Author: Zaminian Bedik

TURKISH BUSINESSMEN HAVE TROUBLE GETTING VISAS TO EU STATES

PanARMENIAN.Net
27.09.2006 14:39 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Istanbul’s Chamber of Industry Chairman Tanil
Kucuk stated there is no problem with the sale of Turkish products in
European Union member countries, but Turkish businessmen are having
problems obtaining visas for these countries.

Speaking at a panel titled "Technical Legislation for European Union:
Adaptation and Implementation," Kucuk said: "Our products are in
circulation but Turkish businessmen are having problems getting
visas. We cannot understand the attitude of the EU member countries’
consulates. We express our problem at every platform but these
difficulties persist," reported zaman.com.

THE PARLIAMENT TURNED DOWN THE "DANGEROUS" LAW

A1+
[01:04 pm] 27 September, 2006

Today the RA draft law on "Alienation of property for the needs of
state and society". By the way, the law was put to the vote twice.

During the first vote 62 deputies voted for the draft.

But when Arshak Sadoyan put together the number of the votes and the
number of the deputies present in the hall and expressed doubts about
the results of the vote, the draft was put to vote a second time.

The second vote has the same results. Once again the necessary
amount of votes was not gathered in order to adopt the draft. So,
the Parliament turned down the draft law which had caused much hubbub.

GENOCIDE DENIAL CAUSES DUTCH ELECTION UPSET
by Andy Clark

Radio Netherlands, Netherlands
Sept 27 2006

It might seem a little strange but the Armenian genocide of 1915 has
become an issue in the run up to the Dutch elections. The two leading
parties in the opinion polls have kicked out prospective MPs because
they deny that the genocide took place. The candidates, one from the
opposition Labour Party and two from the biggest coalition party –
the Christian Democrat CDA – are Dutch/Turkish politicians.

It made the headlines after questions were raised by the Armenian
community in the Netherlands when the names of the candidates were
made public on the party lists for the November elections, and a
heated discussion soon followed.

Official policy The candidates in question had clearly stated in the
past that, in their view, the genocide of Armenians in Turkey in 1915
had not taken place. This view is contrary to the official policy of
the Dutch government and of the parties themselves.

Tineke Huizinga is from the Christian Union – a small party in the
parliament which introduced an initiative in 2004 saying that the
government has to push for recognition of the genocide in Turkey as
part of the negotiations for Turkey’s desired accession to the EU.

That initiative was unanimously accepted. Ms Huzinga explains the
official Dutch position:

"More than one and a half million people were murdered during the
time of World War I by Turkey and this was a genocide and you can
absolutely compare this with the Holocaust."

Never took place It was a clash with this position that brought the CDA
candidates Ayhan Tonca, Osman Elamci and Labour Party candidate Erdinc
Sacan into problems with their parties. Ayhan Tonca has constantly
denied the genocide occurred:

"The genocide that people talk about never took place."

Although he doesn’t deny that hundreds of thousands of people died,
he argues that there needs to be further investigation to see if the
killings were consciously carried out by the Turkish government at that
time. Deliberate and conscious persecution would constitute genocide.

Newspaper interview His explanation was not in line with the
recognition of genocide called for by his party, and events that
followed the initial uproar made things even harder for the CDA to
accept. Under pressure following the discussion in the Dutch media,
the two CDA candidates signed a declaration saying they had changed
their minds and would now recognise the genocide. But then followed
an interview with a Turkish newspaper in which they repeated their
original denials – and this left the CDA with little choice but to
remove them from the list of candidates.

The Labour Party decided to scrap its candidate from the list after he
refused to stand by the official party policy recognising the genocide.

Naive Experts accuse the parties of being somewhat naive in not
carrying out more thorough checks before putting the candidates up
for election. Professor of Turkish studies at Leiden University Erik
Jan Zurcher says the parties were so anxious to have ethnic minority
candidates on their lists that they didn’t carry out the checks.

In Turkey itself it is official policy to deny the genocide and those
saying it did take place are liable to prosecution. Just this week
Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink made it known that he is being
prosecuted for the second time for saying that the genocide took place.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE – JOINT STATEMENT OF THE EUROPEAN CIVIL SOCIETY

European Armenian Federation
for Justice & Democracy

Signed by 261 associations throughout Europe

Dear Members of Parliament,

We, European citizens, follow up with a sustained attention the
Union enlargement process and especially the developments relating
to Turkey’s controversial candidature.

We took note of the report on "Turkey’s progress towards accession"
voted on Monday September 4 by the Committee on Foreign Affairs. We
particularly noticed with delight that the European Parliament
"reiterates its call on Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian genocide,
as called for un the previous European Parliament resolutions of 15
December 2004 and 28 September 2005" and "considers such acknowledgment
to be a precondition for European Union accession".

We were also informed about threatening pressures exerted on you
by Turkey and the disinformation campaign in order to remove this
mention. As citizens of the Union, we are absolutely indignant that
a foreign power with radically anti-European values can thus alter
the sovereign appreciation formulated by our European representation
on this issue.

This is why we take the liberty of reminding you the following facts:

1. The call for the Armenian genocide acknowledgment as a precondition
by the European Parliament does not constitute at all an additional
requirement towards Turkey. This requirement was clearly formulated
in almost the same wording, less than a year ago, in the resolution on
"opening the negotiations with Turkey":

"The European Parliament calls on Turkey to recognise the Armenian
genocide; considers this recognition to be a prerequisite for accession
to the European Union" (P6_TA(2005)0350, 28/09/2005);

This formulation is in the political line of those written in the
preceding resolutions of 18 June 1987 and 15 December 2004. To water
down or to remove it would constitute an obvious sign given to Turkey
that the European Parliament is on the point of denying its principles,

2. The fact that such a condition was not formally imposed to
other Candidate States does not constitute an argument proving its
non-admissibility. The application of other States even would not be
taken into consideration. The acknowledgement of its crimes by the
State who perpetrated it is an accession criteria,

3. The calls reiterated by the European Parliament concerning this
issue allowed the beginning of timid debates in Turkey. Weakening
these demands would constitute an objective support to nationalists
who want to eliminate in Turkey some dissident voices on this matter
and to keep Turkey away from our European standards,

4. Turkey, who claims to wish to debate on this question, still has
not answered to the Armenian president proposal which consists in
establishing an intergovernmental commission in order to examine how
to solve all the problems between the two countries and to create
diplomatic relations. On the other hand, Turkey continues to deploy
its denialist strategy in terms of historians committees and opening of
archives in order to extract the genocide question from the political
context of its candidature for the Union,

5. The denial policy of Turkey is not only a permanent offence to our
European values, it is also the mark of an ultranationalist and racial
ideology which constitutes a concrete threat towards our societies
and our children.

Communities throughout Europe which are watching with anxiety the
negotiating process with Turkey will be terribly disappointed seeing
the EP retreat from the very laudable position established by its
Foreign Affairs Committee on such a fundamental principle. We urge
you to come forward with a proud vote upholding the Parliament’s
commitment in this matter."

Consequently, we urge you to maintain in plenary session the clear
and adequate formulation of the paragraph 49 adopted by the Foreign
Affairs Committee.

1.Mechitaristen Kongregation, AUSTRIA

2. Armenische Studentenvereinigung (ASV) und Ostereich-Armenisches
Sportkomitee (OASK) Ararat, AUSTRIA

3. Armenischer Allgemeiner Sport- und Pfadfinder Verein Wien (H.M.E.M)
, AUSTRIA

4. Verein fur die Betreuung von Migranten und Asylanten (HUYS-SPES)
, AUSTRIA

5. Europaische Armenische Foderation fur Justiz und Demokratie in
Osterreich, AUSTRIA

6. Armenisch-Apostolische Kirchengemeinde Osterreichs St. Hripsime
(Kirchengemeinde), AUSTRIA

7. Comite des Armeniens de Belgique, BELGIUM

8. FRA Tashnagtsoutioun, BELGIUM

9. Armenian youth cultural centre, BELGIUM

10. ASSOCIATION DES ARMENIENS DEMOCRATES DE BELGIQUE, BELGIUM

11. Assemblee des Representants Armeniens de Belgique, BELGIUM

12. CCAF Centre-France, FRANCE

13. AACG Grenoble

14. ACA Vienne

15. ACA Lyon

16. ACS Villefranche

17. ADL

18. AMASC

19. ANA Grenoble

20. APECLE

21. Association Culturelle de Kharpert

22. Badanis Decines

23. C 24 Valence

24. CBAF Decines

25. CBAF Grenoble

26. CBAF Lyon-Villeuranne

27. CBAF St Maurice de Beynost

28. CBAF Vienne

29. Comite de Defense de la Cause Armenienne

30. CEDIA

31. Eglise catholique armenienne de Lyon

32. Eglise evangelique armenienne de Decines

33. Eglise evangelique armenienne de Lyon

34. FRA Decines

35. FRA Grenoble

36. FRA Lyon -Villeurbanne

37. FRA Vienne

38. France Karabagh

39. France Armenie

40. MCA Charvieu

41. MCA Chasse-sur-Rhône

42. MCA Decines, MCA Grenoble

43. MCA Vienne

44. MCA Villeurbanne

45. Nor Seround Decines

46. Nor Seround Lyon

47. Radio Armenie

48. Terre et Culture

49. UCFAF

50. Union Des Associations Armeniennes de St-Etienne et St-Chamond

51. UGAB Lyon

52. UGAB Vienne

53. UNEAA Lyon et environs

54. UNEA Pont de Cheruy

55. UMAF

56. CCAF Ile-de France, FRANCE

57. A.A. Ecole TEBROTZASSERE

58. AAAG (Ecole St Mesrop)

59. AAAS

60. ACEERF (Eglise Evangelique)

61. ADL Ramgavar

62. AFAJA

63. AFAV

64. Aide pour l’Armenie

65. ANACRA

66. ARMENIE Villages

67. ASK (Soutien Kharabagh)

68. ASPA

69. Ass Sainte Croix (Eglise Catholique)

70. Association Armenie/Kharabagh

71. AYP FM

72. CBAF

73. CDCA

74. CHENE

75. Collectif VAN

76. COPEA

77. Eglise Apostolique

78. FRA Dachnaktsoutioun

79. FRA Nor Seround

80. G2 IA

81. HAMASKAINE

82. HOMENETMEN

83. JAF

84. MAFP

85. Maison de la Culture de Paris

86. NAZARPEK

87. Nouvelles d’Armenie Magazine

88. SD Hentchakian

89. SFA

90. UCAM (Armeniens de Montreuil)

91. UCFAF

92. UCIA

93. UGAB

94. UMAF

95. CCAF Sud France, FRANCE (25 associations signatrices)

96. Zentralrat der Armenier in Deutschland e.V., GERMANY

97. Armenische Gemeinde zu Berlin e.V. , GERMANY

98. Armenischer Kulturverein Hamburg e.V. , GERMANY

99. Armenische Kirche – Munchen, GERMANY

100. Armenische Landsmannschaft zu Bayern e.V. , GERMANY

101. Armenisches Hilfswerk in Deutschland e.V. , GERMANY

102. Armenisch-Akademischer Verein 1860 e.V. , GERMANY

103. Norserunt-Deutschland, GERMANY

104. German-Armenian Studentsclub Haik, GERMANY

105. Institut fur Armenische Fragen e.V. , GERMANY

106. Armenian National Committee of Greece, GREECE

107. Armenian Prelacy and National Committee of Orthodox in Greece,
GREECE

108. Greek Armenian Forum, GREECE

109. Greek Armenian Friendship League, GREECE

110. Armenia Blue Cross of Greece, GREECE

111. Armenia Youth Federation, GREECE

112. Hamaskaïne Cultural Association, GREECE

113. Homenetmen, GREECE

114. Athletic Scout Organisation, GREECE

115. Armenian Charity Cross of Macedonia and Greece, GREECE

116. Azad Or : Armenian Daily Newspapers, GREECE

117. Djenazian Armenian High School, GREECE

118. Hagopian School, GREECE

119. Zavarian Armenian School, GREECE

120. Italian Civil Society Associations and Personalities, ITALY

121. AZAT

122. Redazione di "La Voce Armena"

123. Communita Armenia

124. Consiglio per la comunita armena di roma

125. Redaction de

126. Redaction de "Akhtamar On Line"

127. Ettore Musco

128. Massimiliano De Sire

129. Gassia Manoukian

130. Tizzi Corrado

131. Mechitarian, Iganzia Maria Lucia

132. Patrizia Manduchi

133. Michelguglielmo Torri

134. Tosatti Marco

135. Aldo Baldini

136. Gloria Ruth Calfayan

137. Norberto Poggio

138. Gloria Calfayan [

139. Norberto Poggio

140. don Riccardo Pane

141. Tiziano Villa

142. rech

143. Flavia Randi

144. Deir Ghazarian

145. H.RIAN

146. flora khaciatrian

147. Rodolfo Caroselli

148. Anais Dilsizian

149. Raffi Kassapian

150. Hovsep Kassapian

151. Clara Kurkdjian

152. Angele Berberian

153. Yervant Berberian

154. Levon Balian

155. May Balian

156. Magda Balian

157. Nubar Kassapian

158. Araxi Kassapian

159. Anias Kassapian

160. Haig Kassapian

161. Yacoub Artine Hayatian

162. Barbara Faes

163. Vahan Shahbazians

164. Marilde Andreano

165. Daniela Chiappetti

166. Rodolfo Caroselli

167. Andrea Cramarossa

168. Canetta Nemo

169. Armen Gurekian

170. Tiziano Villa

171. Storia Libera

172. Pietro Salvatori

173. Dott. Matteo Compareti

174. Massimiliano De Sire

175. Michelguglielmo Torri

176. Avedis Naroyan

177. Enrico Potukian

178. GALEANDRO Angela

179. Marco Rossi

180. Anahid Zerunian

181. Wartanusch Zerunian

182. Paola Della Rosa

183. Sarkis Zerunian

184. Corrado Miceli

185. Marzia Chini

186. Simonetta Pandolfi

187. Luciano Desocio

188. Bruno, Marta

189.

190. Il Presidente Gen. Ennio Reggiani

191. Cristina Gervasi

192. Mary Avakian

193. Manuela Avakian

194. Francesco Castelli

195. Noemi Antranikian

196. Lia Avakian

197. Linda Avakian

198. Umberto Codeleoncini

199. Zekiyan Boghos

200. Nevart Cricorian

201. Ara Zarian

202. Andrea Malavolti

203. Maria Giovanna Stasolla

204. Tchakmichian Karina

205. morelli derberiaviano

206. Guido Grosso

207. Antranik Balian

208. Elisa Giunchi

209. Saro Lerner

210. Khodaveerdi Saro

211. Khodaveerdi Boranian Siranusch

212. Khodaveerdi Savadians Marò

213. Khodaveerdi Gayane

214. Boranian Gedik Alis

215. Beatrice Paccani

216. Paola Barbara Conti

217. Faticato Camillo

218. Mirco Medici

219. Giovannamr Rizzi

220. Lucia Menichelli

221. Gaetano Tursi

222. Emanuele Aliprandi

223. Aldo Ferrari

224. Roberta Aluffi

225. Edoardo De Giovanni

226. Beatrice Paccani

227. Federica Mancinelli

228. Arnaldo Peretta

229. Mildonian Paola

230. Francesca Giovannoni

231. Heratch Abdalian

232. Abdalian Armine

233. Nederlandse Armeense comite voor Rechtvaardigheid en
Democratie(Haytad), NETHERLANDS

234. Armenian Cultural -Sport Union Almelo (Homentmen), NETHERLANDS

235. ANI Cultureel huis, NETHERLANDS

236. ARF Dashnaksoutyoun – Holland, NETHERLANDS

–Boundary_(ID_x2M81gwvUfaKnsRrl+/gRg )–

PARTY "HZOR HAYRENIK" PREPARES FOR THE ELECTIONS

A1+
[07:04 pm] 26 September, 2006

After the 2007 elections the Party "Hzor Hairenik"(Powerful homeland)
will likely enter the National Assembly provided there is one
precondition.

Shirak Torosyan, chairman of "Javakhq" Union and deputy chairman of
"Hzor Hayrenik," claims that they will be elected to the National
Assembly with 100 percent provided the elections are just and fair
and comply with European standards.

"It was a sensation in 2003 when our party overcame the three-percent
threshold and gained 40 thousand votes without any election bribes. If
the same scenario repeats in 2007, I am more than convinced that we
shall overcome the threshold," maintains Shirak Torosyan and adds
that he never had an intention to appeal to the court taking into
account the experience and failure of other people.

Party "Hzor Hayrenik" has not decided yet which party to join. "At
present we coopearate with Ramkavars as we are alike in mode of our
actions, mainly in connection with the protection of Diaspora in the
CIS countries," says Shirak Torosyan.

Shirak Torosyan also noted that the Javakhq roads are being constructed
within the framework of the program "Millennium Challenges" though
many officials claim that road reconstruction is needless.

SERGE SARGSIAN MEETS WITH DEPUTY AMBASSADOR OF GREAT BRITAIN TO RA RICHARD HYDE

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 26 2006

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 26, NOYAN TAPAN. On the occasion of finishing
official obligations of Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Nunn, the
Military Attache’ of the United Kingdom, and introducing newly
appointed Military Attache’ Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Ridout,
Serge Sargsian, the Secretary of the RA National Security Service
attached to President, Defence Minister received on September 26
Richard Hyde, the charge de affaires of the United Kingdom to the RA,
Deputy Ambassador. Colonel Seyran Shahsuvarian, the Press Department
Chief of the RA Defence Ministry, the Press Secretary of the Defence
Ministry informed Noyan Tapan about it.

Congratulating the newly appointed military attache’ on the occasion
of undertaking the post, the Minister thanked Lieutenant Colonel Nunn
for the done work, wished him success in the future activity.

At the meeting the sides facted that cooperation ties were strengthed
during the last 3.5 years in the military sphere, a progress was fixed.

Newly appointed attache Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Ridout promised
to more deepen with his activity the cooperation level during his
officiating.

CHAIR OF PACE AD HOC COMMITTEE ON NK TO MEET WITH AZERI, ARMENIAN DELEGATES DURING AUTUMN SESSION OF PACE
Author: A.Ismayilova

TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Sept 25 2006

The chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly
of the Council of Europe (PACE), Lord Russell Johnson will meet with
the heads of the Azerbaijan and Armenian delegations, Agshin Mehdiyev
the permanently representative of Azerbaijan at the Council of Europe
informed Trend.

He noted that the meeting will be held during the autumn session of the
PACE to be held from 2 to 6 October. The head of the Ad Hoc Committee
will mull the visit of some members of the Committee to the region.

EVENTS OF YEAR OF ARMENIA START IN LOIRE

Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 25 2006

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 25, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. After the press
conference held in the Foreign Ministry of France on September 12,
where the program of the Year of Armenia in France was officially
presented, different French regions announce at the local level
start of the Year of Armenia which involves about 500 events in 125
French cities.

As they inform from the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department, RA Ambassador to France Edvard Nalbandian’s and Mayor,
Senator Michel Thiolliere’s press conference dedicated to start
of the Year of Armenia in the region of Loire took place in Saint
Etienne on September 18. Few dozens of events envisaged in Saint
Etienne and neighboring cities within the framework of the year were
presented during the press conference, then the RA Ambassador and
Mayor responded journalists’ questions.

Few hundreds of journalists, deputies, heads of local self-government
bodies, state and political figures, representatives of the Armenian
community were present at the press conference.

Start of the Year of Armenia in other regions of France is expected
during the coming days.

IRAQI KURDS: PLAYING IT SAFE IN TURKEY’S PKK WAR

Stratfor
Sept 25 2006

The militant separatist group Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) claimed
responsibility Sept. 24 for two bombings in eastern Turkey a day
earlier. In the first incident, a mine placed on railroad tracks near
the town of Elazig derailed seven cars and damaged eight others.

Later in the day, a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (IED)
detonated outside a police compound in the town of Igdir, on the
Turkish-Armenian border, wounding 17 people.

The PKK has increased attacks on Turkish security, government and
commercial targets in the Kurdish-majority areas of the country in
recent months. Meanwhile its offshoot, the Kurdistan Freedom Hawks
(TAK), has been attacking economic and tourism targets in Istanbul
and along Turkey’s Aegean and Mediterranean coasts. While attacks
attributed to the PKK occur frequently, they are not as devastating
as militant attacks by Sunni nationalist, jihadist and Shiite militia
groups in neighboring Iraq. One reason for this is the Iraqi Kurds’
general hands-off approach to the militant struggle of their brethren
in Turkey.

Ankara, Tehran and Damascus have often persecuted the Kurds that
make up the majority in parts of eastern Turkey, northwestern Iran
and northern Syria — an effort aimed at curtailing any ambitions
toward creating an independent Kurdistan in the region. The Kurds
in northern Iraq, however, have enjoyed increasing autonomy since
1991, when they began receiving aid and protection from the United
States at the end of the Persian Gulf War. After that war, the Kurds’
peshmerga militia was able to operate more openly, while the Kurds
themselves began conducting their affairs largely without interference
from Baghdad. Since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, a de facto
Kurdish autonomous region has been established in the country, giving
the Iraqi Kurds their largest degree of autonomy in history.

Since 2003, Iraq has become an arms bazaar, with mountains of
explosives and other ordnance literally left lying on the ground
by the Hussein regime. As a result, militant groups operating in
Iraq have access to ample quantities of military-grade explosives,
such as 152mm artillery shells used to make IEDs, rocket-propelled
grenades and mortars. With Iraqi Kurdistan bordering Turkey, it would
seem the PKK also could obtain these explosives and deploy much more
effective IEDs against the Turkish military and security forces.

The Iraqi Kurds, however, have good reason not to supply their Turkish
kinsmen with powerful explosives, as doing so would risk alienating
their powerful U.S. patron and their quiet supporter Israel. Perhaps
most important, they risk a large-scale Turkish military response in
their territory, as occurred in 1995 and 1996.

The Iraqi Kurds have too much to lose by actively supporting the PKK.

Recently the Iraqi government announced that PKK facilities in the
country would be shut down.

Although Iraqi Kurds support the PKK in spirit, and might provide
the group limited material support, the Kurdish political parties and
provisional governments in northern Iraq are wary of giving Turkey any
reason to interfere in their affairs. Moreover, they want to avoid
sending any message to Iran or Syria that would make the countries
feel threatened by the establishment of an official Kurdish autonomous
region in Iraq.

Furthermore, there is some friction between the PKK and the Iraqi
Kurds. In the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm, the PKK and Iraqi
Kurds engaged in a bitter dispute over the regions they controlled and
the sharing of revenues from the Turkish-Iraqi border. The mountainous
border was not fully controlled by either Baghdad or Ankara, so the PKK
took the opportunity to stage attacks against Turkey from there. The
Iraqi Kurds, led by Kurdish Democratic Party head Massoud Barzani,
asked the PKK in 1995 to scale down its attacks from Iraqi territory
to prevent a Turkish military response. The PKK ignored the request,
and Barzani subsequently sent the peshmerga after PKK units in Iraq
in an effort to prevent a Turkish invasion.

During the subsequent Kurdish civil war, the Turkish military also
entered Iraq to conduct operations against the PKK.

The Iraqi Kurds, fully aware that the autonomy they have gained
over the past 15 years is due largely to U.S. support, are unwilling
to jeopardize that status by supporting the PKK in its war against
Ankara. Washington is fully capable of withdrawing its support should
the Kurds in Iraq actively support a group the U.S. State Department
considers a terrorist organization.

emium/read_article.php?id=276244&selected=Anal yses

EU "THREE" DELEGATION TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA ON OCT 2, 2006

Arka News Agency, Armenia
Sept 25 2006

YEREVAN, September 25. /ARKA/. A delegation of the EU "Three" is
to arrive in Armenia on October 2, 2006, Acting Press Secretary,
RA Foreign Office, Vladimir Karapetyan told ARKA.

He reported that during their visit the delegation members are to
discuss the plan of action of the Armenia-EU cooperation.

Head of the European Commission mission to Armenia and Georgia,
Ambassador Torben Holtz pointed out on Saturday that the delegation
will be headed by Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja. Finland
is currently EU Chairman.

The Ambassador reported that the Yerevan meeting is to be followed
by RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan’s visit to Brussels to take
part in a sitting of the Cooperation Council.

The work on the plan of action will be completed when the final goal
has been achieved, Holtz said.

The plan of action envisages assistance in economic and energy reforms,
including the shutdown of the Armenian NPP, local government,
encouragement of investments, higher and specialized education,
including the IT sector, democratic management and social protection.

On June 14, 2004, in Luxembourg, the EU Council for General Affairs
and Foreign Relations made a decision on expanding the European
Neighborhood initiative to Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.