Category: News

DR. GYULKASSYAN’S GROUP IMPLEMENTS USDA-CARES -ICAR-CAC PROJECT
ArmenPress
Dec 7 2004
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 7, ARMENPRESS: In May 2004, the Laboratory of
Plant Genetic Resources at the Armenian Agricultural Academy (AAA)
was provided with a grant from USDA CSREES International Cooperation
for Agricultural Research (ICAR) in Central Asia and the Caucasus
(CAC) Project ()
to implement its research proposal on “Conservation and utilization
in breeding of wild relatives of cereals in Armenia”.
According to Michael Gyulkhasyan, head of the group, the main goal of
the project is to conserve genetic resources of wild cereal relatives
and save the unique plant gene pool in Armenia. Wild wheat samples were
collected during the expeditions in Ararat and Vayots Dzor marzes, and
Erebuni reservation in Yerevan. Usage of these wild cereal species as
initial breeding materials and crossing them with cultivated varieties
will create new hybrids with economically important features, such
as resistance to diseases, pests, and drought.
The AAA group collaborates with Kansas State University within the
project. According to Dr. Gyulkhasyan, USDA CSREES ICAR provides an
excellent opportunity for Armenian agrarian research institutions to
achieve breeding improvements and introduce these achievements into
breeding practice. Professor Gyulkhasyan’s project was one of the
three winners from the 125 project proposals. The project started with
a visit by USDA CSREES ICAR, Washington State University and CYMMIT
representatives. It’s a two-year project and will continue next year.

Agency WPS
What the Papers Say. Part B (Russia)
December 6, 2004, Monday
DUAL-PURPOSE VISIT
SOURCE: Kommersant, December 6, 2004, p. 9
by Boris Volkhonskii
President Putin tried to end his official visit to India (the third
in the past four years) in a major key. In New Delhi on Saturday, he
denied media reports that Russia allegedly supports India’s aim to
join the UN Security Council but opposes granting veto power to
India. President Putin noted that the veto power should either be
extended to all members of the UN Security Council, or invalidated
for all members. Putin said that the latter would decrease the UN’s
influence.
After that, Putin visited India’s “Silicon Valley” – the city of
Bangalore. This is the center of India’s advanced technologies. When
in Bangalore, Putin proposed to covert part of India’s debt into
joint ventures.
Putin did not forget that military technology cooperation is the main
aspect of cooperation between Russia and India. He observed flights
of planes and helicopters built by Hindustan Aeronautics and examined
the Sukhoi fighter assembled by the Indian enterprise under license
from Russia.
Russia and India reached an agreement to conduct a joint exercise for
their paratrooper units in 2005. Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said
that the Indian Airborne Troops are equipped with Russian weapons and
military hardware.
President Putin arrived in Ankara after his visit to India. Relations
with Turkey are not as optimistic as cooperation with India. Before
the Russian leaders visited Turkey 32 years ago.
In the meantime, the current state of bilateral relations between
Moscow and Ankara reached the level when a political visit by the
Russian leader became very topical. It should be noted that trade
turnover between Russia and Turkey reached $4.6 billion in the first
half of 2004. It is intended that economic cooperation with Ankara
will amount to $10 billion at the end of the year (to compare: trade
turnover with India, other than military technology cooperation,
reached only $1.7 billion in 2003).
At the same time, the state of political relations leaves much to be
desired. Mutual reproached for supporting the separatist movements
aggravate relations between Moscow and Ankara. Some economic issues
have political aspects. First and foremost, this concerns energy and
energy resources. Moscow does not hide its negative attitude to the
plan to build pipelines from the Caspian region to Turkish ports
bypassing Russian territory.
Moscow and Ankara often dispute over tanker routes in the straits
between the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea.
These problems shed light on the goals of Putin’s visit. He intends
to sign the declaration on friendship and partnership in Ankara. In
addition, the Russian leader will sign a range of intergovernmental
documents and agreements. The anti-terrorist effort will become a
very important aspect of negotiations. Russia deleted the term
“international terrorism” and references to Chechnya from the text of
the joint declaration. However, it’s obvious that the Chechen issue
will be raised during negotiations. However, it’s hardly likely that
the parties will approve juridical documents: Turkey has grievances
against Russia regarding the presence of Kurdish separatists on
Russian territory.
In addition, Russia insists on the necessity of improving the
performance of the intergovernmental commission for cooperation in
the military technology sector. In particular, Russia will try to
convince Turkey to take Russian military hardware as repayment of its
debt ($350 million). Moscow also seeks to use the potential of the
Blackseafor group and create a counterweight to NATO in the Black Sea
on its basis.
The situation in the Trans-Caucasus region will also be raised. In
particular, President Putin will try to convince his Turkish
counterparts to give up plans to isolate Armenia by building the
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi railroad bypassing Armenia.
The problems which Putin is trying to address in New Delhi and Ankara
have a very important aspect. This is an attempt to give an
“asymmetric response” to the hegemony of the US. Putin’s statements
in New Delhi concerned “dictatorship in international affairs” and
“attempts to restructure the God-given diversity of modern
civilization along the army barracks principles of a unipolar world.”
In addition, Putin announced the need for activating trilateral
cooperation between Russia, India and China. The Asian Age newspaper
states that a trilateral Russian-Indian-Chinese summit will be held
next year.
Attempts to build a certain center of forces in South-East Asia are
not new. At the same time, it’s a new phenomenon for Russia to
consider Turkey, which is a member nation of NATO, as an ally in the
new geopolitical layout. Russia has weighty reasons to do this. The
point is that Turkey is at a historical crossroads due to external
and internal factors. The issue of negotiations regarding Turkey’s
intention to join the EU has not been settled yet. In addition,
anti-American attidutes have become stronger in Turkey. All this
gives Russia a unique chance to play on this field.
In this regard, the visit to New Delhi and Ankara could become a
successful finale to 2004. At any rate, two joint declarations might
succeed in drowning out the echo of real foreign policy failures:
Ukraine, Abkhazia, the European Union and the CIS.
Translated by Alexander Dubovoi

ARMENIAN FM SPEAKING ON KARABAKHI CONFLICT IN OSCE
A1+
07-12-2004
Today Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan made a speech at the
12th meeting of OSCE Ministers. Referring to the issue of OSCE reforms,
Armenian FM stated that though there are various power poles inward
the organization, Armenia can’t fully join any of them, and suggests
being a colleague, neighbour and a friend instead.
Then Minister talked about Nagorno Karabakh. Mentioning the 4 meetings
between Armenian Azerbaijani FMs and the one of 2 Presidents in Astana,
during which some progress was fixed Minister expressed regret that
Azerbaijan misled Karabakhi issue from the constructive course by
raising the refugee problem in UNO agenda.
Minister reminded about the conflict beginnings and the reasons of
the present situation. A group of CE MPs who were in Nagorno Karabakh
during the tense hostilities, have registered the following in 1992:
“As a result of recent Azerbaijani attacks villages were completely
ruined, peaceful residents were killed and children suffered violence
in Nagorno Karabakh”.
“Taking into account the decided superiority of Azerbaijani Armed
Forces in comparison with human power, weapons and equipment, fuel and
food provision, frequency of air bombing of Nagorno Karabakhi one,
we can suppose that a few weeks if not less are left till collapse
of Karabakh. It is obvious that genocide and transmigration will most
probably follow”, Minister cited.
Armenia keeps remaining loyal to Minsk Group activity and expects
for the same adherence of Azerbaijan, Minister informed.
Minister Oskanyan expressed hope that European Union Summit scheduled
on December 17 will underline necessity of opening the frontiers with
Armenia in connection with launching negotiations over Turkeyâ~@~Ys
membership. Minister Oskanyan talked about these issues with Jean
Asselborn, Luxemburg Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs
and Migration that will assume EU presidency beginning from January,
2005.
Armenian FM left for Brussels from Sofia to partake in the ministerial
sitting of NATO’s Euro-Atlantic Cooperation Council.
–Boundary_(ID_d4qQK0r8YT+tfZF7qp1e4A)–

Armenian pilots sentenced in Equatorial Guinea coup place appeal
Agence France Presse — English
December 7, 2004 Tuesday 12:20 AM GMT
YEREVAN Dec 7 — Six Armenian pilots who last month were given stiff
jail sentences by a court in Equatorial Guinea for plotting to oust
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema have appealed to that country’s supreme
court, a senior Armenian foreign ministry official said late Monday.
Although Armenia did not expect the appeal to be successful, this
would open the possibility of then turning to international instances
for help, Ambassador Sergei Manaserian told a press conference.
“We do not expect (the supreme court) to overrule the court’s verdict,
but this move will enable us to turn to international instances in
the near future,” said Manaserian, who heads the foreign ministry
delegation trying to obtain the pilots’ release.
“We hope to receive an answer from the supreme court within two
months,” said Manaserian, who added that the appeal had been placed
by the pilots’ lawyer.
Armenian President Robert Kocharian sent his Equatorial Guinean
counterpart a message asking him to pardon the pilots, or to extradite
them to Armenia, Manaserian added.
“Armenia is continuing to do all it can, including through bilateral
negotiations and negotiations with international organizations, to
secure the release of our fellow citizens, who are not guilty and have
absolutely nothing to do with the attempted coup in that country,”
Manaserian said.
Two of the pilots were suffering from malaria and typhoid fever,
he said.
The six Armenian pilots were arrested last March. Three of them were
sentenced to 24 years in jail, while the other three received a 14
year sentence.
Five south Africans also received jail sentences for plotting against
the Equatorial Guinean authorities, and eight members of a government
in exile set up in Spain, Equatorial Guinea’s former colonial ruler,
were tried in their absence and sentenced to 52 years in prison each.
Exiled Equatorial Guinean opposition leader Severo Moto was sentenced
in his absence to 64 years in jail and fined two billion CFA francs
(three million euros).
The son of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher, Mark,
was also heard by a South African court for allegedly bankrolling
the conspiracy.
Obiang’s regime, which has ruled since 1979 with an iron hand over
one of the world’s poorest countries turned major oil producer,
announced it had foiled a complex coup bid in March, which appeared to
have tentacles reaching across Africa and into Europe and the former
Soviet bloc.
Armenia slammed the verdict, saying the court had produced no proof
of the Armenians’ guilt.

Armenian ministers says Sofia talks on Karabakh fruitless
Yeni Musavat, Baku
7 Dec 04
Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan has said that the meeting
with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in Sofia on 6
December was fruitless since no specific decision was made. Oskanyan
also criticized the OSCE Karabakh mediators for making no proposals
at the meeting. For his part, the Azerbaijani minister said that
Yerevan should abide by international law rather than coming up with
ideas based on “realities achieved by force”. However, the Russian
co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, Yuriy Merzlyakov, said that
the mediators were upbeat about the Sofia talks and promised that
the sides would make public their positions soon. The following is
an excerpt from Alakbar Raufoglu’s report by Azerbaijani newspaper
Yeni Musavat on 7 December headlined “Mammadyarov-Oskanyan dialogue
resumed” and subheaded “Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers
agreed in Sofia to continue ‘Prague process'”; subheadings have been
inserted editorially:
The Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers, Elmar Mammadyarov
and Vardan Oskanyan, met in Sofia yesterday [6 December].
[Passage omitted: reported details]
Another meeting planned
The Sofia meeting lasted for only about 25 minutes. The ministers
who first had one-to-one talks then continued the discussions with
the participation of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen. No statement
was made for the media after the meeting.
A press release circulated by the press centre of the Azerbaijani
Foreign Ministry yesterday evening just reads that “the sides discussed
a number of issues related to the [Nagornyy Karabakh] settlement and
regarded as necessary to actively and effectively continue the talks
in the near future”.
They decided to hold another round within the format of the Prague
meeting on the sidelines of a Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council
session in Brussels on 9 December.
After the meeting, Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov delivered a
speech at the 12th session of the OSCE foreign ministers. He drew
attention to the fact that Armenia which has occupied Azerbaijani
territories is striving to build up its military aggression. It
is pursuing an active settlement policy in Nagornyy Karabakh and
around it and “this is a serious violation of international law and
specifically runs counter to the Geneva Convention of 1949”. Baku
backs a settlement that is in line with relevant UN Security Council
resolutions and OSCE documents.
“We are ready to normalize relations with Armenia. But Yerevan should
not come up with realities achieved by force and the ideology of
territorial claims, but abide by international law and democracy,”
the minister said.
Armenian minister says talks were fruitless
“The results of the Sofia meeting will help continue the Prague process
which has already assumed a long-term nature. We touched on specific
issues and exchanged views during the talks,” Vardan Oskanyan said
in an interview with Armenian journalists yesterday evening (Arka
news agency).
He said that they had decided to continue the dialogue “at the
level of the current realities” at the meeting with his Azerbaijani
counterpart. The sides think that “the Prague process creates hopes
for good results”.
The meeting mainly focused on the presidents’ positions on the
Prague talks.
“We have already received relevant instructions from the heads of
states and from now on will discuss those details,” Oskanyan said.
He said that he had got the Armenian president’s blessing and
instructions before he visited Sofia, however, this was fruitless.
“We conduct discussions and talks, but finally we cannot make a
specific decision,” the Armenian minister said.
The meeting also discussed the recent increase of tension on
the frontline and also UN discussions on the illegal settlement
of Armenians on the occupied territories in Karabakh. Azerbaijan
informed Yerevan of its position on the two issues. “We decided that
these issues should be approached seriously and their influence on
the negotiating process should be taken into consideration. I hope
an end will be put to these issues,” Oskanyan said.
OSCE mediators upbeat on Sofia talks
The co-chairmen made no proposals during the Sofia meeting.
“We did not see any proposal. The mediators again just arrived and
left,” Oskanyan said.
[Passage omitted: no specific news can be expected from the dialogue
in the near future, if the co-chairmen continue their efforts this way]
“The co-chairmen are upbeat about the Sofia discussions. The sides
will meet in the near future and will make public their positions,”
the Russian co-chairman of the Minsk Group, Yuriy Merzlyakov, said
in an interview with Ekspress.

Azeri opposition paper critical of foreign minister’s Karabakh policy
Yeni Musavat, Baku
7 Dec 04 p 4
Text of Zahid report by Azerbaijani newspaper Yeni Musavat on 7
December headlined “Mammadyarov’s groundless optimism” and “The
minister claims that the Karabakh talks have entered ‘a second stage'”
The traditional annual meeting of OSCE foreign ministers started its
work in Sofia yesterday. Azerbaijan is represented by Foreign Minister
Elmar Mammadyarov at the meeting. According to available information,
the minister is expected to address his foreign counterparts. He
is also planning to meet Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan
within the framework of the summit. It is curi ous that although it
was reported earlier that all three co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk
Group would join the meeting, Oskanyan said that only one of them
will come to Sofia.
If this fact is confirmed, this will be another confirmation
that there is really no constructive atmosphere in the Nagornyy
Karabakh talks. Otherwise, the mediators would be happy to join
the discussions. It seems that the mediators are also tired of the
tedious and nonproductive settlement process. The only person that
does not get tired is our foreign minister. Ostensibly, Mammadyarov
is very keen on sitting and chatting with his Armenian friend. He is
so keen that he used the following pithy phrase in connection with
the forthcoming meeting: “The first stage of the negotiations has
ended successfully and we are starting the second stage.”
Of course, there are some questions in this case. First, if the
negotiations are really successful, why did official Baku have to
raise the issue with the UN? On the other hand, what “second stage”
is he talking about? What miracle or progress happened and what did
we achieve in the first stage of the negotiations to make Mammadyarov
say now that “it is time to step into the second stage”? Maybe Mr
Mammadyarov thinks that the public still believes such fairy tales
by Azerbaijani officials? Maybe, he has not lived in the country for
a long time. For this reason, he probably thinks that the regime’s
plan of lies and falsifications has not been fulfilled yet.
And Oskanyan did not share the optimism of his Azerbaijani counterpart,
of course. If this man keeps saying on behalf of his government almost
every week and what’s more with full confidence that “Nagornyy Karabakh
has never been and will never be part of independent Azerbaijan”,
what rapprochement and “already completed first stage” is Mammadyarov
talking about? No-one, apart from the foreign minister himself,
knows for whom and why this stage has come to an end.
According to information received yesterday evening, the ministers
finally met. The meeting is said to have taken place with the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairs in attendance. The sides discussed the prospects
for solving the Nagornyy Karabakh problem. But as can be seen from
everything, the Karabakh conflict is still not a priority issue
for the OSCE. The subject of Ukraine is in the focus of the OSCE’s
Sofia summit.

Azeri parliament to send factfinding mission to Georgia – speaker
Trend news agency
7 Dec 04
Baku, 7 December: Let the Georgian administration know that its incomes
as a sovereign state will depend on the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) and
the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum oil and gas pipeline projects, Azerbaijani
Parliament Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov said in parliament today.
“Let them know that Azerbaijan has always maintained friendly relations
with Georgia and we are still in favour of that. There are up to
500,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Georgia. And Azerbaijanis will
live in this land,” the speaker said.
Alasgarov added that not a single ethnic Azerbaijani is currently
involved in the construction of BTC on the territory of Georgia and
no-one has received a plot of land, while ethnic Armenians have
received theirs. This issue perturbs the Azerbaijani side a lot,
the speaker added. He said a Milli Maclis [Azerbaijani parliament]
commission of four MPs would be set up to investigate the developments
unfolding in Georgia. The commission will be sent to Georgia on a
factfinding mission and prepare a report for the Milli Maclis. The
report will also be submitted to the presidents of the two countries.
It must be remembered that a woman was killed and several people
received various severe wounds as a result of an armed conflict
in the village of Asagi Guslar in Georgia’s Marneuli District last
week. The incident occurred between employees of a local stud farm
and ethnic Azerbaijanis who were protesting against the use of land
by the horse breeding factory. The Georgian Ministry of Internal
Affairs has instituted criminal proceedings into the incident.

AZERIS IN GEORGIA CAN UNDERTAKE MOST RADICAL MEASURES
PanArmenian News
Dec 7 2004
07.12.2004 18:13
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “Azeris residing in Georgia can undertake most
radical measures – up to announcing an autonomy in the areas of
their compact residence, if the Georgian authorities do not stop
their discrimination policy towards the Azeris,” stated Zumrud
Gurbanov, the Chairman of Heyrat non-governmental organization, which
represents Azeris residing in Georgia. Day.az reported referring to
Trend news agency. Gurbanov is former MP of the Georgian Parliament,
representing E. Shevardnadze’s party. It should be reminded that the
other day a 65-year-old Azeri woman died at hospital from firearm
wounds. Four Azeris were gravely wounded due to an armed incident
next to Kula village. In Gurbanov’s words, “the incident in Kula
village took place before the eyes of the police, which did not
undertake anything.” Azeris compactly live in the South-Eastern part
of Georgia, known as Kvemo Kartli. These are the descendants Borchalu
Turkic-language tribes, which were brought to the region by Abbas
Iranian shah – after he had undertook mass expulsion of Georgians and
Armenians from the region. Azeris, whom the Georgians traditionally
call “Tatar”, today are the second on the size national minority of
Georgia. Most of them do not speak Georgian and are slightly integrated
into the Georgian society. Increase of Islamist sentiments among them
is not ruled out.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Belmedpreparaty to open trade agency in Armenia
Pharma Marketletter
December 7, 2004
Belarus-based pharmaceutical firm Belmedpreparaty is to open a trading
agency on the basis of the Sanara-farm pharmaceuticals company in
Armenia, according to the Belta news agency. This will represent the
firm’s first overseas trading operation.
The company said that the center has been opened in order to promote
the sale of its products on the Armenian market. Belmedpreparaty
currents sells 35 products in the country and exports are forecast
to rise 15% following the establishment of the agency.

Armenian, Russian MPs agree on more active cooperation in world bodies
Mediamax news agency
7 Dec 04
Yerevan, 7 December: Armenian and Russian parliamentarians have agreed
upon more active coordination of cooperation within international
organizations, “which will allow the two countries to effectively
protect their interests”, the vice-speaker of the Armenian National
Assembly and co-chairman of the Armenian-Russian interparliamentary
commission, Vaan Ovanesyan, told Mediamax in Yerevan today.
The vice-speaker expressed hope that the agreements reached at the
latest meeting of the commission in Moscow would be put into practice
in the months to come “during the forthcoming serious discussions of
the Nagornyy Karabakh problem and the situation in Chechnya at the
parliamentary assemblies of the Council of Europe, the OSCE and NATO”.
The parliamentarians of the two counties appealed to the co-chairmen
of the Armenian-Russian intergovernmental commission and the Armenian
and Russian foreign ministers, suggesting that a ferry link be put into
operation between the port Kavkaz [in Russia’s Krasnodar Territory] and
Poti [in Georgia] before the direct railway through Abkhazia reopens.
The Armenian vice-speaker said that the operation of the ferry
would allow it to avoid adverse effects on the Armenian economy of
incidents such as the closure of the Verkhniy Lars checkpoint on the
Russian-Georgian border in September-October this year.