Category: News

Russian “Kultura” TV channel to be broadcast in Armenia
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
16 Jun 04
[Presenter] The Russian TV channel “Kultura” will be broadcast in
Armenia from September. The head of Russian State Radio and Television
Company Oleg Dobrodeyev, founder of “Kultura” TV, arrived in Armenia
to sign agreement. The Russian “Kultura” promises to show films on
Armenian culture when it is broadcast in Armenia.
[Correspondent over video of meeting] The Russian TV channel “Kultura”
will be soon broadcast in Armenia. This was successful due to the
efforts of the Armenian culture representatives. Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan said this during a meeting with the head of Russian
State Radio and Television Company Oleg Dobrodeyev. Oleg Dobrodeyev
thanked them for the support and attention.
[Oleg Dobrodeyev, captioned, in Russian with Armenian voice over] They
like this channel a lot in Russia. We are assessing your support and
assistance in the broadcast of “Kultura” in Armenia. Thank you. Because
without your assistance this project could not come to fruition.
[Correspondent] Kultura’s programmes would provide Armenians with an
opportunity to be closer to genuine cultural values.

Azeri army strengthening positions in besieged village – TV
Lider TV, Baku
17 Jun 04
Armenians have encircled the village of Mazam in Qazax District
[northwest Azerbaijan].
Reliable sources in Qazax District have told Lider TV that yesterday
the Armenian armed forces violated the cease-fire on the territory
of the district. Despite retaliatory fire, the Armenian armed forces
launched an offensive. They managed to block the roads leading to
the village.
This report has been confirmed by the head of the district executive
authorities, Asad Orucov. He said that there was an exchange of fire
outside the village of Mazam yesterday.
Qazax police chief Mohubbat Huseynov has told Lider TV that the
situation around the village remains tense. Representatives of the
National Security Ministry and the district executive authorities
are in the village now. The Azerbaijani army is strengthening its
positions, Mohubbat Huseynov said.
In the meantime, the Defence Ministry press service reports that
Armenian military units deployed 1,300m northeast of the village of
Berkaber in [Armenia’s] Idzhevan District fired from their positions
on occupied unnamed heights in Qazax District on the positions of
Azerbaijani troops deployed in the village of Qizil Hacili in Qazax
District on 16 June from 0910 to 0915 [0410-0415 gmt] and from 1955 to
2010 [1455-1510 gmt]. The enemy was silenced by retaliatory fire. There
were no casualties.

Regional anti-AIDS centre opens in Armenia
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
16 Jun 04
[Presenter] The rate of growth of AIDS in the Eastern Europe and
Central Asia is the highest in the world. The international anti-AIDS
organizations consider Armenia part of this region and urge it to
start new preventive measures. According to the latest information,
there are more than 1.5m HIV-positive people in the former Soviet
republics, a regional anti-AIDS centre in Yerevan has said.
[Correspondent] Among the regional countries there are 271 HIV-positive
registered people in Armenia, there are more than 500 in Georgia, but
no research has been done at all by Azerbaijan in this sphere. The
regional anti-AIDS centre will function in Yerevan. The UN resident
coordinator and UNDP resident representative, Renate Ehmer, said
that the establishment of the centre is a result of the Armenian
government’s consistent work.
[Renate Ehmer, captioned, in English with Armenian voice over]
This issue has been discussed for a long time in Geneva. Finally,
it was decided that the centre will be opened in Armenia. The
Armenian government was pro-active on this issue and called for the
establishment of the centre in Armenia.
[Correspondent] Armenia will receive 7m dollars to implement the
national anti-AIDS programme, of which 1m dollars has already been
allocated. Renate Ehmer noted that the centre’s main aim is to work
efficiently and make the best use of the allocated funds. Speaking
about the international recognition of Armenicum [anti-AIDS medicine]
Renate Ehmer said that this medicine should be used abroad.
Anna Vardanyan, “Aylur”.

Turkey prepares to open Armenian border – Azeri paper
Zerkalo, Baku
17 Jun 04
The Turkish government has decided to open the border with Armenia
under pressure from Washington and the EU, the Azerbaijani newspaper
Zerkalo has reported. This decision runs counter to Ankara’s previous
pledges not to open the border without Azerbaijan’s consent, it
said. Relations between the two countries’ leaders are insincere, the
paper said, which is proved by the fact that the Azerbaijani leader
did not pay his first official visit to Turkey, while the Turkish
prime minister chose to go abroad during President Ilham Aliyev’s
subsequent visit. Tension between the two countries started running
particularly high after the Council of Europe vote on Northern
Cyprus which was ignored by the Azerbaijani delegation. The move
was described in the Turkish media as a “stab in the back” from
Azerbaijan. The following is an excerpt from R. Mirqadirov report by
Azerbaijani newspaper Zerkalo on 17 June headlined “Turkey is opening
the border with Armenia” and subheaded “Duty comes before friendship”.
Subheadings have been inserted editorially:
The Turkish Foreign Ministry has issued an instruction to relevant
government bodies to start preparations for the opening of the Ak Yaka
checkpoint on the Turkish-Armenian border, which has been closed for
10 years, in order to ensure the transportation of cargo from third
countries to Armenia through Turkish territory.
MPA reports quoting the Turkish NTV channel that after the opening
of the border checkpoint, cargo will proceed from Europe to Armenia
directly through Turkish territory bypassing Iran and Georgia.
Decision taken under pressure
Explaining the reasons for the decision, NTV reports that Ankara,
despite Azerbaijan’s objections, has to look for an acceptable way
out of the current situation and is under significant pressure from
Washington and the EU.
It is worth noting that Ankara is taking the step in the run-up to a
NATO meeting in Istanbul which is to be attended by representatives
of Armenia. Therefore, diplomatic sources are declining to make any
comments on the situation.
The Turkish administration has repeatedly stated earlier that Ankara
will not open the border with Armenia without the consent of Baku.
In principle, nothing extraordinary is taking place. Ankara could
have been expected to take the step long ago. The point is that Turkey
has been speculating for quite some time that it is not establishing
normal relations with Armenia due to the ongoing occupation of 20
per cent of Azerbaijani territory, while Azerbaijan was actively
following the lead as long as this policy was meeting the interests
of both sides. However, every “hoax” ends sooner or later and the
moment of truth eventually arrives.
Fraternity mere delusion
Zerkalo has repeatedly written that there is no point in deluding
ourselves and Azerbaijani society in general with false hopes
as regards fraternal relations with Turkey, even as far as the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict is concerned. Because anyone even
with basic knowledge of politics could see that the tension in
Armenian-Turkish relations had very little, if anything at all,
to do with the occupation of Azerbaijani territories. First of all,
Armenian-Turkish relations have their own and no less serious problems,
including the issue of the so-called “Armenian genocide” and Armenia’s
territorial claims to Turkey. But it wasn’t these issues that got in
Ankara’s way either. After all, there are no less serious problems
in Turkish-Greek relations, which does not stop Turkey and Greece
being members of the same military and political alliance, NATO,
and maintaining normal diplomatic relations at the level of embassies.
Second, by speculating on Armenian-Azerbaijani relations for over
10 years, Turkey was actually strengthening its positions and clout
in our country, which was far more important for Turkey than the
improvement of relations with Armenia.
And third, at last, Ankara could use this factor as a means for putting
pressure on Yerevan to contain Armenia’s anti-Turkish campaign in the
international arena, particularly as Armenia was much less attractive
for Turkey than Azerbaijan and Georgia.
[Passage omitted: details of Turkey-EU relations]
Insincere relations
Azerbaijan started “recovering its sight” early this year when
certain media outlets, including Zerkalo, quoted diplomatic sources
as saying that an east European capital was hosting unofficial
negotiations on the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border. Again,
there was nothing horrible in such a course of developments. It was
only necessary to develop a common line of behaviour so that both
fraternal countries could derive maximum benefit from the situation.
However, the subsequent developments showed that there was no sincerity
in bilateral relations at all. In the first half of this year the
sides repeatedly “framed” each other.
And the point here is not in finding out who is right and who is
wrong. It is much more important that the leaders of the two countries
do not seem to get along with each other.
We all remember that [Azerbaijani President] Ilham Aliyev, contrary
to expectation and traditions, did not pay his first official visit
as president to Turkey. Also, on the eve of his visit, certainly
not without the blessing of the Baku officials, a team of leading
Azerbaijani journalists went to Turkey to organize a campaign against
the opening of the Turkish-Armenian border. It is beyond doubt that
Prime Minister Erdogan saw the action as an attempt to put pressure
on him. And it was not by chance that he chose to go to Japan during
Ilham Aliyev’s visit.
Cyprus vote: “A stab in the back”
Subsequent and no less dramatic events showed that the Azerbaijani side
was not quite prepared for such a turn in bilateral relations. The
April session of PACE [Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe] discussed a resolution which would enable deputies from the
Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to be represented in sessions
of the Parliamentary Assembly independently. Naturally, the deputies
representing two Greek states, Armenia, Russia and Serbia did their
best to prevent the resolution from being adopted in the proposed form.
And they succeeded. However, during the discussions on the resolution,
the Azerbaijani delegation was absent.
On the following day, almost all leading newspapers of Turkey,
including those close to the government, published editorials
describing the step by our delegation as nothing other than a stab in
the back on the part of “fraternal Azerbaijan”. The newspapers quoted
Azerbaijani MPs as saying that they were busy meeting Ilham Aliyev
who had come to Strasbourg. The head of the Azerbaijani delegation
to PACE, Samad Seyidov, could not conceal his disappointment with
Turkish deputies whom he accused of “washing dirty linen in public”.
“We can discuss all disputable issues with Turkish deputies ourselves,
without involving the press,” he said then.
Only a few days later, did Seyidov “come round” and say that the
Azerbaijani MPs did not join the PACE vote on Northern Cyprus because
of the Nagornyy Karabakh issue. According to Seyidov, this could have
set a precedent for the “recognition of self-styled structures”. He
said that the recognition of Northern Cyprus could indeed set a
“dangerous precedent” in terms of the possible recognition of the
separatist regime in Karabakh. The head of the Azerbaijani delegation
probably had to tell the truth as it was getting obvious that a row
was inevitable otherwise.
Under these circumstances, the Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan,
Ahmet Unal Cevikoz, tried to act as a mediator. He said that he did
not consider it appropriate to accuse the Azerbaijani MPs of failing
to take part in the Northern Cyprus vote. It is easy to understand
the Turkish envoy. Work has been done, hasn’t it? The Turkish side
has managed to trigger a public outrage both in Turkey and Azerbaijan,
and it was time to “wash hands”.
A little later the new Azerbaijani foreign minister said quite
logically that all countries, even the most friendly, may have
different interests, and that there are very serious problems in
Turkish-Armenian relations which have nothing to do with Azerbaijan.
All this testifies to the fact that Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan
and the Azerbaijani president are not quite “fraternal” to each
other. Neither of them misses a chance “to punch” the other, sometimes
quite painfully.
[Passage omitted: Minor details]

TWO ARMENIAN OFFICERS TO TRAVEL TO BAKU
ArmenPress
June 17 2004
YEREVAN, JUNE 17, ARMENPRESS: Two senior Armenian army officers will
travel to Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku on June 22 to participate in
a NATO sponsored conference to be held within the frameworks of its
Partnership for Peace program.
Colonel Murad Isakhanian and Aram Hovhanesian from defense ministry’s
department of foreign relations will go to the capital of Georgia,
Tbilisi, to try to get visas from Azerbaijan’s embassy there on
June 21.
Last January, Armenian officers were not allowed to attend a planning
conference for Best Cooperative Effort exercises. Azeri President
Ilham Aliyev has made a commitment to the U.S. not to hinder Armenia’s
participation in the upcoming NATO exercises in Azerbaijan. Also
this week, Azeri officials pledged to provide security to Armenian
participants.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

KARABAGH LEADER SAYS AZERI PRESIDENT NOT READY FOR CONFLICT SOLUTION
ArmenPress
June 17 2004
PARIS, JUNE 17, ARMENPRESS: President of Nagorno Karabagh Arkady
Ghukasian, who was visiting France last week to attend a series of
ceremonies there on the occasion of 10-th anniversary of establishment
of truce in Nagorno Karabagh, met with the French co-chairman of the
OSCE Minsk Group and French Armenian reporters.
According to Ghukasian, the Minsk Group co-chairmen are expected to
visit Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabagh in June and may bring
new proposals with them. He also said that Azerbaijan does not want
to seat at the negotiation table with Nagorno Karabagh demanding that
prior to it all the occupied lands be returned, after which they will
‘think’ about the status of Nagorno Karabagh. “This is of course an
unacceptable position. French Minsk group co-chairman Mr. Jacolin is
very optimistic and thinks that there are possibilities that must be
used,” Ghukasian said.
In response to the question why Azerbaijan has taken such a tough
stance, Ghukasian said that Ilham Aliyev is absolutely not ready for
discussing Nagorno Karabagh issue, not only in terms of his readiness
for solution but just for discussion. “He is not ready to take any
risk and go for any compromise. It is strange for me to hear from
a president that Azerbaijan will not go for any compromise. This
is not something to be heard from a president. Presidents are to
be more flexible. He understands clearly that it is not possible to
give Karabagh back but still resists to go on talks. In this respect
Heydar Aliyev was more controlling the situation,” Ghukasian noted.
Speaking on a possible involvement of John Paul II in negotiation
processes, as was declared by Vatican ambassador in Azerbaijan and
Georgia, Ghukasian said that all wishes are welcomed but the conflict
is very complicated and professional approaches are needed. In this
case such professionalism can demonstrate the OSCE, Minsk group,
the Council of Europe and other international organizations. And the
most important is that the solution to the problems after all depends
on the conflicting sides.
“We have clear understanding of the limit of compromises. We are
realistic about where we go and what we want,” and because everything
is interrelated the bounds of our compromise will depend on the level
of compromise from Azerbaijan,” he said.

Institute for War and Peace Reporting
June 17 2004
Armenia: Anger at Council of Europe Visit
Opposition disappointed by a monitoring mission they hoped would hold
the authorities to account for April violence.
By Zhanna Alexanian in Yerevan (CRS No. 238, 16-Jun-04)
The Armenian opposition has voiced concern at a Council of Europe
mission to check on the human rights situation, saying it was too
soft on the government.
Polish co-rapporteur Jerzy Jaskiernia from the Monitoring Committee
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, CoE, visited
Armenia between June 11 and 15 to prepare a preliminary report on how
the country is fulfilling demands made in a tough resolution adopted
on April 28, following the violent break-up of demonstrations earlier
in the month.
Opposition activists had hoped Jaskiernia’s visit would follow up on
the resolution and put the government under new pressure ahead of a
CoE Parliamentary Assembly session which President Robert Kocharian
is to address on June 23. The assembly meeting will also discuss
Jaskiernia’s preliminary report.
In the assembly’s April resolution, it warned Yerevan that if it did
not comply with its obligations to the CoE – including the freeing of
opposition activists detained earlier in April and liberalising the
media – the Armenian delegation might be stripped of its credentials
in October.
Armenia joined the 45-member CoE in 2001, and has since moved to
comply with a number of obligations by appointing a human rights
ombudsman and promising to abolish the death penalty.
The resolution was prompted by the brutal break-up of an opposition
demonstration in Yerevan on April 13, which was followed by the
detention of dozens of members of the opposition.
One of the most prominent, former defence minister Vagarshak
Harutiunian, was released from two months’ detention only on the eve
of Jaskiernia’s visit, but could still face a jail sentence of 10-15
years if he is convicted of inciting a coup.
In its resolution, the parliamentary assembly called on the Armenian
authorities to “immediately investigate – in a transparent and credible
manner – the incidents and human rights abuses reported during the
recent events, including assaults on journalists and human rights
activists, and inform the [CoE] assembly of their findings and of
any legal action taken against persons responsible”.
The opposition said the CoE visit was too kind to the authorities.
“Of 23 official meetings, only two were with the opposition,” said
opposition deputy Shavarsh Kocharian. “It’s obvious that what’s
happening is just the pretence of carrying out the resolution. The
clearest confirmation that it’s pretence is the June 10 court decision
against those people who attacked journalists.”
Two policemen were fined around 180 US dollars for attacking
journalists in April.
“If there is merely another act of subjective monitoring it will
just worsen the socio-economic, moral and political crisis in the
country,” said opposition leader Artashes Gegamian, one of the defeated
candidates in last year’s presidential election.
Government and pro-government officials were more pleased by the way
Jaskiernia’s trip had gone.
“The April report relied on various pieces of information, but
the commission was not [then] in Armenia,” said deputy speaker of
parliament Tigran Torosian, who also heads Armenia’s delegation to
the parliamentary assembly. “In these three or four days, with a
large and focused programme, they were able to gather a lot of facts.”
Jaskiernia spent much of his visit hearing different views on a
resolution issued by Armenia’s constitutional court on April 16
immediately following the demonstrations in Yerevan.
The court ruled that, contrary to opposition complaints, President
Robert Kocharian had won the 2003 presidential elections. However, it
proposed that a national referendum be held to within a year to test
people’s confidence in Kocharian. Court chairman Gagik Harutiunian
said that such a poll would be an “effective way of overcoming the
confrontation in society”.
“We are trying to understand how people perceive this [court]
resolution,” said Jaskiernia said. “From a legal point of view, it is
just a suggestion because the constitutional court does not have the
right to call a referendum. There is a legal aspect to the question,
but we are continuing to look at it from a political point of view.”
The three pro-government parties in parliament – Dashnaktsiutiun,
Orinats Yerkir and the Republican Party – have spoken out against a
referendum, but the opposition is insisting that it should take place.
“The last point of the constitutional court’s resolution states that
the decision is final, is not subject to review and must be implemented
after it is published,” said Shavarsh Kocharian.
On the issue of arrests, Jaskiernia said he had heard very divergent
views as to whether those arrested in April were “political prisoners”
or not. He said he would state his own position on the matter only
when he produced his final report.
Tigran Ter-Yesayan, president of Armenia’s International Association
of Lawyers, told IWPR that he had information that 400 people had been
detained and interrogated this year after attending demonstrations –
adding that the real figure was probably much higher.
Last month a 24-year-old opposition activist, Eduard Arakelian, was
given an 18-month jail sentence for hitting a policeman with a plastic
mineral water bottle during the April rally. Arakelian pleaded guilty
but said that he had struck out only after the policeman had hit him
with a truncheon and broken his front teeth.
Once Jaskiernia delivers his preliminary report to the CoE in June,
he will produce a final one in October when the parliamentary assembly
is due to discuss Armenia again.
Zhanna Alexanian is a reporter for Armenia Now,
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH SPEAKER CALLS ON CANADIAN PARLIAMENT TO RECONSIDER RESOLUTION
ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION
PanArmenian News
June 17 2004
ANKARA, 17.06.04. Turkish parliament Speaker Bulent Arinch addressed
the Canadian parliament a letter of indignation at the recent
resolution by the Canadian House of Commons on the recognition of the
Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. As reported by Turkish media,
the letter says that the Canadian top parliamentarians `should have
closely watched the Lower House and impeded the adoption of such a
resolution`. In his interview to Turkish press Arinch noted that
this resolution `will deteriorate the unsettled Armenian-Turkish
relations`. `Stirring up the dissension between the countries situated
in the most sensitive region in the world at present will not be of
benefit to anyone. Canada should take it into account and review her
erroneous decision`, the Turkish Speaker said.

Envoy denies Turkey to open Armenian border
ANS TV, Baku
17 Jun 04
[Presenter] Although the report that Turkey will open its borders
with Armenia was on the web site of the Turkish NTV channel, it
was removed later, the Turkish ambassador to Azerbaijan, Ahmet Unal
Cevikoz, said, adding that the Turkish Foreign Ministry has reacted
strongly to the report.
[Ahmet Unal Cevikoz] All these are wrong reports. Following this
report on the NTV web site, the Foreign Ministry told NTV that the
report was wrong and wide of the mark, and should be taken off the
air. In turn, NTV did not broadcast it.
I want to state clearly that at present, Turkey is not thinking of
opening its borders with Armenia and in this connection, there are
no changes in Turkey’s official policy pursued by our president,
prime minister and foreign minister. Our expectations to normalize
relations between Turkey and Armenia are obvious.
First of all, Armenia should demonstrate its desire for
good-neighbourly relations both with Azerbaijan and Turkey, vacate
Azerbaijan’s occupied lands and resolve the Nagornyy Karabakh issue
within the framework of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and in
line with international legal norms.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
June 17 2004
AZERBAIJAN-CANADIAN RELATIONS ACQUIRE NEW STAGE
[June 17, 2004, 11:16:16]
On June 16, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Republic Elmar
Mammadyarov has met the ambassador of Canada Michael Lire
re-appointed in Turkey and Azerbaijan.
As was informed to AzerTAj from the press center of the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, having thanked for warm reception, ambassador
Michael Lire has handed over minister Elmar Mammadyarov a copy of the
accrediting letter and has emphasized, that he would actively work in
the direction of development of relations between the two countries.
Minister Elmar Mammadyarov congratulated the ambassador with new
appointment has wished him successes in activity. Having noted, that
Azerbaijan attaches great importance to all-around development of
links with Canada, he has emphasized, that our countries possess
ample opportunities in many areas. Having informed the visitor that
in the near future in Toronto the embassy of Azerbaijan will be open,
the Minister has expressed a wish about fast opening in Baku
embassies of Canada. He has noted, that opening of embassies will
give a new pulse to communications between our countries.
Then, the head of foreign policy department has in detail told about
political, public and economic situation in Azerbaijan after gaining
independence, democratic reforms spent in the country, integration of
our republic into the European institutes, the obligations taken by
our country before the international organizations, and their
successful performance, has informed the ambassador on the position
of our republic in connection with the work done in the direction of
settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorny Karabakh conflict.
Having touched the situation in Iraq and Afghanistan, minister Elmar
Mammadyarov has informed the ambassador on participation of the
Azerbaijan peacemakers in the antiterrorist coalition.
At the meeting, also were focused a number of other questions
representing mutual interest.