Author: Zaminian Bedik

THE LATEST STEPS OF AZERBAIJAN OBLIGE ARMENIA TO BE MORE RESOLUTE

armradio.am
04.04.2008 17:24

It’s obvious that recently Azerbaijan was trying to use the internal
political situation in Armenia to influence the negotiation process on
the Karabakh conflict settlement, which obligates the Armenian side
to be more resolute on questions of principle, RA President Robert
Kocharyan told reporters today.

The President underlined that any possibility of change or compromise
in our position is excluded. "Just the opposite, in such cases it is
necessary to respond from the position of resolute approaches."

According to Robert Kocharyan’s assessment, the paces of Armenia’s
stability and further development should become the best guarantee
of ensuring a strong position in the Karabakh issue.

The President did not rule out the possibility of recognition of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic by Armenia. "I think the latest steps of
Azerbaijan simply oblige Armenia to undertake decisive actions, while
these actions should be decided by the New President and Government."

GEORGIA, UKRAINE UNLIKELY TO BE INVITED TO NATO

PanARMENIAN.Net
03.04.2008 12:25 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ France and Germany were poised to thwart a drive
by President Bush to place the strategically important Black Sea
states of Ukraine and Georgia on track for NATO membership at a tense
alliance summit.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Nicolas Sarkozy
are concerned about provoking a crisis with Moscow, which is vehemently
opposed to NATO taking on the two former Soviet republics located
on Russia’s southwestern borders and across key east-west oil and
gas routes.

"I would be happy to be proved wrong but I do not expect MAP for
Georgia and Ukraine," said NATO spokesman James Appathurai, referring
to the Membership Action Plan sought by the two former-Soviet republics
when the summit resumed Thursday.

All 26 allies must agree for the expansion plan to move forward
and talks over dinner Wednesday failed to find a breakthrough, the
AP reports.

HUNGER-STRIKERS

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
Published on April 02, 2008

Some newspapers report that 25 people detained in the framework of
the criminal case instituted in connection with March 1 tragic events,
being kept in the penitentiaries of the Ministry of Justice, went on
hunger strike. The information doesn’t coincide with the reality.

We must inform you that from those detained in the framework of the
before mentioned criminal case, only Suren Surenyants and Vardges
Gasparyan submitted an application for a hunger strike to the Head
of the penitentiary.

We would also like to inform you that on April 1 Karapet Rubinyan,
who is in "Yerevan Kentron" penitentiary, of the Ministry of Justice,
submitted an application to the Head of the penitentiary saying that
from April 2 he will go on a warning hunger strike.

Malkhasyan Isahak, Ayvazyan Smbat and Vardanyan Alexan in "Vardashen"
penitentiary, of the Ministry of Justice and Marzpet Ayvazyan, Armen
Grigoryan, Sayad Hovhannisyan, Vladimir Arakelyan, Shota Saghatelyan,
Petros and Vardges Makeyans, being kept in "Nubarashen" penitentiary
of the Ministry of Justice, submitted an application to the Heads of
the penitentiaries, demanding to terminate the criminal persecution
towards them.

ARSEN BABAYAN

Press Secretary of the Penitentiary Administration of the Ministry
of Justice

ARMENIAN DRAM APPRECIATES BY 13.9% AGAINST DOLLAR IN ONE YEAR

Noyan Tapan
April 1, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 1, NOYAN TAPAN. The growth of consumer prices and the
settlement exchange rate of the Armenian dram against the US dollar
made 4.8% and 1,5% respectively in Armenia in March 2008 as compared
with December 2007.

According to the RA National Statistical Service, 1.4% inflation in
Armenia’s consumer market was accompanied by 0.01% decline of the
settlement exchange rate of the Armenian dram against the US dollar
in March on February 2008. There was 2% growth of consumer prices
in parallel with 1,6% decline of the settlement exchange rate of
the dram against the dollar in the same period of last year. The
average settlement exchange rate of the Armenian dram against the
US dollar made 308.68 drams in March 2008, which is lower by 13.9%
than the respective index of last year (358.63 drams).

RA MOD REFUTES THE MISINFORMATION OF AZERBAIJAN

armradio.am
31.03.2008 17:30

RA Ministry of Defense refuted the recurrent misinformation of Azeri
media that last night the Armed Forces of Armenia opened fire on
Azeri positions.

Press Secretary of the Ministry of Defense, Colonel Seyran Shahsuvaryan
told Armenpress that the Azerbaijani propaganda machine periodically
disseminates false information to mislead its own people, while
the international community gets informed about the situation at
the contact line through the Personal Representative of the OSCE
Chairman-in-Office Andzej Kasprzyk and his Field Assistants, who
register the situation along the border and fix in which direction
the ceasefire is violated.

The restlessness at the contact line after March 4 has considerably
eased, the situation is currently calm. "The strategy of the
Azerbaijani side to voice accusations against the Armenian side is
unacceptable for the Armenian leadership," Seyran Shahsuvaryan noted.

According to Azeri media, the Armnian Armed Forces opened fire from
the positions of Berd, Noyemberyan and Ijevan, as well as from Terter
and Fizuli regions. According to the given information, there are
no casualties.

UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON PREVENTION OF GENOCIDE

armradio.am
28.03.2008 17:07

Upon the initiative of Armenia, on March 28 in Geneva the UN Human
Rights Council adopted the Resolution on "Prevention of Genocide." This
was the first resolution on prevention of genocide ever adopted in
the UN Human Rights system.

The Resolution is the continuation of Armenia’s previous initiative
in the UN in the direction of genocide prevention and is aimed at
discussing the synchronization of the activity of mechanisms addressing
the issue of early prevention, elaboration of the early warning signs,
the practical level of genocide prevention.

The adoption of the resolution is characteristic also with regard to
the fact that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the International
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

This resolution that enjoyed broad support was co-authored by 58
countries, including all the EU member states, Switzerland, Austria,
Argentine, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Norway and others.

TALLINN ARARAT TO HOLD UNOFFICIAL MATCH WITH YOUTH NATIONAL TEAM OF LATVIA

Noyan Tapan
March 28, 2008

TALLINN, MARCH 28, ARMENIANS TODAY – NOYAN TAPAN. Tallinn football
team Ararat, which is a bronze prize winner of the Estonian Futsal
Championship, will hold an international unofficial match with the
youth national team of Latvia U21.

The match will be held on March 29 on the sports arena "Killi"
near Tallinn.

On the same day, the second football team of our diaspora in Estonia
-"Aghtamar" (Tallinn), which has been formed by Albert Stepanian
lately, will hold its first official match in the 4th league of the
coutry’s championship with the "Khanzanet.ee" (Talin) football team.

The match will be held on Tallinn stadium "Velodrom" in Pirita.

WILL THEY INFLUENEC, OR NOT, IT’S NOT CLEAR NOW

Azat Artsakh Daily
Published on March 27, 2008
NKR Republic

Is it possible, that in conncetion with the harms caused by the
unprecedented wind, the non foreseen expenses wont let realize
restoration of flats of the capital foressen by the program of
2008? According to our informations, it has been foreseen 100
milion drams. Answering the question, the mayor of Stepanakert
Vazgen Michaelian noted, that the municipality had represented the
question of restoration of 19 dwellings for 2008 to the Ministry of
Urban Planning ."Now I find it difficult to give a concrete answer
to this question. So far forth will the expenses influenec for going
on the program of 2008, the time will show, that is when the works
of abolishment of the wind’s after-effects will be finished. I can
say, that in the damaged buildings, there are those, which are also
involved in the program of 2008",- said V. Michaelian.

ALLIANCE BETWEEN TURKEY’S ULTRANATIONALIST HARDLINERS AND LEFT WING "NATIONALISTS"
Ilnur Cevik

The New Anatolian
March 26 2008
Turkey

Three years ago we had written that some ultranationalist businessmen
were arming extremist nationalists against the Kurds.

At the time we were accused of trying to create sensation by some of
our colleagues in the press.

What is interesting is that as time went by it became apparent that we
were more than accurate. The capture of an ultra right wing gang with
explosives in an Istanbul suburb triggered a massive investigation
which has now mushroomed into the Ergenekon operation.

The aim of the gang was set up to create disturbances by assassinating
leading Kurdish figures in Turkey as well Nobel Laureate Orhan Pamuk
and prominent journalist Fehmi Koru. They were already implicated in
the killing of the supreme court judge and bombing left-wing daily
Cumhuriyet.

Several prominent far right personalities have been taken into
custody and nearly two dozen were charged. But then the situation
took a sudden turn as the prosecutor investigating the case turned
his attention to left-wing "nationalists."

The Workers Party set up by former Marxists and which has a highly
ultranationalist agenda had been targeting Kurds as well as Turkish
liberal personalities who support them through their Ulusal TV and
their weekly Aydinklik magazine.

So Workers Party leader Dogu Perincek as well as the executives of
the TV station and the weekly were taken into custody and then charged.

Also taken into custody was prominent journalist and Cumhuriyet CEO
Ilhan Selcuk. Another prominent figure was controversial Prof. Kemal
Alemdaroglu who was sacked by former President Ahmet Necdet Sezer as
the president of the Istanbul University. Later the two were released
but will stand trial. The judge who released them banned them from
leaving the country.

The arrest of these left-wing personalities triggered angry reactions
from left-wing and some liberal circles. People questioned by left-wing
people would cooperate with far right gangs.

However, the answer seems rather clear.

There are some circles in Turkey who are extremely unhappy with the
Justice and Development Party in power and are cooperating to create
havoc to create the groundwork for the downfall of the government
possibly by some kind of a coup.

So the ultra right wing extremists have joined forces with left-wing
activists in a crusade to block the AK Party.

Even the bombing of Cumhuriyet which did not actually result in any
casualties but created sensation is the work of the gang with the
approval of the left-wing activists.

COLLEAGUES REMEMBER ANDRANIK MARGARIAN AS RELIABLE FRIEND AND NATIONAL POLITICAL FIGURE

Noyan Tapan
March 25, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, NOYAN TAPAN. Today is the first anniversary of the
death of the former prime minister and chairman of the Republican
Party of Armenia (RPA) Andranik Margarian. He died of heart attack
at the age of 56.

The relatives and friends of A. Margarian, as well as the RA president
Robert Kocharian, the president elect, prime minister Serge Sargsian,
the speaker of the National Assembly Tigran Torosian, numerous public
and political figures, ordinary citizens on March 25 went to the
Pantheon after Komitas to pay homage to A. Margarian. Events in his
memory will be held in A. Spendiarian National Academic Opera and
Ballet Theatre in the evening.

"Every citizen can take pride in the fact that we had such a prime
minister, who during his 7 years in office showed that an Armenian
statesman should be of this kind: greatly devoted to his people and
state," the RPA board member, NA deputy Gagik Minasian told reporters
in the pantheon.

"He was also a great romatic capable of constantly improving his image
of a national figure and statesman. His memory lives on among people
because the people was able to create an image to be indicated at as
that of a state official capable of leading people," the RPA deputy
chairman, NA deputy Galust Sahakian said.

In the words of RPA faction secretary Samvel Nikoyan, the major
legacy of A. Margarian’s life was: "To do everything possible for
strengthening the state, and each citizen should feel a member of this
state and be able to make his/her contribution to its strengthening
and development". The deputy said that a year is a sufficient period
to reflect on the role of A. Margarian in the state. The most important
quality, in his words, was "A. Margarian’s tolerance, his ability to
engage in dialog with everybody".