Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

Agence France Presse
Nov. 4, 2004
NATO chief to meet with Azeri leadership during visit

BAKU (AFP) Nov 04, 2004
NATO chief Jaap de Hoop Scheffer arrived in Azerbaijan Thursday where
he is expected to hold talks with top officials including President
Ilham Aliyev as part of a Caucasus tour.
De Hoop Scheffer is on a two-day visit to the Caucasus, a region that
hosts a massive pipeline to carry Caspian Sea oil to the West but is
torn apart by three separatist conflicts.
De Hoop Scheffer is scheduled to meet defense officials in Baku and
address students at the Baku State University Friday morning.
He arrives in Azerbaijan form Georgia and is expected to leave for high
level talks in Armenia Friday afternoon. All three Caucasus countries
are signatories to NATO’s partnership for peace plan.
“One thing (de Hoop Scheffer) will say is that we, as NATO, are
interested in stability in the region,” a spokesman for the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization in Brussels said when asked what the
military alliance’s chief would discuss here.
Aliyev has pledged to hold to the course set out by his father, Heidar,
whom he succeeded as president last year, and further integrate into
Euro-Atlantic structures.
But he has stopped short of asking for NATO membership as Azerbaijan
navigates the choppy diplomatic waters between the US-backed military
alliance and its cold war foe Russia.
Although oil-rich, Azerbaijan’s underdeveloped energy sector and
stunted economy still rely on its biggest trade partner and the
traditional power broker in the region Russia, were an estimated 2
million Azeris live.
Heidar Aliyev, who died last December, had offered NATO the opportunity
to open military bases on its territory, said Vafa Guluzade, a former
aide to the late Aliyev.
“The offer was met with silence and smiles, so I think NATO is not
ready for us yet. We should wait until they are before making
announcements that would irritate Russia and Iran,” Guluzade said.

Radio Free Europe, Czechia
Nov. 4, 2004
Azerbaijan Hopes For ‘Continuity’ In U.S. Foreign Policy
By Liz Fuller
In a statement released on 4 November and summarized by Turan, the
Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry expressed the hope that Washington’s
policy towards Azerbaijan will continue unchanged in the wake of
President George W. Bush’s reelection.
The statement noted that the two countries cooperate in the fight
against International terrorism (Azerbaijan sent a contingent of 150
peacekeepers to Iraq in August 2003).
It further expressed the hope that after the presidential elections,
the United States will step up its efforts to resolve problems and
promote peace and stability in the South Caucasus, first of all, in
trying to bring about a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Agence France Presse
29 octobre 2004 vendredi 9:32 AM GMT
Négociations d’adhésion de la Turquie à l’UE: recours d’Arméniens de France
MARSEILLE 29 oct 2004
Des représentants de la communauté arménienne de France vont déposer
un recours devant le Conseil d’Etat pour demander à Jacques Chirac de
s’opposer à l’ouverture des négociations d’adhésion de la Turquie à
l’Union européenne tant qu’Ankara n’aura pas reconnu le génocide
arménien, a-t-on appris auprès de leur avocat, Me Philippe Krikorian.
Les demandeurs, dont l’association Euro-Arménie, basée à Marseille,
et le conseil de coordination des organisations arméniennes de France
Marseille-Provence, veulent “protester contre la volonté du président
Jacques Chirac de ne pas subordonner l’ouverture des négociations à
la reconnaissance préalable du génocide arménien”, a précisé Me
Krikorian.
Le recours devant le conseil d’Etat “sera déposé dans les prochains
jours”. Il fait suite à la décision du juge des référés du tribunal
administratif de Marseille, saisi mercredi d’une demande de “référé
liberté”, de se déclarer “incompétent”, selon la même source. “C’est
un déni de justice”, a-t-il ajouté. “Quels que soient les pouvoirs du
chef de l’Etat, celui-ci ne saurait se soustraire à l’application du
droit”.
“A cinquante jours” du sommet européen de Bruxelles des 16 et 17
décembre, qui doit se prononcer sur l’ouverture des négociations, il
s’agit de “dénoncer la violation par le gouvernement français des
termes de la résolution du Parlement européen du 18 juin 1987 et de
la loi française de janvier 2001 reconnaissant le génocide de 1915”,
a ajouté Jean-Pierre Berberian, porte-parole d’Euro-Arménie et
conseiller municipal (SE, ex-DL) de Marseille. “Non seulement Jacques
Chirac agit en violation du droit, il le fait contre la volonté d’une
majorité de Français opposés à l’adhésion de la Turquie”.
La communauté arménienne de Marseille compte environ 80.000
personnes, sur un total de quelque 450.000 en France.

Armenia develops relations with NATO and EU
Azg/Arm
5 Nov 04
Though NATO Membership Is not on the Agenda Negotiations Should be
Expected
Minister of foreign affairs of Armenia Vartan Oskanian noted recently
that Armenia doesn’t set a priority to become NATO member but will
deepen relations with the Organization.
Deputy foreign minister Ruben Shugarian informed Azg Daily that NATO
membership is not high on the agenda but there may come a point of
starting negotiations. NATO Secretary General is arriving in Yerevan
on November 5 within the frameworks of the South Caucasian visit.
“NATO is willing to deepen relations with Armenia. Though Armenia was
not as active in cooperation with NATO as its 2 neighbors, today we
see signs signaling of Yerevan’s readiness to maintain deeper
relations”, Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer informed Mediamax
news agency a day before his visit.
“Azerbaijan and Georgia have the NATO membership on their agenda’s.But
if take a closer look we’ll see that our cooperation with NATO does
not differ from those of Azerbaijan and Georgia. But if Azerbaijan and
Georgia have to take administrative, technical steps then Armenia has
too take political ones”, Shugarian said.
Deputy minister Shugarian held a speech recently in Michigan
University where he was invited to participate at a conference on
South Caucasus and Armenian policy. “My speech was mainly about EU’s
new neighborhood, Armenian-Turkish relations and political
perspectives for the 3 Caucasian states and region’s new geo-political
identity. My speech put an accent on the importance of the
Armenian-Turkish border-gate”, he said.
“That is not simply a Turkish border but NATO’s border with
Armeniawhich remains closed up to now. We may even call it the
region’s border with NATO as Georgia’s and Azerbaijan’s borders are
not wide enough to make relations tighter and secondly, it is not a
geographical issue but a geopolitical one”, Shugarian said in his
speech.
Yerevan should not pin hopes on NATO that it will make Turkey put an
end to Armenia’s blockade. On the other hand, Armenian authorities
hope that Turkey in its strive for the EU will open the
border. Shugarian said that at the European-Armenians’ congress in
Brussels last month the EU representative read a sentence from
European Commission’s report concerning Armenia.
“There is the following sentence in the report: â=80=98The perspective
that Turkey may become EU member will make it put relations right with
its neighborsâ=80=99. If the sentence were other way around, i.e. if
it said that the perspective that Turkey will not become EU member
will make it put relations right with its neighbors, that would be
completely a different thing. EU-Turkey talks may last a decade and
the day before the end of the talks Turkey may open the border”,
Shugarian said.
Six Armenian ambassadors from different European states participated
at the congress in Brussels. While the European-Armenians were holding
meetings appealing to European states not to include Turkey in the EU,
foreign minister Vartan Oskanian was speaking for Turkey’s accession
in Rome.
I don’t see any contradiction in what the European-Armenians say and
what the minister said. The issue was discussed in different legal
levels. We want to have a common border with the EU because our
further aim is joining the EU. Armenian communities of Europe may
have their view as regards Turkeyâ=80=99s accession. They may be
concerned about purely Armenian issues such as the blockade and the
Armenian Genocide”, Shugarian said.
Shugarian also notes that the issue of the Armenian Genocide is
mutually important for both the Armenian state and the Diaspora but
has diverse tints. “Firstly, Diaspora is a result of the Genocide. If
Diaspora considers Genocide acknowledgment, primarily by Turkey, a
reinstatement of historic justice then Armenia considers it a
guarantee for safety and prevention of possible recurrence in
future. They say that today’s Turkey is different. There are
differences, of course, but what’s Turkey’s attitude towards Armenians
today? We are in blockade and Turkey carries on an aggressive
policy. Blockade is a war action”.
By Tatoul Hakobian

Interfax
Nov. 4, 2004
Yerevan to expand military cooperation with Washington
Yerevan. (Interfax) – Military cooperation between the United States
and Armenia will expand regardless of the outcome of the presidential
elections in America, Armenian Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian said
taking questions from journalists in Yerevan on Wednesday.
“Our cooperation with the United States has been developing and
expanding, and we will continue to follow this way,” the minister said.
He pointed out that the U.S. and NATO announced South Caucasus an area
of their strategic interests.
At the same time, Armenia is not seeking to join NATO now, and its
cooperation with the U.S. and the Alliance is not aimed at replacing
Russian-Armenian military-strategic partnership, he said.

HOVHANNES HOVHANNISIAN: ARMENIA’S HIGHEST POLITICAL CIRCLES NEGOTIATING WITH
NATO
Azg/Arm
4 Nov 04
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer will arrive in Yerevan on
November 5. Hovhannes Hovhannisian, president of the Liberal
Progressive Party, known for his pro-NATO views gave an interview to
Azg Daily days before thevisit.
– NATO seems to be expanding to the East, and some view this as an
expansion against Russia.
– I wouldn’t say so. At the Istanbul summit of 2003 NATO made it clear
that it has plans concerning the three South Caucasian states and will
do everything to reach a high level of relationships.
NATO’s expansion is directed at reaching peace and stability
withinNATO and the world in general. NATO considers 3 Caucasian states
as potential candidates of the Treaty.
– Does it mean we can come closer to NATO without tearing off with
Russia?
– Many powerful NATO states such as Italy and Germany maintain good
relations with Russia. Do you think that we need to be a vassal
country to be on good terms with Russia?
– Do you approve of a complementary policy?
– Any far-sighted geo-policy has the elements of complementarism but
this is not the case. We often forget that Russia is not an axis
anymore, we should treat it as a neighboring European state. The
former totalitarian country vanished away long ago. The steps we take
in the foreign policy should consider development of our own state.
– Still, what does Armenia think of getting involved in a common
structure with Azerbaijan?
– If we coexisted alongside Azerbaijan in the Soviet Union why can’t
we do the same in the structure of NATO?
– Last events within the frameworks of Cooperation for Peace
Initiative do not promise a hopeful future.
– I am sure that the 3 Caucasian states should join the NATO
simultaneously. It is the guarantee for a lasting peaceful
coexistence for them. And the war-battered region will get the chance
of settling its conflicts.
– In his recent interview to Mediamax news agency NATO Secretary
General said that he sees readiness of deepening relations with NATO
in Armenia. What parties (organizations) besides yours support NATO in
Armenia?
– The Ministry of Defense and highest political circles of the country
are negotiating with NATO.
– Will you meet the Secretary General during his visit in Armenia?
– I knew the former Secretary well enough but have never met with the
new one. Our meeting depends on his willingness.
By Karine Danielian

ITAR-TASS, Russia
Nov. 3, 2004
Azerbaijan wants UN General Assembly to discuss territory issue

BAKU, November 3 (Itar-Tass) – Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said
international discussion of Azerbaijan’s conflict with the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would not harm the settlement process.
Azerbaijan wants the discussion at the 59th session of the UN General
Assembly of the problem of chunks of its territory seized by the mostly
Armenian enclave Nagorno-Karabakh during the military phase of the
conflict.
Aliyev told reporters on Wednesday that discussing the issue `will not
make any harm to the Minsk process of settlement of the Karabakh
conflict’.
`We want the questions related to the Karabakh conflict, occupation by
Armenia of Azerbaijani territories to be brought to a broad
international audience in a full degree,’ he said.
Aliyev stressed that Azerbaijan remains committed to the Minsk process
`and does not seek at all any organization replacing the Minsk group of
the OSCE on Nagorno-Karabakh’ as a mediator.
At the same time Azerbaijan wants the European Union, the Council of
Europe, the UN and other influential international organizations to
discuss the territorial issue.
`All should unequivocally recognize that Armenia occupied a part of the
territory of Azerbaijan, and this unfair situation, this violation of
norms of the international law must be abolished,’ Aliyev said.

St. John’s Telegram (Newfoundland, Canada)
November 1, 2004 Monday
Diamonds are Forever
by Hebbard, Gary
In less than a decade, Canada has gone from not producing any diamonds
to being the third largest producer in the world, behind Bots-wana and
Russia.
Diamonds are measured in carats, with the weight of a diamond expressed
as a fraction of a gram.
One carat equals 1/5 of a gram. A five-carat diamond, therefore, would
weigh one gram.
There are two diamond mines in the Northwest Territories, producing
between them about 11 million carats per year.
Two more mines are expected to come on stream in the next few years.
In October, Pat Thompson of Diamond Design in Churchill Square, St.
John’s, hosted Canadian diamond cutter Chad Snider of A.C.W. Ltd.,
Yellowknife, who demonstrated his art and answered questions for
customers and visitors to the store. A.C.W. is one of four
diamond-cutting factories in the Northwest Territories. Snider was
hired four years ago and spent three years training with Armenian
diamond-cutting craftsmen to reach his current level of proficiency.

Azeri pundits say no backlash if Kerry wins US election
Ekho, Baku
2 Nov 04

Today, on 2 November, an event closely watched by the whole world and
described as a “battle over the White House” is taking place in the
USA. Two candidates – republican George Bush and democrat John Kerry –
are vying for the sympathy of the electorate. And while John Kerry
enjoys the support of the Armenian diaspora, George Bush can count on
the votes of American citizens of Turkish and Azerbaijanis descent.
Opinion polls show that a significant part of the Azerbaijani
population supports the incumbent US president. The position of the
Azerbaijani diaspora of the USA is the same. Its representatives are
actively campaigning in favour of Bush and have even opened web
sites. For instance, is an independent web
site set up by the US Azerbaijanis. Its organizers stress that it is
not linked to either of the candidates. The Azerbaijani diaspora
explains its position by the fact that Bush supports Azerbaijan and
the White House appreciates Azerbaijan’s contribution to the war on
terror.
“The Bush administration supports Azerbaijan’s ambition to integrate
into Euro-Atlantic organizations,” the founders of the web site
said. The site also praised Bush’s role in the construction of the
Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and in the suspension of sanctions
imposed against Azerbaijan under pressure from the Armenian lobby in
1992. At the same time, Senator Kerry was an active supporter of the
pro-Armenian Section 907 [which banned US government assistance to
Azerbaijan].
[Passage omitted: background information about the candidates’ going
on a campaign trail]
A specialist in election processes, Fuad Agayev, does not think that
the election of Kerry would be catastrophic for Azerbaijan. “Because
the USA is an established democracy. A change of president is not as
palpable there as in Azerbaijan, Russia or Ukraine. America has a
developed political system, therefore, it would be wrong to think that
the support of one candidate by the diaspora might anger the other
candidate. The USA is not a country where the change of the head of
state entails the replacement of all key officials. So I don’t expect
any serious negative action on the part of Kerry if he wins the
election,” Agayev said.
The head of the Azerbaijani Euro-Atlantic Centre, Asim Mollazada,
explains the Azerbaijani support for Bush by the absent security
system in our region. The Azerbaijanis appreciate Bush’s policy which
is primarily aimed at protecting the national security interests of
his own country.
[Passage omitted: repetition]
Mollazada does not think that “there will be any major changes in
US-Azerbaijani relations if Kerry wins the election”. “Because there
are state mechanisms in the USA for protecting the interests of
America first of all. Since the strategic interests of the two
countries overlap, I don’t think any US president will pursue an
anti-Azerbaijani policy. Though as a person more aware of the South
Caucasus problems, Bush is more preferable to us,” Mollazada added.

OUR FRIEND AHMAD NURIZADE
Azg/am
27 Oct 04
My good friend Ahmad Nurizade called me two days ago telling that
his newly translated book is already at the publishing house. In a
short while the Iranian readers will have the chance of reading in
Iranian the works of Armenian contemporary poets.
Today Iran is the only country most productively involved in
translation of Armenian literature. Ahmad Nurizade, admirer
of Armenian literature, organizes translation into Iranian and
publication of the books. He has issued 27 books so far most of
which are already sold. “Wonderful Power”, “How do you do man”,
(those two are translations of Galust Khanentsâ~@~Y poetry), one of
Hovhannes Tumanianâ~@~Ys anthologies, “Tsolak” (Asel Bakuntsâ~@~Y
“White Horse”), Nar-Dosâ~@~Y novel “Zazunya” (was published under the
title of “Amalia”), “100 Years of Armenian Poetry” anthology and many
others were translated by Nurizade. Then publication of “History and
Culture if Armenia” and an anthology including works of Vahagn Davtian,
Silva Kaputikian and contemporary poets followed.
This is really a tremendous job that Ahmad Nurizade has taken up and
we should be thankful to him. Armenian literary critics have highly
valued Nurizadeâ~@~Ys “100 Years of Armenian Poetry” and “History and
Culture of Armenia”. Valeri Brusovâ~@~Ys Russian anthology of Armenian
poetry was considered most unbeatable one for its translation till
lately. But Nurizadeâ~@~Ys anthology overcame Brusovâ~@~Ys not only
in quantity but also quality of translation. The volume presenting
Armenian culture and history provides encyclopedical information on
pre-Christian Armenia, peopleâ~@~Ys beliefs, culture and arts.
When Ahmad Nurizade was in Armenia recently, I saw more than 100
books with Armenian authorsâ~@~Y warm inscription at his hotel
room. Those were books published last year and not all of them are
of high value. But our friend Ahmad is able to distinguish works of
eternal value and translate them.
Each time in Armenia, Ahmad feels as though coming to a friendâ~@~Ys
home.
“I always mentioned in my interviews that I am coming to a friendâ~@~Ys
home, I am coming to a country that I love and people of which loves
me too”, he said once.
You are always welcomed in Armenia, our friend, because what you take
from here enriches not only you but also us.
By Sergey Galoyan
–Boundary_(ID_3Qng6xkUJgH2vwBOdnY4nw)–