Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

FIRST NATIONAL ATLAS OF ARMENIA TO BE PUBLISHED THIS YEAR
Noyan Tapan
Jun 06 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, NOYAN TAPAN. The Center of Geodesy and Cartography
of the State Committee of Real Estate Cadastre adjunct to the RA
government will publish a two-volume National Atlas of Armenia in
2006. Executive director of the center Hovsep Petrosian told NT
correspondent that the list of geographical names to be included in
the atlas is currently being clarified. An atlas of Armenia was last
published in 1961. According to H. Petrosian, the work on preparation
of an atlas started as far back as 2002, for which purpose about 45 mln
drams (about 100 thousand USD) was allocated from the state budget. A
tender for printing the atlas will be announced. The estimated cost of
printing is 22 mln drams. He said that the first volume will contain
maps of the population, nature, physical and economic maps, while the
second one – maps on history, culture and the Diaspora. The center
has already drawn maps of 70% of Armenia’s territory at a scale of
1:10 000. The taking of space photos will be completed in 2006. Among
the work done by the center is preparation of an electronic map of
all communications of Kanaker-Zeytun community. It is envisaged to
draw such maps for another 4 communities of Yerevan. Besides, the
center has published a tourist map of Yerevan (a scale of 1:25 000)
and a map of routes of Yerevan minibuses. A series of thematic maps
includes a tourist map of Gegharkinik marz, the Armenian Genocide Map,
the map of 1988 Spitak earthquake, as well as an atlas of motorways
of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. The Center of Geodesy and Cartography
is an authorized state body in the sphere of cartography of Armenia.

THE OFFERS ARE IN FAVOR OF AZERBAIJAN?
A1+
[08:12 pm] 05 June, 2006
There were no statements after today’s meeting of Robert Kocharyan
and Ilham Aliev. And we can only guess what the two Presidents
discussed during the meetings and what offers were made for the
peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.
The announcement of Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau
of European and Eurasian Affairs sheds some light on the issue,
“The co-chairs have offered several ideas which can be basis for the
settlement of the conflict. We have offered the ideas to the heads
of the countries neutrally, without being for or against them. But
as representatives of the USA I have said that we want to see the
territories returned to Azerbaijan and the Azeri people return to
their native lands. We see the interests of both countries. There
are a number of variants. We have offered the most optimal variant
and now everything depends on the Presidents. We think that they are
both serious people. They will investigate the offers made by us.
We do not want to exercise pressure upon them. We just want to help
them as a friend”.

TURKEY’S HISTORY IS FULL OF GANGS
Sedat Bozkurt
The New Anatolian
June 5 2006
Turkey’s history can be seen as a kind of history of gangs. In the
Ottoman Empire, leaving aside the ones in major cities or within the
state, there were always gangs or individual rebellion leaders in
the mountains of Anatolia, who are, even today, still hailed as heroes.
With the republic, the identities of the gangs have changed. Because
the War of Independence was waged by an organization then called
a gang by the empire’s administrators. The gangs were sought and
sometimes found deep within the state.
One of the most important turning points in the issue of gangs was
the 1980 military coup. Before the coup, the gangs were the mafia,
and arms smuggling was one of their chief sources of income. Those
gangs had international connections and were under the control of NATO,
a product of the Cold War between the U.S. and Russia. “Deep gangs”
were giving the same gun both to the left and the right-wing, by which
they were killing each other. The aim of the right-wing and nationalist
groups was to stop the expansion of Russia. Since the gangs’ and NATO’s
goals were common, mostly the right-wing was getting this support.
Conditions matured for the carrying out the 1980 coup, and finally
a message was sent to the U.S. administration: “Our boys managed it”.
Alparslan Turkes, then the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party
(MHP), said their ideology was in power while they were in prison.
And the leaders of the coup were giving new missions to the members
they used to stop the Russian threat. Fighting terrorist group the
Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA). In return
for this, the MHP members who were being tried were acquitted.
(The nationalists who were left behind by the state became important
figures in a new business: collecting bounced checks. This was the
first step of a new type of gang in Turkey and this model survived
for long time, enjoyed the support of the state or the police)
We came across the heroes of this period in mafia, politician,
and state connections, which were revealed after the 1996 Susurluk
scandal. Murdered MIT members, casino kings and many Kurdish
businessmen… The concept of gang, mafia and deep state were changed
after the Susurluk scandal.
The collaborators of those who were involved in fishy business in the
name of state were all in illegal actions and were called gangs. And
those people, after a while, stopped working for the state and became
the real mafia. So gangs, in which there were soldiers, military
officers, high-ranking police officers and MIT administrators, emerged.
Hanefi Avci, who was then the police intelligence department acting
head and now is Edirne police chief, best described the Susurluk
connections. In his testimony at the parliamentary commission
probing the Susurluk scandal, he claimed that there was an “illegal”
organization established within the state to fight terrorism. He
also said this organization then became a gang, which was established
within the MIT, the police and Gendarmerie Intelligence (JITEM).
Mehmet Agar, Korkut Eken, Ibrahim Sahin from the police, Mehmet
Eymur, Duran Firat and Kasif Binbasi from the MIT and Lt. Col. Veli
Kucuk from JITEM were in this organization and involved in numerous
illegal actions under the leadership of Ahmet Cem Ersever, who was
later killed by Kemal Uzuner (a.k.a Cubuklu), a driver working at
JITEM, said Avci. He also said Abdullah Catli, an ultranationalist and
suspect of a political mass-killing in the late ’70s was both used by
the MIT and the police, and Alaattin Cakici, a mafi! a leader was used
by the MIT. Abdullah Catli, his partner in crime Haluk Kirci and drug
smuggler Yasar Oz might be in the civil wing of the gang and conducted
many operations in the southeast region and were active in Istanbul,
doing operations against some businessman.
In the same period some other illegal organizations that could be
related to the state were discovered: the Soylemezler Gang, Hadi
Ozcan Gang, Yuksekova Gang etc. In all of them there were soldiers,
policemen, mafia leaders and an informant who once was a member of
the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). The names connecting those people
were all the same.
What those gangs have turned into was very interesting, since a new
gang supported by certain people within the state plotted a coup in a
neighboring state, and some other people within the state prevented
this plot. And in another neighboring state, some circles within
the state prevented an assassination attempt by the state on the
leader of the terrorist organization. In another case the Turkish
Revenge Brigade (TIT), alleged to have connections with the MIT and
the military, was behind the assassination attempt on Human Rights
Association head Akin Birdal.
The Eurasia Ferryboat was hijacked to attract attention to the Russian
pressure in Chechnya and later the suspects one by one escaped from
Turkish prisons. And all of them had connections to the MIT. Journalist
Abdi Ipekci’s murder, the attempts to assassinate the late pope and
former President Turgut Ozal, and the murder of businessman Ozdemir
Sabanci were all remembered for their connections to gangs, which
were this or that way supported by the state.
For this reason whenever the state connection is discovered in a fishy
business in Turkey, the Susurluk scandal comes to mind. The recent
bombing of a bookstore in Hakkari’s Semdinli in which soldiers were
actively involved was called another Susurluk case. Also the attack
on the Council of State and the subsequent discovery of the Atabeyler
gang in Ankara.
Indeed all were different gangs and the only thing they have in
common with the Susurluk scandal was that all have members from the
police and the military, which in a way connected those gangs to the
state. On the other hand the most important difference was that no
name from the MIT was involved in them.
The nationalist and the military connections in recently discovered
gangs are interesting. The way that certain information was leaked to
the press regarding the issue was an intelligence type. And also the
address that information points out. But none of them have concrete
relations with the state, as was the case with Susurluk. When we take
a look at the recent gangs, we see that they felt themselves in charge
of serving the state. And those who discovered them are feeling in
charge of distracting attention from the issue. In sum, it seems that
Turkey will be struggling with those gangs for some more time.

A1+
PRYAKHIN IN THE RA GOVERNMENT
[05:10 pm] 02 June, 2006
Today RA Prime Minister Andranik Margaryan received Ambassador
Vladimir Pryakhin, head of the OSCE Armenian office.
Issues concerning the cooperation with the RA Government were
discussed. Pryakhin gladly mentioned about the efficient cooperation
in several fields including environmental protection, combat against
trafficking, anti-corruption issues, reforms in the RA police and
others.
The sides also referred to realization of several current projects and
the results achieved, as well as the problems which are yet to be
solved with the possible support of the OSCE.

Armenian leader pins “modest hopes” on talks with Azeri president
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
2 Jun 06
[Presenter] Armenian President Robert Kocharyan does not hope that
special changes will happen at the forthcoming meeting in
Bucharest. The Armenian president said today that he pinned modest
hopes on his forthcoming meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham
Aliyev.
Kocharyan also said that the framework of issues discussed currently
creates an opportunity to ensure a stable and lasting settlement of
the Nagornyy Karabakh conflict, but there is an impression that
Azerbaijan is in no mood to resolve the conflict peacefully, which is
proved by bellicose statements made in Baku.
[Correspondent] Asked by journalists whether he has expectations from
one more meeting with Aliyev in Bucharest, if we take into account
bellicose statements made by the Azerbaijani president who accuses
Armenia of taking a nonconstructive position, the Armenian president
said at a news conference in [Armenia’s] Vayots Dzor Region that he
pinned modest hopes on the forthcoming meeting.
[Kocharyan] I have modest hopes on the forthcoming meeting because of
bellicose statements and comments that have nothing to do with issues
under discussion. This creates the impression that the opposite side
is in no mood to resolve the conflict seriously.
[Correspondent] The president also noted that statements made by
Azerbaijani officials that the problem should be solved on the basis
of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity are surprising.
[Kocharyan] Since the establishment of the UN, there has not been any
nation that gained independence and then changed its mind and returned
to the state from which it had broken away.
[Correspondent] The Armenian president pointed out that when the UN
was established, it had 51 members, but there were about 70 countries
in the world.
Today the UN has 191 members, but the number of countries in the world
is about 200. The Armenian president believes that this progress
results from national liberation movements, the implementation of the
right to self-determination and the downfall of empires.
[Kocharyan] I do not understand why the Armenians – the Karabakh
people – should make a decision that they do not need independence and
think about returning somewhere. I am surprised why they are thinking
of us in this way.
[Correspondent] Kocharyan also spoke about the Orinats Yerkir
(Law-Governed Country) Party’s withdrawal from the ruling coalition
and the changes that have taken place in the coalition. The president
described as absurd the comments that the authorities have allegedly
sent Orinats Yerkir on a mission to the opposition. We are not so
skilled in politics, he said.
[Passage omitted: Kocharyan spoke about the role of the opposition and
ruling coalition; he said that relations between him and Orinats
Yerkir leader Artur Bagdasaryan worsened because of their different
views on foreign policy; he said that Bagdasaryan tried to offer his
personal approaches to issues that were directly related to Armenia’s
national security and that he disagreed with Bagdasaryan]

The Anatolian Times, Turkey
June 2 2006
Turkey Intends To Pursue Efforts To Normalize Relations With Armenia,
Tan
ANKARA – “Turkey is intending to pursue efforts to normalize
relations with Armenia,“ Turkish MFA Spokesman Namik Tan said on
Wednesday.
Tan told a weekly news conference that Turkey was resolved to
establish peace, tranquility and stability in its region as its
traditional foreign policy principle.
“Success of Turkey`s efforts to normalize relations (with Armenia)
depends on a more flexible and constructive approach from Yerevan as
well as to the overcoming of bilateral and regional problems. It also
depends on Armenia`s willingness of abiding by international law,“
Tan noted.
Giving information to journalists about the process, Tan said Turkey
has asked Armenia to establish a joint commission comprising Turkish
and Armenian experts to investigate the incidents that had occurred
in 1915.
Tan said Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote a letter to Armenian
President Robert Kocharian in April 2005 including this suggestion.
“Upon the response letter of Kocharian to Erdogan, a negotiation
process has started between the two countries to seek a common
ground. Three rounds of talks were held so far,“ Tan indicated.

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
June 2, 2006 Friday
RUSSIAN SERVICEMEN ON THE ARMENIAN BORDER
by Alexei Ventslovsky
RUSSIAN BORDER GUARDS HELP THEIR ARMENIAN COUNTERPARTS PROTECT THE
BORDER WITH TURKEY AND IRAN; Lieutenant-General Sergei Bondarev,
chief of the Russian border guard department in Armenia, said that
Russian servicemen solve their tasks on the border with Turkey (355
km) and Iran (48 km).
As is known, the Russian border guard service helps several CIS
nations ensure the security of their border. Russia’s border guard
posts are located on Armenia’s border with Turkey and Iran.
(…)
Lieutenant-General Sergei Bondarev, chief of the Russian border guard
department in Armenia, said that Russian servicemen solve their tasks
on the border with Turkey (355 km) and Iran (48 km). He noted: “Last
year we detained 187 violators of the border and 1,293 people with
improper documents. We banned over 300 people from crossing the
border. The Armenian customs office confiscated smuggling worth of
$30,000 and 80 units of cold steel. We prevented over 100 attempts to
violate the border.”
(…)
Russia and Armenia fund the border guard department together. Russia
allocates 70% of the budget, including wages. Armenia solves social
issues.
It should be noted that our border guards managed to cut the number
of young officers who leave the army. Only two out of 100 graduates
from military high schools have resigned over the past two years. The
share of contract servicemen is 39%. We do not have problems with
junior commanders.
(…)
Source: Krasnaya Zvezda, May 27, 2006, p. 2

PanARMENIAN.Net
South Ossetia Ready to Recognize Armenian Genocide

02.06.2006 13:46 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ `If the Armenian party addresses the republic of
South Ossetia, our parliament is ready to recognize the Armenian
Genocide perpetrated in Ottoman Turkey at the beginning of last
century,’ South Ossetian President Eduard Koykoty stated at a press
conference in Moscow. In his words, with adopting the Declaration on
the genocide perpetrated by Georgia aganist South Ossetians, the
history of tragic events that took place in the Ottoman Empire was
also studied.
To remind, April 26 the South Ossetian parliament passed the
Declaration on the genocide of South Ossetians in 1989-1922. The
declaration says that the Georgian Mensheviks subjected South
Ossetians to genocide starting from 1774. In 1920 South Ossetia was
forcibly annexed to the Soviet Georgia, whose leadership applied the
policy of discrimination and assimilation that led to nationalist
processes at late 1980-ies, reported IA Regnum.

ANKARA ANNONCE DES RENCONTRES TURCO-ARMENIENNES POUR NORMALISER LES LIENS
Agence France Presse
31 mai 2006 mercredi 11:10 AM GMT
La Turquie a annonce mercredi des rencontres au niveau des diplomates
avec l’Armenie pour tenter de normaliser ses relations avec ce pays
voisin avec lequel elle n’entretient pas de relations diplomatiques.
Trois series d’entretiens exploratoires ont deja eu lieu depuis
l’an dernier entre des sous-secretaire d’Etat adjoints aux Affaires
etrangères, a indique Namik Tan, porte-parole du ministère des Affaires
etrangères, au cours de son point de presse hebdomadaire.
Ces rencontres visent a “determiner s’il y a un terrain commun
sur lequel il peut y avoir des progrès concernant les relations
bilaterales”, a-t-il dit.
Des preparatifs sont en cours pour une nouvelle serie de pourparlers,
a-t-il souligne.
Le diplomate a toutefois estime que l’Armenie devait faire preuve de
davantage de “souplesse” et d’une attitude “constructive” pour que
ce dialogue puisse etre couronne de succès.
La Turquie a reconnu l’Armenie peu après son independance en 1991,
mais n’a jamais etabli de relations diplomatiques avec l’ancienne
republique sovietique en raison de la controverse sur le genocide
dont les Armeniens estiment avoir ete victimes dans les dernières
annees de l’Empire ottoman, de 1915 a 1917.
Les Armeniens affirment que jusqu’a 1,5 million des leurs ont peri
dans un “genocide” orchestre par l’Empire ottoman, auquel a succede
la Republique turque.
Ankara soutient que 300.000 Armeniens et au moins autant de Turcs ont
ete tues au cours de troubles suscites par le soulèvement d’Armeniens
et leur ralliement aux armees russes en guerre contre l’Empire ottoman,
et lors des deportations qui ont suivi.
La Turquie avait propose l’an dernier la creation d’une commission
conjointe afin d’enqueter sur ces incidents. Erevan a repondu par
un oui conditionnel, declarant qu’il fallait au prealable etablir
“des relations normales” entre les deux pays.
Outre cette controverse, l’autre pierre d’achoppement dans les
relations entre la Turquie et l’Armenie est la question du Nagorny
Karabakh.
L’Armenie a pris le contrôle de cette enclave a population armenienne
en territoire azerbaïdjanais et des regions adjacentes au terme
d’une guerre de six ans (1988-1994). Le processus de paix n’a guère
progresse depuis.
La Turquie a ferme sa frontière avec l’Armenie en 1993 par solidarite
avec l’Azerbaïdjan turcophone et musulman.
Des compagnies privees assurent quotidiennement neanmoins des vols
entre les deux pays.
–Boundary_(ID_Tuhr7hmJIKbR24wDo/kM0A)–

PARLIAMENT AGAIN BLOCKS GOVERNMENT BILL ON INCOME DISCLOSURE
By Ruzanna Khachatrian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
May 31 2006
The Armenian government again failed to push through parliament on
Wednesday a bill that would obligate all well-to-do Armenians to
regularly declare their personal incomes and other assets.
The bill, which is aimed at complicating widespread tax evasion, has
been bogged down in the National Assembly for nearly two years, meeting
with strong resistance from some wealthy lawmakers. The government
has so far only managed to have it passed in the first reading.
Only 47 of the 131 members of the assembly voted to pass it in the
second reading. The proposed legislation is openly opposed by the
Orinats Yerkir party of former parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian.
One of the nine Orinats Yerkir deputies, Hovannes Markarian, insisted
that “Armenian society is not ready” for mass income declarations.
Also refusing to back it are the 17 ostensibly independent deputies
making up the People’s Deputy group. All of them are wealthy
businessmen loyal to the country’s leadership.
Armen Alaverdian, deputy head of the State Taxation Service, said the
government will again put the bill to the parliament vote soon. “We
have to work with those factions to find out reasons for their
opposition,” he told RFE/RL.
Armenia already has a law on financial disclosure that covers only the
president of the republic, all members of the parliament, ministers
and other senior government officials. But the law has proved largely
meaningless, with most senior officials grossly understating their
assets in annual income declarations filed with tax authorities. The
latter have no right to check the veracity of those statements.
The government bill would extend mandatory income declaration to
all those citizens who earn at least 500,000 drams ($1,160) a month,
or ten times more than the official average salary in the country.
President Robert Kocharian’s former anti-corruption adviser, Bagrat
Yesayan, has been one of the strongest supporters of the measure.
Yesayan has argued that a much broader financial disclosure would
enable the authorities to uncover expensive property which is owned
by corrupt government officials but is officially registered in their
relatives’ names.