Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

US Senator concerned over Russia’s arms transfer
Baku, June 1, AssA-Irada
Russia’s move to transfer weaponry from Georgia to Armenia raises
concerns and poses threats, United States Senator, member of the US
Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Charles Hagel said.
“Azerbaijan and Armenia are independent countries and stationing any
foreign troops here is unacceptable”, he told a news conference in
Baku on Wednesday.
Hagel said that the US government welcomes the agreement reached by
Russia and Georgia to pull Russian bases out of this country.*

SOME IN GEORGIA WORRY THAT THE RUSSIAN BASE WITHDRAWAL DEAL COMES WITH A CATCH
EurasiaNet Organization
June 1 2005
Molly Corso 6/01/05
Georgian leaders have hailed a deal on the withdrawal of Russian troops
from two military bases in Georgia as an “historic event” that clears
the way for the normalization of bilateral relations. Some political
analysts and opposition politicians in Tbilisi are concerned, however,
that President Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration paid too high a
price to secure Moscow’s commitment to take its troops out of Georgia.
Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili and her Russian
counterpart Sergei Lavrov signed the base accord on May 31, committing
Russia to complete the withdrawal process by the end of 2008. According
to the agreement text posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s web
site, Moscow will begin closing its base at Akhalkalaki immediately,
with at least 40 armored vehicles and 20 tanks to be withdrawn by
September 1. Russia is also expected to transfer a tank repair facility
to Georgia by September 1. The withdrawal from the Akhalkalaki base
is to be completed by the end of 2007. The closure of Russia’s other
base, in Batumi, will occur at an unspecified point in 2008. Russia’s
command and control personnel in Georgia will also cease operations in
2008. Both bases are to be delivered to Georgia in “as is” condition.
In addition, the document calls for both Georgia and Russia to seek
“additional external sources of financing for the transportation costs”
connected with the Russian withdrawal. The accord also contains vague
language concerning the creation of a Georgian-Russian Anti-Terrorist
Center, to be “formalized by a separate document,” as well as a
bilateral commitment to conclude a pact regulating joint border issues
“as soon as possible.”
Tbilisi and Moscow had haggled over the Russian troop withdrawal
since the 1999 OSCE summit in Istanbul. [For background see the
Eurasia Insight archive]. At a May 30 news conference, Saakashvili
said the bilateral accord will end “the 200-year presence of Russian
troops in Georgia.” He went on to say that one of the most “painful”
issues hampering Tbilisi’s ties with Moscow – Russia’s two remaining
bases in Georgia — had now been cleared away, raising hopes for
“close, friendly relations.” Saakashvili also sought to reassure the
ethnic Armenian community concentrated near the Akhalkalaki base,
which has been the main source of employment for area residents. [For
additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. “We have
already launched the rehabilitation of roads, schools and launched
social programs,” Saakashvili said. “We are also ready to recruit
[local] personnel … for the Georgian army.”
It was what Saakashvili didn’t mention about the pact — specifically
the creation of the joint anti-terrorism center — that had some
observers and politicians in Georgia feeling uneasy. Before the text of
the accord had been made public, Tina Gogueliani, a political analyst
with the International Center for Conflict and Negotiations, said that
some people worried that the accord contained loopholes potentially
enabling Russia to maintain a military presence in Georgia. “[You
can’t] exclude the possibility that there is something the public
will not like in this document,” Gogueliani said.
The English language daily, The Georgian Messenger, published an
article June 1 in which seven of the nine people interviewed said
they were suspicious about the center’s intentions. “There is no
difference whether the bases will be withdrawn from the country
or not if there will be an anti-terrorist center,” said Tea Todua,
a lawyer who was quoted in the Messenger story.
The text of the agreement states that an “agreed upon portion of
[Russian] military personnel and material-technical facilities and
infrastructure from [the Batumi base] would be used in the interest”
of the joint anti-terrorism center. Tiko Mzhavanadze, a press secretary
for the New Right opposition group, voiced concern that the status quo
could end up being preserved. “If the [anti-terrorism] center will be
Russian, we have traded the old bases for new [military] equipment,”
she said in a phone interview with EurasiaNet. “And that will be
even worse.”
Irakli Menagarishvili, a former foreign minister who now is the
director of the Strategic Research Center, cautioned that it is too
soon to jump to any conclusions. “It is hard to say anything concrete
at this time,” he said in a phone interview. “There is nothing
decided, or we don’t know anything yet, about the center except for
the title.” He added that the center could assume a variety of forms,
ranging from an analytical-research think tank to an armed unit.
“Those are two different things-and actually any number of variations
could exist between them,” he said. “If it is the first version,
it could be acceptable for Georgia. But the second is completely
unacceptable. That is like exchanging the bases for the same thing
with a different name.”
Zourabichvili, speaking at a May 31 news conference, sought to dispel
fears that the deal would allow Russian to retain a significant
military presence in Georgia. “The anti-terrorist center will not
represent a new base. It will be a joint center, which will accept
all decisions jointly, with the participation of the Georgian side,”
Zourabichvili said, adding that “the existence of this anti-terrorism
center is in Georgia’s interests as well.”
The opposition party spokeswoman, Mzhavanadze, said that to ensure
Russia does not wield undue influence in the planned anti-terrorism
center, participation should be expanded. “If there is going to
be an anti-terrorism center in Georgia, [it] should be three-,
or four-sided; not just Georgian and Russian [members], but also
American and possibly European.”
Zourabichvili said on May 31 that substantive negotiations concerning
the anti-terrorism center have not commenced. “As far as I know,
Russia adopted one document that we have not received yet,” she said.
“We have enough time for negotiations and there is no reason to
hurry. We should think together about what we want and how we want
[to receive it].”
Georgia’s National Security Council will be the lead agency
responsible for guiding Georgian negotiators on the creation of the
anti-terrorism center. Davit Gunashvili, the press officer for the
NSC, said very little has been decided to date. “I can only tell you
that the Georgian side will only support an analytical-information
gathering [center],” he said. “As we know no weapons or large armies
can defeat terrorism.” He added that while there is no date set for
the negotiations, both the NSC and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
will be involved.
Editor’s Note: Molly Corso is a freelance journalist and photographer
based in Tbilisi.

Armenian prosecutor, international experts discuss corruption
Noyan Tapan news agency
1 Jun 05
Yerevan, 1 June: The fight against corruption involves joint efforts
of all the appropriate bodies and the public. This must be based on
improved legislation and carried out in a coordinated and continuous
manner, Armenian Prosecutor-General Agvan Ovsepyan, has told a meeting
with experts of GRECO [the Group of States against corruption], who are
visiting Armenia within the framework of the anti-corruption campaign.
The prosecutor-general informed the visitors of the work done, crime
figures and judicial practice. The sides discussed transnational
crime and noted the need to speed up cooperation of law-enforcement
agencies in different countries in the fight against money laundering,
a source in the Prosecutor’s Office told Noyan Tapan.

ARMENIAN CB CHAIRMAN TO TAKE PART IN INTERNATIONAL BANKING CONGRESS
YEREVAN, June 1. /ARKA/. Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia
Tiogran Sargsyan is to take part in the 14th International Banking
Congress in Saint Petersburg, Russia, early in June. The CBA press
service reports that on the suggestion of the congress organizers the
CBA Chairman is to make a report “Monetary policy, foreign-exchange
regulation and banking supervision in conditions of revaluation
of national currency.” The congress is to discuss the development
of Russia’s banking system until 2008 and the present development
strategy, topical issues of regulating Russian credit institutions’
activities, cooperation between banks and economy, as well as
the banking system’s cooperation with the country’s scientific
sector. P.T. -0–
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Visiting US senator opposed to re-deployment of Russian troops in Armenia
Trend news agency
1 Jun 05
Baku, 1 June: The visiting US senator, Chuck Hagel, welcomes the news
that Russia has decided to withdraw its military bases from Georgia.
“But if the arms are moved from Georgia to Armenia, this will cause
a serious concern. Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia are independent
countries. There should be no foreign bases in any independent country
because it creates tension in the region,” he said.
Touching on the Karabakh settlement, the senator said the USA
supports a negotiated settlement. He welcomed the dialogue between
the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents held on the sidelines of the
Council of Europe summit on 15 May.
“A dialogue is important to reach a consensus,” Hagel said.

Kocharian Conceals Occupation with So-Called Genocide
By ERHAN BASYURT
Zaman, Turkey
June 1 2005
I don’t know why, opening the Armenian border gate has become a
“blind love” in Turkey. Lastly, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
government has fell in this “blind love”. While no conditions have
been changed on the Armenian side, Ankara has carried on building
diplomatic relations and opening the border gate to the issue.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian; however, showed once again that
they do not seek dialogue or a solution at the Summit of the Council
of Europe in Warsaw.
Kocharian repeated to the top-level representatives of 46 European
countries that “recognition of 1915 events as genocide is our main
policy.” While it was highly expected that Prime Minister Erdogan and
Kocharian would come together at that summit, Kocharian’s statements
had a cold effect on the Turkish side.
Kocharian has become Armenian President thanks to the effective
“Karabagh Clan” when he was one of the Armenian rebel leaders
carrying out an armed conflict in Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabagh
region. Kocharian’s biggest supporter is the Dashnak Party, which
has destroyed the democratic structure in the country. What brought
Kocharian up to power is not the Armenian people’s support but
financial and political support provided by the Armenian Diaspora,
who seek the dream of “Greater Armenia”. If Kocharian gives up his
so-called genocide allegations, he will lose the Armenian Diaspora’s
support that has been constructed on “Turcophobic Animosity”. Under
these circumstances, it would be naive to expect Kocharian to give
up his so-called genocide allegations and to withdraw from 20 percent
of Azerbaijani territory.
Certainly, this is not the only reason for Kocharian’s insistence
on a so-called genocide. If it is noticed, campaigns of so-called
genocide have accelerated after 1990. The end of the Cold War has
facilitated the international pressure over Turkey and this has
played a crucial role in it. The main reason; however, is that the
so-called genocide barking conceals Armenian’s occupation and massacre
in Azerbaijan. Adapting the role of the oppressed and the aggrieved,
Armenians, who constantly carry the so-called genocide allegations
on the agenda at European and US parliaments, conceal the Karabagh
massacres and the occupation of Azerbaijan in this way. They describe
the immigration of 413,000 Armenians from the Ottoman territories as
“genocide”; however, show their exile of 800,000 Azerbaijanis from
their homelands and committing ethnic cleansing, primarily in Hocali,
as just.
Kocharian’s speech at the Council of Europe is very thought provoking
from this point of view as well. The Council of Europe’s Assembly
of Parliamentarians has accepted Armenia as a country occupying
Azerbaijani territory on January 25th 2005, that is to say four months
ago. It also accepted a comprehensive report envisioning a peaceful
withdrawal from it. Kocharian, who is the architect of the occupation
that blocked four different resolutions by the United Nations (UN) and
solutions projects by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in
Europe’s (OSCE), now plays the role of the “oppressed” by carrying the
so-called genocide allegations on agenda at the Council of Europe. He,
therefore, keeps the international community and the Council of Europe
from undertaking an active role in the solution of the problem.
Turkey should speak with Kocharian in the language that he understands
at this stage. That is to say, it should push Armenia into corner at
international platforms and take initiatives to allow it to end the
occupation and to establish peaceful relations with its neighbors. The
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) might easily carry the
Karabagh problem to the agenda. Turkey should use all its opportunities
in the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the UN and the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO). It is naturally not possible that these
policies can be successful only with Turkey’s efforts. Turkey and
Azerbaijan should set up a very close dialogue and co-operation
mechanism at this stage. They should direct their lobby opportunities
to the same point. Armenia should be put under international pressure
by gaining the support of friendly countries as well.
If these are achieved, not only the so-called genocide allegations
will occupy the agenda as such, but also Armenia will seek ways to
approach Turkey as a solution to get rid of international pressure.
Turkey-Armenia relations will mostly benefit Armenia, so the “blind
love” of opening the border gates and establishing bridges should
be theirs.

Armenian leader, political coalition discuss constitutional reforms
A1+ web site
31 May 05
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan held a working meeting with members
of the political coalition council today. The constitutional reforms
was discussed.
To recap, [the Council of Europe’s] Venice Commission has recently
given a negative opinion of the package of constitutional reforms
adopted by the National Assembly in the first reading. The commission
warned that without radical changes, Armenia will lag behind the
European integration process.

ANOTHER 37 SCHOOLS TO HAVE COMPUTER LABS
Armenpress
YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS; Another 37 secondary schools in
Armenia will have computer labs before the start of a new academic
year. Introduction of computer labs is part of a World Bank US$19
million equivalent credit for the Armenia Education Quality and
Relevance Project.
The International Development Association (IDA) Credit was approved
last year to assist the government in its efforts to improve the
quality and relevance of the Armenian school system to meet the
challenges of the knowledge society. This is the first phase of a
three-phase, ten-year commitment by the World Bank to supporting
educational change in Armenia.
So far 130 schools were furnished with computer labs as part of this
project. The Education Quality and Relevance project has four main
components: National Curriculum and Assessment System, Educational
Technologies in Schools, Teacher Professional Development, and System
Management and Efficiency.

IT’S WRONG TO THINK THAT RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CONCERNS ONLY ARMENIANS: CHRISTIAN DER-STEPANIAN
STRASBOURG, MAY 30, NOYAN TAPAN. Ambassador Christian Der-Stepanian,
the resident representative of the Republic of Armenia to the Council
of Europe, made a speech at the May 25 meeting of the Ministers’
delegates of the Council of Europe. The speech was dedicated to the
Armenian-Turkish relations and in some sense, it was a response to
Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan’s speech made on the second day of
the Warsaw summit where the latter accused the parliaments of the
countries having recognized the Genocide of ceding to the pressure
of Armenian lobbying. Below is Christian Der-Stepanian’s speech
(with some reductions), which was submitted to Noyan Tapan from
the Press Service of the State Commission on organization of events
dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide: “Turkey’s
Prime Minister’s words, particularly, refusal of the recognition
of the fact of the Armenian Genocide, show what way Turkey must
still pass to fulfil the mandatory affair of remembering which is
so important for democratic development of any society. Accusing of
Turkish University students, who undertook a conference concerning
the Armenian Genocide, of betrayal by Turkish Justice Minister is
the sad evidence of that. In contrary with Erdogan’s estimation
made in Warsaw, it would be wrong to think that the parliaments of
11 member countries of the Council of Europe having recognized the
Armenian Genocide did it under a pressure. They did it consciously
and dilligently, considering that such a recognition corresponds
to Europe’s idea of human rights, which is based on the respect of
peoples’ memory. And today they must feel themselves more strong in
their conviction, also taking into account the voice inside Turkey,
rising in some political and intellectual circles, which calls their
authorities to do thier duty of remembering. It will be also wrong
to think that the issue of recognition concerns only Armenians of
all over the world while it is a phenomenon of political life of the
interested states and unification of civil society’s actors aimed at
the fact that the recognition should really respond the universal
demand of justice and dignity. Today, prompted from the prospect
of opening negotiations on membership to the European Union, the
Turkey’s Prime Minister calls on to create a commission of historians,
while evidences of those within a hair’s breadth of death and foreign
observers (diplomates, representatives of humanitarian missions),
historians’ works amd comparison of demographic data (more than 2
mln Armenians living in the Ottaman Empire before the World War I,
not hardly 60 thousand in present Turkey) are already enough to
prove the fact and volume of the Genocide. We think from our side
the present and future of relations between Armenia and Turkey are
in the sphere of responsibilities of the two countries’ authorities
and are not a work for historians’ counsul. Today, in reality, it is
important not to limit oneself facing the past but just the opposite,
to discuss issues of the present and turn to future. That’s why
we think that opening of borders without preconditions will be the
first significant step for establishing bilateral relations. It will
be accompanied by establishment of a dialogue within the framework
of an intergovernmental commission to be created on that purpose:
just that commission will discuss and solve all those issues which
are still problematic among our countries.”

Iran, Russia discuss electricity cooperation
Mehr news agency
29 May 05
Tehran, 29 May: A conference discussing issues including the transfer,
distribution and generation of electricity in the commonwealth
countries was held in those republics and the vice-chairman of Tavanir
(Iran Power Generation & Transmission Management Organization), the
main company of Iran’s Ministry of Energy responsible for generation
and transmission of Iranian power grid, also attended the meeting.
As Iran’s representative in the conference, Hojjat met with the
Russian officials and discussed issues relating to the transfer of
electricity, particularly deciding on the best route for connecting
Iran’s electricity grid to that of the Russia, Iranian Students News
Agency (ISNA) reported.
Iran attaches high priority to boosting electricity exchange with
its neighbours in particular with Russia. Iran’s Energy Minister,
Habibollah Bitaraf, had recently noted that Iran is considering power
transfer to Russia through Azerbaijan and Armenia. Also, Iran’s deputy
energy minister, Mohammad Ahmadian, had earlier signed agreements on
the power exchange between Iran and Azerbaijan Republic with Askarov,
deputy chairman of Azerbaijans electricity company as well as with
Anatoly Chubais, chairman of the board of directors of the Russian
and the Commonwealth countries electricity company.
Between 500 megawatts to 800 megawatts of electricity will be exchanged
between Iran, Azerbaijan and Russia starting the next year.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress