Category: News

BLOC “JUSTICE” OPEN FOR COOPERATION WITH POLITICAL FORCES IN COUNTRY
ASPIRING FOR RESTORATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER IN ARMENIA
YEREVAN, MARCH 2. ARMINFO. The bloc “Justice” is open for cooperation
with all the political forces in the country aspiring for restoration
of the constitutional order in the country. Leader of the opposition
bloc “Justice,” MP Stepan Demirchyan made this statement at a press
conference at the National Press Club today commenting on the
intentions of separate native politicians to start revolution
processes at the request of journalists.
Stepan Demirchyan came out against speculations and surplus use of the
term “revolution.” He noted that despite rumors about the “splitting
activity” of the Republic party, it was still in the bloc. As regards
the rumors about some blocs (Republic-Liberal-Progressive
Party-heritage party) or some unions of “Justice” bloc with Armenian
National Movement, he said, “I do not comment on what does not
exist. We are outside any intrigues, the bloc is not against any
transformations and is ready to any elections every moment.”
Demirchyan noted that he perceived origination of such figures as head
of ALM TV Holding Tigran Karapetyan in the political arena rather
calmly. The people will chose whom it trusts more during elections, he
says. As regards any political analysis and scenarios, Demirchyan
noted that he was an active political but never analyst or political
scientists.
He also noted that despite the population’s expectations for
fundamental changes and change of power first of all from presidential
elections, this autumn the “Justice” bloc would participate in the
elections to the local self-government.- M-

CONSTITUTIONAL ORDER VIOLATED IN ARMENIA: ASHOT MANUCHARIAN
YEREVAN, MARCH 2. ARMINFO. The constitutional order and right for
election of a citizen is violated in Armenia. Leader of Socialistic
forces of Armenia Ashot Manucharian stated during the discussions
“Expediency of constitutional reforms at the present political
conditions”.
According to him, in Armenia like in all post-soviet countries there
are criminal groups who do not allow to solve external
problems. “Seizing the power, criminal groups established their laws
here and demand to obey them”, Manucharian mentioned,. According to
Manucharian, all the instruments of economy are centralized in the
hands of the representatives of the criminal groups. In Manucharian’s
opinion, civil movement is necessary for the way out of the situation,
this movement will establish constitutional order in the country.

Armenian party intends to pass bill condemning “genocide” in Azerbaijan
Arminfo
1 Mar 05
YEREVAN
The faction of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation – Dashnaktsutyun
[ARFD] intends to put up for debate by the National Assembly a draft
law condemning the genocide of Armenians in the Azerbaijani town of
Sumqayit in 1988, the head of the ARFD faction, Levon Lazarian, told
the National Assembly today.
The adoption of such a law is topical against the backdrop of
Azerbaijan’s intensifying propaganda, which is trying to divert the
international community’s attention from the Armenian genocide in
Ottoman Turkey in the early 20th century and in Azerbaijan in the late
20th century to “the alleged genocide of Azerbaijanis in Xocali”, he
said. This policy of Azerbaijan is mainly dictated by Turkey,
Lazarian noted.
The adoption of this law will familiarize the international community
with the real essence of the developments in 1988-90, he stressed.
Lazarian recalled that the massacre of Armenians, which started in
Sumqayit, continued in Shaumyan [Azerbaijan’s Goranboy District] and
Getashen [Caykand in Azerbaijan’s Xanlar District]. It is precisely
Azerbaijan’s policy with regard to the Armenians living there that
prompted the population of Nagornyy Karabakh to stand up for their
motherland and start a national liberation st ruggle.
In turn, a representative of the Republican Party, Gagik Melikyan,
called on the international community to denounce the Armenian
genocide in Ottoman Turkey and in the Azerbaijani town of Sumqayit in
order to prevent similar crimes against humanity in the future. The
fact that the organizers of the Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey in
the early 20th century were not punished served as a prerequisite for
committing similar crimes against other nations in the 20th century,
the Armenian genocide in Sumqayit and the murder of a sleeping
Armenian officer by an Azerbaijani serviceman in Budapest.
The deputy chairman of the Orinats Yerkir [Law-Governed Country] Party
and head of the commission on defence, national security and interior
issues, Mger Shakhgeldyan, and a member of the opposition Justice
bloc, Grant Khachatryan, made statements condemning the Armenian
genocide in Sumqayit.
Armenian MPs staged a march to the Tsitsernakabert memorial to the
victims of the Armenian genocide on the anniversary of the Sumqayit
massacre.

OSCE reps in Armenia to discuss election law
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
3 Mar 05
Representatives of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and
Human Rights have arrived in Armenia on a two-day visit. They met
National Assembly Chairman Artur Bagdasaryan today.
The goal of the visit is to discuss the progress of reforms in
Armenia’s Electoral Code conducted on the basis of mutual
recommendations and presented by this structure and to draw the
attention of the Armenian authorities and experts to Armenia’s
Electoral Code and practical work carried out to meet Council of
Europe standards and Armenia’s commitment to the OSCE to ensure the
conduct of democratic elections.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EU GOING TO NORMALIZE ARMENIAN-TURKISH RELATIONS
A1+
03-03-2005
It is not clear yet when the European Commission will establish an
embassy in the Republic of Armenia, European Commission Delegation in
Georgia and Armenia Charge d’Affaires Mr. Jacques Vantom stated during
today’s press conference held in the EU Yerevan Office.
`The approach of the Eurocommission is as follows: an Ambassador, who
will assume the office in the states of the region, will be
appointed’, Mr.Vantom said and added that `in future European
Commission will possibly establish an embassy in Armenia’.
When commenting on the role of the EU in the Armenian-Turkish
relations Mr. Vantom said that the normalizing of the
Turkish-Armenian relations is marked in the EU reports as an
obligation.
He also noted that the EU-Turkey relations should be perceived in a
wide context and assured that `it could be useful for Armenia’.
When answering the question how Azerbaijan and Armenia could
simultaneously become members of EU New Neighborhood policy with the
hostilities available between the nations Mr. Vantom said that `the EU
proposed assistance to the OSCE Minsk Group on this issue’.
As for the EU’s intentions to stop the work of the Armenian NPP
Mr.Vantom reiterated that the EU is ready to allocate 100 million
euros for suspension of the NPP functioning and finding alternative
energy sources.

MONUMENT TO ADMIRAL ISAKOV TO BE ERECTED IN YEREVAN
YEREVAN, MARCH 2. ARMINFO. Secretary of the National Security Council
at Armenia’s President, Defence Minister Serje Sargsyan met today with
the Chairman of CIS Executive Committee, Executive Secretary Vladimir
Rushaylo.
Minister’s press-secretary, colonel Seyran Shakhsuvaryan informed
ARMINFO that a number of issues concerning the cooperation of CIS
countries and their Defence Ministries, as well as the joint Air-Raid
system were discussed during the meeting. The parties also discussed a
program of actions within the framework of celebrating the 60th
anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic war. Sargsyan presented
in details the festive program and stressed that a monument to admiral
Isakov will be opened on Isakov avenue on May 9. Monuments to marshals
Babadjanyan and Khudyakov will be erected within the nearest three
years, too.

LEADER OF TURKISH OPPOSITION: “THE EU IS TRYING TO MAKE ‘GENOCIDE’
RECOGNITION A PRECONDITION FOR OUR ACCESSION TALKS”
YEREVAN, MARCH 2. ARMINFO. Addressing his party’s parliamentary group
meeting yesterday, opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader
Deniz Baykal evaluated recent domestic and foreign developments.
Touching on the so-called Armenian genocide issue, Baykal said that
the European Union was trying to make recognizing the “genocide” a
precondition for Turkey’s EU membership, “The EU is trying to make it
a condition for Ankara to recognize the ‘genocide’ before we can begin
our accession talks,” he said. Baykal criticized what he called the
government’s inaction on the issue. “We’ll soon bring up the issue in
Parliament,” he stressed.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ON MARCH 3 NATIONAL COUNCIL OF YOUTH ORGANIZATIONS OF GEORGIA TO HOLD
ACTION OF RECONCILIATION BETWEEN ARMENIAN AND GEORGIAN CHURCHES
TBILISI, FEBRUARY 2. ARMINFO. National Council of youth organizations
of Georgia and Unity of Georgian Armenians “Nor Serund” (New
Generation) will hold a joint peaceful action on March 3 aimed at
peaceful settlement of the problem between Armenian and Georgian
churches in Georgia. Organizers of the action informed ARMINFO.

POSITION OF US AMBASSADOR TO ARMENIA JOHN EVANS IN ISSUE OF KARABAKH
AND ARMENIAN GENOCIDE IN OTTOMAN TURKEY BASED ON PRINCIPLES OF
JUSTICE: ARMENIAN MP
YEREVAN, MARCH 2. ARMINFO. “I welcome the position of US Ambassador to
Armenia John Evans in the issue of Karabakh and the Armenian Genocide
in Ottoman Turkey as it is based on the principles of justice.” Head
of the Parliamentary fraction of ARF Dashnaktsutyun party, ex-deputy
foreign minister of Armenia, Levon Lazarian informs of it ARMINFO.
In his words, on the one hand, the atmosphere of the meeting wherein
the Ambassador expressed his position contributed to any person to
expressing his personal point of view. On the other hand, it is
necessary to take into account another fact as well, that is, John
Evans made his statement taking into account his post, Lazarian
says. “In this aspect, any one his personal opinions remains the
statement by US Ambassador to Armenia and is a serious and important
statement in spite of the fact that the US Department of State made
its official position different from that of John Evans,” he says. In
this connection, he points out that a tendency towards “correction” of
statements of US officials on Karabakh by the Department of State has
been observed recently (the statement by the former Assistance of US
Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones is meant – ed.). Lazarian thinks
that on the one hand it can testify to the level of independence of
official representative of Washington in their statements, on the
other hand, it contains definite tendencies taking into account that
the 90th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in ottoman Turkey will
be marked in April, including at US Congress.
It should be noted that speaking at California University Berkeley
recently, US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans stated that despite the
USA’s adherence to the policy of territorial integrity of states,
everyone admitted that it was impossible to return Karabakh to
Azerbaijan. He also characterized the events in Ottoman Turkey at the
beginning of the last century as Genocide of Armenians. He stated that
despite the officials of the White House avoided the term “genocide,”
none of the officials of the USA had ever denied this fact.

Ukrainian interior minister cancels visit to Belarus
ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
3 Mar 05
Minsk, 3 March: The signature of a Belarusian-Ukrainian statement on
improving cooperation in combating crime that was scheduled for today
has been postponed. An ITAR-TASS correspondent learnt this at the
Belarusian Interior Ministry’s press service.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Yuriy Lutsenko has not arrived in Minsk
with a delegation of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry. “We have not
found out the reason for the visit’s cancellation so far,” the press
service said, adding that on the evening of the previous day there was
full confidence that Yuriy Lutsenko would lead the delegation of
Ukrainian law-enforcement officers. The two countries’ interior
ministers were expected to have a meeting and sign the joint
statement.
The delegation of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry was invited to Minsk
for participation in the festivities dedicated to the 88th anniversary
of the Belarusian police. Invitations to attend the festivities had
been sent to the leadership of the interior ministries of Latvia,
Lithuania, Russia, and police chiefs of Armenia and Poland.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress