offer was also made to organize an Armenian-American conference
the aim of which will be to involve financial organization.

The RA Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to USA Tatoul
Margaryan also participated in the meeting.

HRANT DINK SENTENCED TO 6 MONTHS’ CONDITIONAL IMPRISONMENT

AZG Armenian Daily #182
11/10/2005

Concern

On October 8, the court of Istanbul sentenced Hrant Dink,
editor-in-chief of Agos newspaper, to 6 months’ conditional
imprisonment on charge of “insulting Turkish national identity”. “The
journalist of Armenian descent will be sent to prison if he repeats
his words”, the Associated Press explains. In an article published in
early 2004 Dink called for Armenians to “renounce the hatred towards
the Turks that poisons your blood”. Agos employer Karin Karakashli
thinks that the court misinterpreted his words concluding that Dink
considers Turkish blood poisonous.

In an interview to radio Liberty, Dink refused the charge labeling it
political. He is going to appeal against the charge at the Supreme
Court of the country and in case of no results he will apply to the
European Court of Human Rights. “If the accusations are not lifted
from me I will leave Turkey where I have live all my life”, Dink said.

JUDGES ARE ‘FOR’ CONSTITUTIONAL REFORMS

Panorama
Oct 10 2005

The general assembly of Association of Judges took place on October 10.

There were two questions in the agenda, the first question was the
attitude of the judges toward the constitutional reforms, the second
one, the adoption of the “Judge Manners Code”. In his report the
Head of the Court of Appeal Hovhannes Manoukyan said, “The draft
constitution as juridical document is almost ideal”.

Judges also emphasized that they obviously will support the
establishment of the independent juridical system.

Any how the general assembly said “yes” unanimously to the
constitutional reforms and passed to the second question of the agenda.

26 provisions are included in the code. For example the rule 19 says,
“The judge must not use his juridical authority for his personal
and domestic purposes”. The guaranty of the implementation of the
Code provisions, will be implemented by demand of society from
judges. /Panorama.am/

TURKISH-ARMENIAN JOURNALIST CONDEMNED TO 6 MONTHS CONDITIONAL SENTENCE

Pan Armenian
08.10.2005 19:58 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ An Istanbul court on Friday sentenced Turkish
Ethnic Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, editor of the bilingual
Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, to a six-month suspended sentence
for “insult to the Turkish national identity.” This means that
“the ethnic Armenian journalist will not be taken into custody,
if he does not repeat what he has done.” In an article published
last year Dink has addressed Armenians, urging them “to give up
animosity against Turks, which poisons blood.” In the opinion of
Agos editor Karin Karakashli, the court has interpreted these words
out of the context and arrived at a conclusion that “Turkish blood,
in Dink’s words, is poisoned.” Mr. Dink himself denied the accusation,
considering it a political act. In his words, he would bring the case
to Turkey’s Supreme Court and to the European Court of Human Rights
if necessary. “If I am unable to come up with a positive result,
it will be honorable for me to leave this country,” H. Dink stated,
reported RFE/RL.

Agence France Presse
7 octobre 2005 vendredi 11:10 AM GMT

Un journaliste arménien de Turquie condamné à six mois de prison avec sursis

ISTANBUL 7 oct 2005

Un tribunal d’Istanbul a condamné vendredi Hrant Dink, un journaliste
arménien de Turquie, à six mois de prison avec sursis pour “insulte à
l’identité nationale turque”, a affirmé à l’AFP Fethiye Cetin, son
avocate.

“Le tribunal de Sisli (Istanbul) a rendu un jugement condamnant M.
Dink à six mois d’emprisonnement pour insulte à l’identité nationale
turque, mais l’application (de la peine) a été reportée”, a déclaré
Mme Cetin au terme de l’ultime audience d’un procès ouvert en
juillet.

Selon le droit turc, le report de la peine équivaut à un sursis, le
condamné n’étant effectivement amené à purger sa peine qu’en cas de
récidive.

M. Dink, directeur de la publication du journal bilingue
turc-arménien Agos, était poursuivi pour un article paru le 13
février 2004 dans son journal, dans lequel il appelait les Arméniens
à “se tourner maintenant vers le sang neuf de l’Arménie indépendante,
seule capable de les libérer du poids de la Diaspora”.

Dans cet article consacré à la mémoire collective des massacres
d’Arméniens commis entre 1915 et 1917 en Anatolie, il invitait
également les Arméniens à rejeter symboliquement “la part altérée de
leur sang turc”.

“Notre client n’a commis absolument aucune faute”, a commenté Mme
Cetin, qui a expliqué attendre la publication du procès-verbal de
l’audience avant de se livrer à de plus amples commentaires.

“Mais il est certain que nous ferons appel de cette décision”,
a-t-elle ajouté.

M. Dink a confirmé à l’AFP son intention d’employer “tous les recours
juridiques” pour obtenir la cassation de ce jugement.

“Si ma condamnation est confirmée et devient ferme, cela signifiera
que j’ai insulté ces gens et ce sera un grand déshonneur pour moi de
vivre dans la même rue, le même quartier, le même pays qu’eux”, a
réagi le journaliste.

“Une telle chose est impossible pour moi (…) Si je ne parviens pas
à expliquer à cette société que je n’avais pas de telles intentions,
je quitterai ce pays, je partirai”, a-t-il poursuivi.

La question arménienne est particulièrement sensible en Turquie, qui
estime inapproprié l’emploi du terme “génocide” pour définir les
événements de 1915-1917. Plusieurs pays ont en revanche
officiellement reconnu le “génocide arménien”.

L’écrivain turc Orhan Pamuk est actuellement inculpé sous le même
chef d’accusation que M. Dink, passible de six mois à trois ans de
prison aux termes de l’article 301/1 du code pénal, pour avoir
affirmé dans un magazine suisse qu'”un million d’Arméniens avaient
été tués en Turquie”. Son procès doit débuter le 17 décembre.

Un tribunal stambouliote a par ailleurs ordonné en septembre la
suspension d’une conférence universitaire controversée sur la
question arménienne. Le forum a finalement pu avoir lieu, ses
responsables contournant l’injonction du tribunal en l’organisant
dans une autre université que celle visée par la décision.

M. Dink a participé à cette conférence.

Armenpress

AARHUS CENTERS TO OPEN IN ARMENIAN REGIONS

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 7, ARMENPRESS: Local public environmental information
Centers (Aarhus Centers) will soon open in the capitals of the Syunik,
Tavush and Lori regions of Armenia with the help of the OSCE Office in
Yerevan, which signed yesterday an agreement with the Ministry of Nature
Protection and local administrations, OSCE Yerevan Office said.
The Centers will promote access to information, including through the
Internet, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in
environmental matters-the three main pillars of the Aarhus Convention,
ratified by Armenia in 2001. They will also contribute to the creation of a
public climate of transparency in environmental affairs and to the general
democratization and good governance in the region.
The need for local Aarhus Centers in the regions was one of the
recommendations of the OSCE-supported study of the perspectives of the
socio-economic development of the Syunik region, conducted last year. The
Centers will also serve as a link between governmental authorities and
non-governmental organizations (NGO) in the field of environmental
policy-making, promote co-operation between all environmental stakeholders
and their potential counterparts, such as national, foreign and
international NGOs, as well as the business community, and serve as a basis
for coalition-building among local environmental NGOs.
The Centers will open later this year and make use of the experience and
expertise of the Yerevan Aarhus Center, established in 2002 as the first one
in Southern Caucasus.
The OSCE Office in Yerevan supports the establishment of a network of
Aarhus Centers in Armenia to promote the principles and values of the
international Aarhus Convention, which combines both environmental issues
and democratic spirit.

ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER SAYS NATO CAN BE IMPORTANT TO PEACE IN SOUTH CAUCASUS REGION

The Associated Press
10/06/05 11:33 EDT

YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) – NATO can be a key player in helping stabilize
the troubled southern Caucasus region that includes Armenia, the
country’s foreign minister said Thursday.

Speaking at a joint seminar of the parliament and representatives of
the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Vardan Oksanyan said “NATO can play
a large role in establishing peace in the south Caucasus and bring
countries of the region into peaceful dialogue.”

The region is troubled by tension between Azerbaijan and Armenia
over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, and neighboring Georgia
is trying to bring two separatist regions back under the central
government’s control.

Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization,
which includes Russia and four other ex-Soviet states. Russia has
troops based in Armenia, but Oksanyan said “at the same time we are
working closely with NATO.”