Category: News

[Congressional Record: September 28, 2004 (House)]
[Page H7716]
>>From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:cr28se04-115]
THREATS MADE BY AZERBAIJAN AGAINST ARMENIA
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Pallone) is recognized for 5 minutes.
Mr. PALLONE. Mr. Speaker, I want to bring attention to recent
statements made by high-ranking government officials in Azerbaijan
that threaten the security of Armenia as well as the efforts towards
a peaceful settlement over the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.
This issue, if not compellingly addressed by the administration,
has the potential to undermine U.S. interests and American values in
the strategically important Caucasus region.
I refer to the recent remarks made by officials in the government of
President Aliyev calling into question the very existence of Armenia.
For example, as reported by Radio Free Europe, the Azerbaijani Defense
Minister spokesman called for Azerbaijan’s takeover of the entire
territory of Armenia and removal of the entire Armenian population from
the Caucasus. He went so far as to say, “Within the next 25 years
there will exist no state of Armenia in the south Caucasus.” Given
Azerbaijan’s history of aggression against Armenians, these remarks
cannot be dismissed as mere rhetoric.
Furthermore, Azerbaijan recently blocked key NATO exercises in the
country, due to their opposition towards having Armenian officers
taking part in the exercises. In fact, in June 2003, Armenia served
as the host country for similar exercises, to which Azerbaijani
military forces were invited, yet refused to participate. This year,
Armenia was one of several dozen countries due to participate, yet
the initiative was blocked by Azerbaijan, which is continuing its
efforts to undermine the prospects for peace in the Caucasus region.
Azerbaijan’s threats again Armenia’s survival reinforce our
commitment to maintaining parity in U.S. military aid to Armenia and
Azerbaijan. This arrangement means even more today than when it was
first put in place, particularly in light of Baku’s increasingly
aggressive posture towards Armenia. Any tilt in military spending
towards Azerbaijan could, in our view, destabilize the region by
emboldening the new Azerbaijani leadership to continue their threats
to impose a military solution of the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict.
Just last week, the Republic of Armenia celebrated Independence
Day marking 13 years of freedom from Soviet rule. We have seen
considerable economic growth in the country. Despite the continuing
illegal blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan, a recent Wall Street Journal
study found that Armenia remains the most economically free nation in
the region. Today, Armenia is steadfast in its support of the U.S.,
as exhibited by their recent announcement of plans to send a unit
of deminers, doctors and 50 trucks, including staff and drivers,
to assist the Coalition forces in Iraq.
It is critical to note that Armenia is today, as it has always been,
committed to the peace process and the terms agreed to in the Key West
summit. Since the beginning of the Nagorno-Karabagh and Azerbaijan
conflict, Armenia has been committed to finding a peaceful resolution.
Moreover, I cannot stress enough the crucial role that the U.S. plays
in the negotiations over Nagorno-Karabagh to help the people of this
region find a lasting and equitable peace. These threats by Azerbaijan
undermine these efforts and seriously complicate our diplomacy in the
region. A failure on our part to forcefully and publicly confront
the Azerbaijan government over these destabilizing threats would,
in our view, send extremely dangerous signals to Azerbaijan.
So, Mr. Speaker, I hope that the United States takes action to condemn
these remarks by the Azerbaijani government, and that we here in this
Chamber do everything we can to ensure that all parties involved in
this conflict make a genuine commitment towards peace and stability
in the region.
____________________

Hastert rejecting calls to consider recognition of Armenian genocide
By Lisa Friedman, Washington Bureau
dailynews.com
Sept 28, 2004
WASHINGTON — Despite mounting pressure from Southern California
lawmakers, House Speaker Dennis Hastert will continue to oppose a
Pasadena congressman’s amendment recognizing the Armenian genocide,
his spokesman said Tuesday.
“That amendment, in the Speaker’s view, was poorly crafted and
wouldn’t help us with one of our most valuable allies in the war
against terror,” John Feehery said. “He doesn’t think that this is
a fight we should be picking right now.”
Feehery’s comments came on the heels of a petition from Rep. Adam
Schiff, D-Pasadena, asking Hastert to reconsider his position that the
United States should not formally declare the massacre of Armenians
in the Ottoman Empire after World War I a genocide, saying it would
alienate Turkey, a NATO ally.
The letter, signed by more than 60 lawmakers sympathetic to Armenian
issues, reminded Hastert that four years ago, in order to help
James Rogan — a then-struggling Glendale Republican incumbent —
the Speaker vowed to allow a vote on the Armenian genocide.
Lawmakers also downplayed the effect such a resolution would have on
the U.S. relationship with Turkey, noting that the European Parliament,
the Council of Europe and several European nations have recognized
the genocide without suffering long-term breaches with Ankara.
“Our relationship with Turkey is important, but that relationship
must not compel us to acquiesce in the unwillingness of Turkey to
confront the actions of its Ottoman forebears,” lawmakers wrote.
Schiff, whose district is home to a large concentration of Armenians,
attached an amendment to a foreign-operations funding bill earlier
this year that would forbid Turkey from using U.S. funds to lobby
against the genocide resolution.
The amendment is largely symbolic because the law already prohibits
foreign governments from using U.S. aid to lobby. But it has the
practical effect of formally designating, for the first time, the
killing of 1.5 million Armenians between 1915 and 1923 as a genocide.
Hastert and the GOP leadership reacted swiftly to the amendment and
insisted it be stripped from the bill. He also vowed that the central
question of whether to declare the killings genocide would never be
scheduled for a vote under his watch.
Last week, the Senate passed a version of the legislation that made
no mention of the Schiff amendment. Now House and Senate negotiators
are working to merge the two versions, a process that will determine
whether the genocide language will live or die.
Schiff did not accept an early defeat regarding the fate of his
amendment, but noted: “We’re in this fight for the long haul. If we
don’t succeed in the remaining few weeks of this session, we want to
recognize the genocide while there are still some victims left.”
Armenians estimate that more than 1.5 million died in a planned
genocide campaign. Turkey has consistently denied the assertions,
putting the number at 300,000 and contending that thousands of Turks
also died in what was a multiparty conflict during the last years of
the Ottoman Empire.
Lisa Friedman, (202) 662-8731 [email protected]

ASBAREZ ONLINE
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09/30/2004
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WEBSITE AT <;HTTP:// 1) Minister Oskanian Delivers Strong Message to UN General Assembly 2) Defense Minister Sargsian Advises Baku to Steer Clear of War 3) Kokoity Confirms Intentions to Integrate with Russia 4) Armenian Man Kidnapped in Iraq 5) Bush Administration Disappoints Ethnic Voters 1) Minister Oskanian Delivers Strong Message to UN General Assembly NEW YORK--Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian delivered Armenia's annual message at the United Nations on Wednesday, speaking to the 59th Session of the General Assembly on such issues as UN reform, Millennium Development Goals, and the fight against terrorism. At the same time, he addressed the Mountainous Karabagh conflict, and Armenia's position on prospects for its resolution. He said that Armenia is ready to "compromise and collaborate" with neighbors only if they are ready to make history, not rewrite it. "We want to work with an Azerbaijan that understands its place in a rule-based international order, not one whose policies, practices and statements threaten the fragile peace and stability of our region." Azerbaijan maligns the OSCE Minsk Group, stressed Oskanian, in order to mask its refusal to consider proposals. "For more than half a decade, it has rejected every proposal placed before it from the Common State Proposal in 1998 to the Key West document of 2001," revealing that the same proposals emerged from discussions and negotiations that included the participation of Azerbaijan's leadership. He concluded saying that though Armenians and Azeris were forcibly linked together during the last century, they have, nevertheless, earned the right to determine, in the coming century, whether they will live in peace. "If we are serious about becoming full, deserving residents of the European neighborhood, where borders don't matter, but intentions and tolerance do, we will have to come to terms with our past, with our history, with the realities that have gripped our region." Local students and representatives of Armenian organizations were present to hear the statement, and later participated in a short question-and-answer period with the Minister. The speech came at the conclusion of a three-day visit during which Oskanian met with various UN officials, as well as foreign ministers. On Wednesday, the Minister met with the Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, with whom he discussed various UN issues, as well as matters related to Armenia-UN cooperation. At the Secretary General's request, the Minister briefed Annan on the Mountainous Karabagh peace process. Earlier in the day, Oskanian also met with the Secretary General's Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Juan Mendez. Minister Oskanian held a short meeting with the Secretary General of the League of Arab States Amre Moussa, where the two welcomed Armenia's inclusion in the Arab League with observer status. Within the margins of the UN, Minister Oskanian conferred with the foreign ministers of China, Turkey, Egypt, and Lebanon. He also met with the US Undersecretary of State Mark Grossman, the US Co-chair of the Minsk Group Ambassador Steven Mann, and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Italy. 2) Defense Minister Sargsian Advises Baku to Steer Clear of War YEREVAN (PanARMENIAN.Net)--The consequences of renewed hostilities in the Mountainous Karabagh region would be extremely grave both for Armenia and Azerbaijan, warned Armenia's Minister Serge Sargsian, who is also the Secretary of the President's Defense Council. Speaking on Armenian Public TV on Wednesday, Sargsian emphasized Armenia's resoluteness to steer clear of war. "The outcome of any possible war--even the most favorable for Armenia, means casualties; we have no desire to be involved in military operations." It would even be no consolation, said Sargsian, that odds would be in Armenia's favor, as was the case in 1992-1994. "There are, after all, huge prices to pay for war--delays settling social problems, limitation on freedoms. . . " Sargsian said that Armenia would be forced to pursue war, only if Azerbaijan advances the attack. "In this case, I assure, we will respond adequately, and the response will be one that will, for many years--crush Azerbaijan's desire to fight." 3) Kokoity Confirms Intentions to Integrate with Russia MOSCOW (Interfax)--At a ceremony marking the dispatch of humanitarian aid from Moscow to the South Ossetian capital of Tskhinvali on Wednesday, president of the breakaway republic Eduard Kokoity, stressed the need for unity between north and south Ossetia. "It's time to forget the words 'southern' and 'northern.' There is one Ossetia, which will be part of Russia," Kokoity said, adding that nearly 98% of residents of South Ossetia are Russian citizens. "We are aware of our responsibility before our compatriots in Russia, since geographically it is in a place where the future of the Caucasus is being decided," he said. A united Ossetian people would "do everything possible to rebuff the forces that are trying to oust Russia from the Caucasus," he said. "We shall work on several economic projects to integrate South Ossetia with Russia," he said. South Ossetia is legally a province of Georgia, but a conflict in the 1990s led to its de-facto independence. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has stepped up efforts to restore control over South Ossetia. North Ossetia is a constituent territory of the Russian Federation. Meanwhile, South Ossetian Interior Minister Robert Guliyev told Interfax by phone on Thursday that Georgia has set up two army groups on the border with South Ossetia as part of its plans to launch strikes at the republic from the direction of Znauri and Tskhinvali. "By concentrating their forces in two directions--Tskhinvali and Znauri--the Georgian authorities are entrusting the task of surrounding Tskhinvali and closing the Trans-Caucasus highway to traffic traveling to [Russia's republic of] North Ossetia to these army groups. This will become possible as a result of two parallel strikes," Guliyev said. "An intelligence report suggests that up to ten T-72 tanks, some of which Tbilisi purchased in Romania and some other tanks that were repaired in Ukraine, have been deployed in Georgia's Kareli district alone. These tanks are expected to take part in an invasion of South Ossetia's Znauri district," he said. 4) Armenian Man Kidnapped in Iraq BAGHDAD--The Sydney Morning Herald reported that among three Lebanese travel agency workers kidnapped in Iraq on September 17, is Armenian Aram Nalbandian. The three men and their Iraqi driver were abducted by gunmen on the Baghdad-Fallujah highway, a Lebanese Foreign Ministry official told The Associated Press The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the three Lebanese worked for a travel agency that has a branch in Baghdad. The motive for the kidnapping was not immediately clear. Lebanese Foreign Minister Jean Obeid has instructed the Lebanese charge d'affaires in Iraq, Hassan Hejazi, to contact Iraqi authorities to secure the release of the three Lebanese, the official said. 5) Bush Administration Disappoints Ethnic Voters --Visit --Multi-Ethnic Review Reveals Deep-Rooted Frustration Across Diverse Communities WASHINGTON, DC--Community leaders representing millions of ethnic Americans are fed up with George W. Bush's neglect, opposition, and--all too often--outright assault on the issues and values they care about, according to a review released recently by the National Democratic Ethnic Leadership Council (NDELC). "Each of the community leaders reached out to in this survey represents a different element of our nation's great ethnic diversity, but what they all have in common is a profound disappointment with how the Bush Administration has misled their communities and mismanaged issues--both domestic and international--that hold the most meaning for the ethnic voters they represent," said AADLC representative Tsoghig Margossian. "Over the past four years, Armenian Americans have suffered setback after setback under the Bush Administration's attack on the issues we care about as a community," added Margossian. "As the NDELC review makes clear, we aren't alone in our frustration over these disastrous policies, nor do we stand alone in our efforts to bring about real change this November." The National Democratic Ethnic Leadership Council (NDELC) is an ethnic constituency based organization encompassing the community of immigrants and descendants of immigrants who primarily trace their heritage from Europe and the Mediterranean. The groups include, but are not limited to Albanian, Arab, Armenian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, German, Finnish, French Canadian, Greek, Hungarian, Iranian, Irish, Italian, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Swedish, and Ukrainian Americans. The purpose of NDELC is to continue the work of the 1990s to redefine how the Democratic Party communicates with ethnic Americans and to ensure that ethnic Democrats continue to be players in American politics. For more information about "Armenians for Kerry" and Senator Kerry's record on Armenian American issues, visit "Armenians for Kerry" works in partnership with the Armenian American Democratic Leadership Council (AADLC), a long-standing ethnic council of the Democratic National Committee's National Democratic Ethnic Coordinating Committee. The AADLC actively fosters support within the Armenian American community for the Democratic Party and national Democratic office holders, while promoting the election of Armenian American Democrats to political office and encouraging participation by Armenian American Democrats at all levels of the public policy process. The text of the NDELC review is provided below. For more information about the role that ethnic Americans are playing this election season, visit: George W. Bush is Wrong for Ethnic Americans* IRISH AMERICANS: "George W. Bush turned his back on 44 million Irish Americans by failing to engage in the Northern Ireland peace process and standing by while a top advisor made reckless comparisons to the war on Al Qaeda." --Stella O'Leary, Irish American Democrats POLISH AMERICANS: "George W. Bush turned his back on 10 million Polish Americans by relying on Poland's sacrifice in Iraq but continuing to impose burdensome and costly visa requirements on Poles coming to the US and by not facilitating bidding by Polish firms on post-war contracts in Iraq." --Nicholas Rey, Ambassador to Poland 1993-1997 ARMENIAN AMERICANS: "George W. Bush turned his back on 1.5 million Armenian Americans by breaking his pledge to recognize the Armenian genocide." --Aram Hamparian, Armenian National Committee of America ARAB AMERICANS: "George W. Bush turned his back on 3.5 million Arab Americans by tolerating anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bigotry from members of his Administration and allowing an unfettered John Ashcroft to run roughshod over the civil liberties of Arab immigrants, creating fear and mistrust." --Dr. Jim Zogby, Arab American Institute GREEK AMERICANS: "George W. Bush turned his back on 3 million Greek Americans by failing to show the required leadership, diplomacy and commitment in resolving the Cyprus conflict to help bring peace and stability to the region." --Clay Constantinou, former Ambassador, Dean of Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relation UKRAINIAN AMERICANS: "George W. Bush turned his back on 1.5 million Ukrainian Americans by blocking legislation condemning Stalin's Famine-Genocide against the Ukrainian nation." --Julian Kulas, Ukrainian Americans for Kerry-Edwards MUSLIM AMERICANS: "George W. Bush turned his back on 7 million Muslim Americans by speaking of inclusion while creating an atmosphere where law-abiding Muslim Americans are afraid of a government they thought was supposed to protect them, not harass them." --Isi Siddiqui, Undersecretary of Agriculture during Clinton Administration ROMANIAN AMERICANS: "George W. Bush turned his back on 2 million Romanian Americans by seeking to cut foreign aid, and failing to engage pro-democracy, anti-corruption forces in Romania." --Prof. Radu Florescu, Romanian American community leader ALBANIAN AMERICANS: "George W. Bush turned his back on 1 million Albanian Americans by abdicating America's traditional leadership role in resolving Kosovo's final status and securing stability in the Balkans." --Ilir Zherka, Clinton-Gore '96 Ethnic Outreach Coordinator SERBIAN AMERICANS: "George W. Bush turned his back on 2 million Serbian Americans by abandoning US efforts to promote regional stability in the Balkans and support for democratic forces within Serbia." --Obrad Kesic, Serbian American community leader HUNGARIAN AMERICANS: "George W. Bush turned his back on 2 million Hungarian Americans by ignoring the human, civil, and religious rights of Hungarian minorities throughout Central Europe." --Peter Ujvagi, State Representative, Ohio District 47 CENTRAL AND EASTERN EUROPEAN AMERICANS: "George W. Bush turned his back on 5 million Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, and Slovak Americans by failing to continue America's traditional engagement with pro-democracy forces." --Mark Brzezinski, former director Southeast European Affairs, National Security Council BALTIC AMERICANS: "George W. Bush turned his back on 1 million Latvian, Lithuanian, and Estonian Americans by eliminating VOA and RFE radio broadcasts to the Baltic states." --Asta Banionis, Lithuanian American community leader *Organizational affiliations are for identification purposes only. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA
—————————————— —-
PRESS AND INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
375010 Telephone: +3741. 544041 ext 202
Fax: +3741. .562543
Email: [email protected]:
PRESS RELEASE
29 September 2004
Deputy Minister Shugarian Receives Representatives of Defense
Ministries of Switzerland and Finland
On September 29, Deputy Foreign Minister Ruben Shugarian received
a delegation headed by Bernard Genti, Head of Arms Control Unit of
Swiss Federal Department of Defense and Alexander Aminoff, Director
of Arms Control Department of Finnish Armed Forces.
The delegation arrived in Armenia with an aim of establishing
cooperation under OSCE Small Arms and Light Weapons document and,
specifically, identifying possibilities for a joint cooperation
programme.
The Deputy Foreign Minister briefed the delegation on Armenia’s
fulfillment of international commitments under Small Arms and Light
Weapons document.
The parties also discussed future cooperation and prospects for
implementation of joint programmes.

Pundit says opening of Turkish border to boost Armenian export
Mediamax news agency
29 Sep 04
Yerevan, 29 September: The opening of the Armenian-Turkish borders
will create an opportunity to boost Armenia’s export and foreign
trade, Tigran Dzhrbashyan, director of the Armenian-European centre
for political and legal consultations, told today’s seminar entitled
“The economic efficiency of opening the Armenian-Turkish borders and
possible developments”.
He highlighted several economic consequences for Armenia if the
Armenian-Turkish borders are opened: increased budget revenue, less
transport dependency, drop in the cost price of goods due to low
transport charges, and increased investment.
At the same time, he thinks that there will appear the necessity for
the legal protection of local manufacturers at the domestic market.

Armenian leader in Shanghai to discuss economic ties with China
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
29 Sep 04
The Armenian delegation led by President Robert Kocharyan, who is
on an official visit to China, held a number of meetings today. The
president today flew to China’s second biggest city of Shanghai. The
Armenian delegation discussed wide-ranging issues of deepening economic
ties between the two countries.
The Armenian president will meet the mayor of Shanghai in the
afternoon. Lilit Sadrakyan has details on the Armenian delegation’s
meetings today.
[Sadrakyan on the telephone] Shanghai is the centre of China’s economic
progress. This morning Kocharyan visited one of Shanghai’s major
areas where the city’s biggest exhibition halls are located. These
exhibition halls have come up with the initiative to demonstrate
goods manufactured in Armenia. Kocharyan also visited the world’s
third tallest TV tower in Shanghai. The Armenian delegation visited
the Shanghai history museum, too. At the end of the day, the Armenian
president will be visited by the Shanghai mayor.

Armenian paper says USA not to help Azerbaijan resolve Karabakh conflict
Ayots Ashkar, Yerevan
29 Sep 04
Text of Sarkis Gevorkyan’s report by Armenian newspaper Ayots Ashkar
on 29 September headlined “‘The logic’ of a gambler”
Against the background of reports about the deployment of US
mobile forces in Azerbaijan, [Azerbaijani] President Ilham Aliyev’s
“antiterrorist” speech at the 59th session of the UN General Assembly
points to a drastic change in his country’s foreign policy.
Talks on the deployment of US mobile forces in Azerbaijan were
conducted long ago and were met by serious objections on the part of
Russia and openly hostile attitude of Iran. Let us try to understand
what calculations the Azerbaijani leader was guided by when taking
this step.
Meanwhile, we have to make clear at least two realities:
a) It will be naive to think that if they come to Azerbaijan, the
Americans will become a toy in Ilham Aliyev’s hands: their today’s
target is neither Russia nor Armenia nor Karabakh but only Iran.
b) If in exchange for Ilham’s “friendly attitude” the Americans have
promised to settle the Karabakh issue as soon as possible or at least
to ensure the return of liberated territories, a question arises:
how will this happen given that Armenia is also a partner of the USA
in the antiterror coalition and Russia’s partner with strict security
guarantees under the CIS Collective Security Treaty.
We think that Ilham Aliyev has only one expectation: the Americans
after coming to Azerbaijan will put serious pressure both on Armenia
and Moscow so that the latter forces Armenia to make compromises in the
Karabakh issue. In fact, they have a task not to persuade Russia (as it
was the case earlier), but to make it adopt pro-Azerbaijani decisions
with the help of Washington. Following the logic of the Azerbaijani
party, let us make everything clear: how much will Washington’s
“political payment” be for the deployment of its mobile forces in
Azerbaijan? And second, why should Moscow yield to Washington’s
pressure and insist that Armenia withdraw from liberated territories
opening the way not only for the USA but also for Turkey via Naxcivan?
The Azerbaijani president’s calculations may be regarded as logical
only if there is Russian-US agreement on dividing the region into
spheres of influence. But if there is such agreement, which undoubtedly
outlines the parties’ positions towards the Karabakh issue as well,
then why is Azerbaijan in a hurry to gain a new enemy in the person
of Iran?
Today’s attempt by Ilham Aliyev to invite Americans to Azerbaijan
and at the same time to accuse Armenia of terrorism from the UN’s
high rostrum is threatening to pose a serious danger in future not
to Armenia but Azerbaijan. The latter will be involved in a big game
whose participants, including the USA, in fact, are not interested in
the Karabakh issue. The superpowers, on the basis of actual borders
controlled by the countries in a certain part of the region, will
turn the Karabakh issue from the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict into a
problem of protecting their own spheres of influence and, as a result,
create a status quo. It seems that even in this case the Karabakh issue
can be settled in Azerbaijan’s favour if the USA “settles problems”
with Iran, ousts Russia from the Caspian and the South Caucasus, that
is, becomes the only dictating force. But even in this unlikely case,
iron logic about the necessity of strengthening the “weakest link”
of the region will tip the scales of US policy in Armenia’s favour.
Thus, in fact, the only “logic” of Aliyev’s previous and today’s
actions is an unrestrained desire of a losing gambler to stake his
all. We think it is not difficult to understand what it means to put
everything at stake for a small country which once suffered defeat. So,
we have to wait for that decisive moment when the gambler Aliyev
makes his next and probably the gravest mistake.

Chinese influence may reduce Turkey’s role in Caucasus – Armenian paper
Ayots Ashkhar, Yerevan
28 Sep 04
Text of Sarkis Gevorkyan report by Armenian newspaper Ayots Ashkhar
on 28 September headlined “How can we excite China’s interest?”
If we speak about the current relations between Armenia and China
and the prospect of developing them, unreal ideas and programmes
emerge sometimes, calling into question specific and real problems
in bilateral relations. From this point of view, Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan’s visit to China could greatly promote the clarity
of these ideas by carrying out more specific and at the same time,
promising programmes.
A number of complex and often contradictory external and internal
factors have limited the possibilities of Armenian-Chinese strategic
cooperation for many years. We have only cooperated on individual
economic programmes, training specialists in the military sphere
and so on. At present, when the prospect for a serious change in the
balance of forces in the whole South Caucasus-Central Asia region is
becoming evident: the deployment of US mobile forces in Azerbaijan,
the sharp expansion of opportunities to export Kazakh and Turkmen
energy reserves via Azerbaijan to the West, blockading Iran from
the north and forming a special Turkic axis by strengthening mutual
integration between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Central Asia, the prospects
of stepping up China’s role in the region are becoming more realistic.
China’s more active involvement in the processes taking place in the
South Caucasus, as well as in Kazakhstan and Central Asia promises
to widen the directions of exporting fuel from the region, and to
noticeably reduce the capacity of the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline and thus
to reduce its economic profitability. This will directly affect the
Azerbaijani president’s plans to earn billions from Baku-Ceyhan,
because our neighbour’s own energy resources cannot ensure the
profitability of that pipeline.
The balance of forces which is taking shape in the region today is
creating pre-conditions for opening a direct corridor between Turkey,
[Azerbaijani exclave] Naxcivan and Azerbaijan and for implementing
pan-Turkic programmes. In such conditions, China cannot be indifferent
to the strengthening of the “Armenian wedge”, as it feels the danger
that the Turkic factor is being supported on its territory by external
forces. To tackle these problems, China will undoubtedly try to enter
actively into Central Asia, as well as into the South Caucasus.
There are also numerous other options for expanding China’s influence
on the processes in the South Caucasus and deepening Armenian-Chinese
cooperation. Naturally, today’s tendency towards changes in the
regional balance of forces cannot but worry China, because after the
South Caucasus, Central Asia is in fact the last obstacle in the way
to its border.
In such conditions, the problem of weakening external pressure on
Armenia and increasing our country’s ability to resist may become a
serious impetus for deepening Armenian-Chinese cooperation today. On
this basis, the two countries’ economic cooperation can be noticeably
expanded today. The potential of the Chinese market is so great that
by stimulating export and implementing joint programmes, Armenia could
achieve success in the mining and chemistry industries, as well as
in agriculture.
All this shows that today is the most convenient moment to switch
to more general and deeper mutual cooperation and to “synchronize
clocks” for the joint implementation of certain and specific strategic
programmes.
The reason is evident: any change of balance in the world, including
in our region, makes unavoidable the appearance of an opposing force
for forming a new balance.

Annual trade between Armenia, Turkey totals 40m dollars
Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
29 Sep 04
The secretary of the Armenian-Turkish Business Forum, Ashot Sogomonyan,
believes that annual trade between Armenia and Turkey totals up to 40m dollars.
About 20,000 Armenian businessmen are doing business with Turkey.
Economists believe that if Turkey changes its policy towards Armenia and
opens borders with this country, the figures will go up immediately. Currently,
trade between Armenia and Turkey is carried out via third countries, in
particular, Georgia and Iran.
Turcologist Ruben Shafrastyan also believes that Armenia is not ready to open
the borders. Before opening the borders, Armenia should make amendments to
its legislation to protect the interests of local manufacturers.

Turkey set to “degrade” Armenia financially, presidential aide says
Mediamax news agency
29 Sep 04
Yerevan
Normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations depends entirely on
Turkey, Armenian presidential aide Seyran Avagyan told today’s
seminar in Yerevan entitled “The economic efficiency of opening the
Armenian-Turkish border and possible developments” organized by the
Centre for Public Dialogue and Development.
Avagyan said that the markets of the two countries are well aware
of businesses, commodities and potential of manufacturers of one
another. “The opening of the borders will be an economically and
mutually beneficial step, and both countries know this well,” the
presidential aide said. However, he said that Turkey’s political
principles are creating problems for improving Armenian-Turkish
relations.
“We are witnesses to blockade imposed by this country whose strategy
is to degrade Armenia financially,” Avagyan said.