OSCE OFFICE IN YEREVAN PRESENTS SECOND EDITION OF TEXTBOOK ON OSCE
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 20 2006
An updated version of a textbook entitled “OSCE: History, Activities
and Perspectives” was presented today by the OSCE Office in Yerevan.
“Assisting Armenia in implementation and promotion of OSCE
commitments is part of the mandate of the OSCE Office in Yerevan,”
Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the OSCE Office, said during
the presentation ceremony. “This book is valuable because it raises
awareness about OSCE, its concept and key values.”
Given the demand and interest the first edition, published two years
ago, attracted, the Office initiated a new edition that includes
information on the ongoing OSCE reform. In particular, readers are
introduced to a report prepared by an OSCE panel looking into how to
make the Organization more effective.
Education and Science Minister Levon Lazarian welcomed the book at
the presentation ceremony.
“Co-operation, key to security, lies in the main philosophy behind
the OSCE. Thorough knowledge of OSCE principles and values will help
future diplomats and politicians to better understand the system of
European security,” he said.
The book is recommended by the Ministry of Science and Education as
a textbook for students and lecturers. The book also is useful for
policy-makers and legislators.

ARMENIA RANKS 101ST IN THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH LIST
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 20 2006
According to the “Reporters without Borders” international
organization, this year Armenia ranks 101st in the freedom of
speech list. The document, issued today by the headquarters of the
organization in Paris, includes 168 states and covers the period from
September 2005 to September 2006.
The list is concluded by Turkmenistan, Eritrea and North Korea.
Finland, Ireland, Island and Netherlands share the first four places.
France, which is considered a country of free speech, digressed from
the 30h to the 35th position.
As compared to the previous year, Russia digressed from the 138th to
147th position.
Among other CIS countries Azerbaijan ranks 141st, Belarus – 151st,
Uzbekistan – 158th and Turkmenistan – 167th.

FRENCH FOREIGN MINISTER HOPES FOR PROGRESS IN THE KARABAKH ISSUE
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 20 2006
The Foreign Minister of France Philippe Douste-Blazy has expressed
the hope that the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and
Azerbaijan Vartan Oskanian and Elmar Mammadyarov in Paris will help
achieve progress in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, ITAR-TASS
was told at the French MFA.
It was reported also that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev will pay
a state visit to France in January 2007. During the meeting of the
Foreign Ministers of France and Azerbaijan it was noted that the
relations between the two countries are developing. Last year the
commodity turnover rose thrice, reaching 500 million Euros.

SPECIAL ATTENTION TO BE PAID TO THE KARABAKH ISSUE DURING RA PRESIDENT’S VISIT TO RUSSIA
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 20 2006
“The relations between Armenia and Russia are characterized as allied
and stand out for positive dynamics,” says the statement disseminated
by the Press Service of the Russian Embassy in Armenia connected with
RA President Robert Kocharyan’s working visit to the Russian Federation
October 30-31. It is noted in the document that “the recurrent visit
of the Armenian leader is called to bring Russian-Armenian relations
to a higher level of partnership.” The statement says also that in
the Republic of Armenia the year 2005 passed under the slogan of
Russia, and correspondingly 2006 was announced the Year of Armenia in
Russia. Conduct of large-scale events in the framework of the national
years fostered the activation of public and business initiatives,
as well as expansion of cooperation in trade and economic, scientific
and educational, information and cultural spheres. According to the
document, during RA President’s visit to Russia special attention will
be paid to the Nagorno Karabakh issue. In this regard it is noted
that “Welcoming the Armenian-Azerbaijani dialogue on all levels,
primarily that on the level of Presidents, Russia proceeds from
the conviction that the conflicting parties should find a mutually
acceptable solution themselves. Russia is ready to provide the most
active assistance both in the bilateral format and as an OSCE Minsk
Group Co-Chair, and to become the guarantor of the agreement reached.”

OSKANIAN-MAMMADYAROV MEETING TO BE HELD IN PARIS
Public Radio, Armenia
Oct 20 2006
The meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers, featuring
the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs will be held in Paris today. Vartan
Oskanian is due to meet also with the Foreign Minister of France
Philippe Douste-Blazy.

500 MILLION DOLLARS OF BOYCOTT ON FRENCH PRODUCTS
Turkish Press
Oct 24 2006
ANKARA – Reactions to voting of the French draft law that makes any
denial of so-called Armenian genocide a crime escalate among Turkish
non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and people.
The draft will be voted in the French parliament on Thursday,
October 12th.
According to Sabah newspaper, Turkish enterprises, chambers, trade
unions and consumers’ unions are considering a boycott of 500 million
USD to consumer products imported from France. Especially imports of
sophisticated products will be slowed down as a first response. In
the second phase, imports of manufacturing products from alternative
countries is on the agenda. Turkey has made imports of 4.5 billion
USD from France in the first 8 months of 2006; 4 billion USD of this
amount is manufacturing and mining products.
A committee from the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of
Turkey (TOBB) will travel to France today to visit French employers’
representatives in Paris. The committee headed by Ankara Chamber of
Industry (ASO) Zafer Caglayan will point out the harmful consequences
of the draft if it becomes a law.
-PLANE ORDER SUSPENDED-
Turkish Ciner Aviation company suspended its order for a new Falcon
2000 type plane. Owner of Ciner Aviation and Sabah newspaper,
Turgay Ciner, called plane producer Dassault and said the order is
suspended until the draft law is voted in the parliament. Ciner said
he will cancel his order if the law is adopted in the parliament on
October 12th.
-NGO REACTIONS NATIONWIDE-
Chairman of ASO Zafer Caglayan:
“There is business that increase French businessmen’s appetite. It
must be clearly stated that they cannot be included in the tenders
in Turkey.”
Chairman of Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce Mehmet Aslan:
“We will call on our members not to make business with French
businessmen and call on our people not to buy French products.”
Chairman of Consumers’ Union Bulent Deniz:
“We will boycott a French product every week beginning on October
12th. We will increase this number gradually.”
Chairman of YASED (Foreign Inverstors’ Association of Turkey)
Saban Erdikler:
“The reactions must be reasonable. We must not be agitated and punish
ourselves with our reactions.”

ONLY WE HAVE PRECISE IDEOLOGICAL POSITIONS: SAYS LEADER OF ARMENIAN COMMUNISTS
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 24 2006
“None of political parties but us come up with precise ideological
positions”, Rouben Tobmasyan, First Secretary of the Central Committee
of Communist party of RA, said at the press conference in the
‘Pakagits’ club today.
He pointed out that the main political players seeking Parliamentary
majority do not present an action plan and make the election campaign
a cheap bargain for votes. “Potato distributed to villagers can have
only a momentary effect and the five-year exploitation will follow
afterwards. People get all this but within the last 15 years they
were brought to such extreme poverty that they are ready to sell
their votes once again for nothing”, said R. Tovmasyan.
He insists that majority of Armenians are for return to the socialist
regime. And this is the reason why they are targeted by a black PR
that is widely spread in the IT policy of the majority of electronic
Mass Media. “Nowadays, TV channels use every chance to criticize
this or that moment of Soviet history and to blacken activities of
Communists. Meanwhile, people keep leaving the country and only the
Army celebrates the Independence Day. Laborers (who add 12% to economy
growth) do not come to the Republic Square during celebrations”,
pointed out the communist leader.
He said that one of the manifestations of anti-Communist hysteria are
interior conflicts of the parties. As a result some high officials were
bribed. “Sanatruk Sahakyan, Ex-Second Secretary of Central Committee
(CC) of the Communist Party, who at first acted as a radical Communist
and, when later expelled from the party, entered a rightist-liberal
‘Orinats Yerkir’ party. I think he and alike party members have signed
their political obituary notices. I do not want to comment on their
further steps any more”, said R. Tovmasyan.

ARMENIA’S FUTURE IS OUT OF NATO, SAYS ARMENIAN COMMUNIST
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 24 2006
I do not think that future of Caucasus is in integration with NATO,
Yury Manoukyan, Chair of the United Communist Party of RA, said at
the press conference today.
He added that in case Armenia joins the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (NATO) the latter will impose its policy over the
country. In the course of it the state, sooner or later, will fall
under the full dependence of the Alliance. “Would we be able to be
fulfilling somebody else’s will all our life?”, rhetorically asked Y.
Manoukyan. He said that if the states of the region start joining
NATO separately, it may cause a conflict of military interests and
will bring instability to the region.
“I think that Armenia, Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan should make a
joint decision on integration with NATO because this question serves
the interests of all the sides”, he pointed out. Speaking on the
so-called ‘profitability’ of Armenia’s integration with NATO, leader
of the Communists said that he was not aware of facts proving that
point. “We should be presented with proves that Armenia will gain
from integration with the Alliance. We are fed up with groundless
promises. It is time to go from words to business”, concluded Y.
Manoukyan.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

FRENCH AMBASSADOR’S GOODBYE LESSON OR COLD SHOWER FOR ARMENIAN DIPLOMACY
Lragir, Armenia
Oct 20 2006
The French investors are becoming increasingly interested in the
Armenian economy, and I am happy that this happened while I was the
ambassador, said the French Ambassador to Armenia Henry Cuny in his
news conference on October 24. According to him, the Armenian market
is small and buying capacity is low, but it is of interest because
it is a door leading to other markets. Henry Cuny enumerates Asia,
the Near East and the Middle East, Russia as other markets.
However, everything would be different if the borders were open,
says Henry Cuny. And in this sense his next words, which were answers
to the questions of the news reporters, can be considered a lesson
for the Armenian diplomacy and certain social classes. It is clear
that the notion of the closed border concerns the Turkish border,
and the reporters asked Henry Cuny what France does to facilitate the
opening of the Armenian and Turkish border, and whether the law on
the genocide adopted by the lower chamber of the French parliament
favors the Turkish-Armenian reconciliation and opening of the border.
Cuny’s answer to this question was logical and surprising at the same
time. “When I had just arrived in this country, something astonished
me. Most people, including young people came up to me and said we
have a problem, what can you do for us. And my first message in the
meeting with the students of the French University in Armenia was your
future is in your hands, the keys to your future are in your hands,”
says Henry Cuny. This part of his answer was logical rather than
surprising. The continuation of the answer was surprising, which was
on the role of the adoption of the law on genocide in the Armenian
and Turkish relation.
“I am not supposed to interpret the law adopted by the French
parliament. At any rate, I hear what the Armenians and the Armenian
youth tell me. They tell me two main things, both are very important.
On the one hand, they say we are grateful for this attentive attitude
of France, and Armenia feels less lonely in these matters. But they
also say our future, the future of the young people living in Armenia
depends on our friendship with neighbors, and we think it will be much
easier for us to overcome disagreement through a dialogue rather than
through a confrontation,” says Henry Cuny.
This is surprising, considering that the ambassador considers the
opinion of young people as very important and much more legitimate,
because they are going to live and work in Armenia. However, he also
says that in expressing their gratefulness to France these young people
emphasize one but according to which the dialogue with the neighbors
is much more important. Henry Cuny’s answer is at least strange
and controversial in the sense that the law adopted by the French
parliament does not promote the Turkish-Armenian dialogue. And from
the point of view of the official Armenian diplomacy and propaganda,
Henry Cuny’s answers are a lesson for the people in charge of
foreign policies in Armenia, who are delighted to announce about the
diplomatic victory of Armenia. “I think the Armenians and only the
Armenians should decide the fate of their borders, and I repeat that
it is highly important for me to listen to young people, because the
existence of the nation depends on the youth,” says Henry Cuny.
The French ambassador to Armenia, who will not be an ambassador in
four days, hints, in fact, that the adoption of the bill has nothing
to do with the Turkish-Armenian relations, especially the prospect
of opening the borders, and pursued a quite different goal. In other
words, Cuny’s words crash the delight of the Armenian state propaganda
and foreign policy that was aroused by the lower chamber of the French
parliament, and prove that this law did not solve any problems for
Armenia, if it did not create new problems.

ARMENIAN COMMUNIST PARTY TO INDEPENDENTLY PARTICIPATE IN PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS 2007
ArmInfo News Agency, Armenia
Oct 24 2006
At a meeting with journalists at the “Pakagits” club, Tuesday, Leader
of the Armenian Communist Party Rouben Tovmasyan said that his party
will independently participate in the parliamentary elections in
spring 2007.
According to him, the Communist Party will form an electoral bloc
only with parties with similar ideologies, and only in this case
one may speak about cooperation. At the same time, Rouben Tovmasyan
pointed out the good prospects for cooperation of opposition parties
in struggle against any possible electoral frauds.
Commenting on parliamentary discussions of the project of the Electoral
Code’s reform, Tovmasyan emphasized that the CPA has always supported
the immediate transition to a 100% proportional electoral system. At
the same time, the Electoral Code should provide for a procedure of
recalling deputies who attempt to move to other parties.
Tovmasyan said that any parliamentary party should have the right to
immediately recall the MP who is going to change his faction.
Characterizing the modern domestic political tendencies, the leader of
Communists criticized the attempts of a number of political forces to
bribe rural voters by distributing so-called humanitarian assistance,
particularly, potato seeds. Tovmasyan said that one cannot speak
of fair democratic elections if one sees what is going on in the
political system of the country. He concluded that the CPA’s success
will be to overcome the 5% barrier if pro-governmental parties use
huge financial resources to manipulate the election returns.