ITALY TO ASSIST ARMENIA WITHIN EUROPEAN NEIGHBORHOOD POLICY
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.10.2006 17:26 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA Deputy FM Arman Kirakossian received the Italian
MFA delegation led by Undersecretary Famiano Crucianelli. The parties
noted the high level of relations between Armenia and Italy and spoke
for their strengthening, especially in the economic and educational
sectors. The Italian MFA official said Italy is ready to assist
Armenia within the European Neighborhood Policy. The interlocutors
also referred to the Armenian-Turkish relations and the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement, reports the RA MFA press office.

ARMENIA ALWAYS FELT FRANCE’S SUPPORT
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.10.2006 19:05 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ At a reception in Paris Armenian Prime Minister
Andranik Margaryan said that it’s an honor for the Armenian delegation
to be hosted in the French parliament remarkable for its rich history
and traditions. Andranik Margaryan underscored that the delegation
arrived in Paris for opening of the Year of Armenia in France and
has already held some important meetings in the Senate. October 18
the delegation will take part in a solemn event dedicated to the 15th
anniversary of Armenia’s independence.
Recently we have had the opportunity to speak our friendship. These
are not empty words. The Armenian-French ties record centuries-old
traditions.
Today they are active and multisided. Several weeks ago French
President Jacques Chirac paid a visit to Armenia. Our people welcomed
him with great warmth. We evaluate this visit as recognition of a
successful way towards legal state, developed democracy and free
economy the RA passed during 15 years,” Premier Margaryan said.
He also remarked that Armenia always felt the support France and
its people. In his words, France assist the process of Armenia’s
integration into the European structures and takes part in the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict settlement as the OSCE MG Co-chair. Major French
companies invest in the Armenian economy. “The French parliament plays
an important role in these processes. There are a number of groups
assisting in the implementation of various programs on Armenia. The
people who gathered here are our friends and it does not matter
whether they represent the ruling party or the opposition. We assess
highly sincere friendship and I am extremely glad to see that our
intergovernmental ties are built on mutual respect, cooperation and
friendship,” Margaryan said, reports the RA government’s press office.

U.S. AMBASSADOR TO OSCE DISCUSSED MG ACTIVITIES WITH ARMENIAN DIPLOMATS
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.10.2006 18:10 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ RA Foreign Minister’s Deputies Arman Kirakossian
and Armen Baiburtian met with U.S. Ambassador to OSCE Julie Finley to
discuss the activities of the OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict settlement, the Armenia-Turkey relations, energy security
issues and the forthcoming parliamentary election in 2007. Special
attention was paid to human rights protection and reform of the
legislative field. The parties also referred to the activities of
the OSCE Yerevan office and its programs. For her part Ms. Finley
briefed on the U.S. activities within the OSCE, reports the RA MFA
press office.

FRENCH NA PRESIDENT ATTACHES IMPORTANCE TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BILL ADOPTION
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.10.2006 18:51 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ During a reception in honor of RA Prime Minister
Andranik Margaryan, who is on a working visit in France, Jean-Louis
Debre, the President of the French National Assembly noted the
importance if the adoption of the bill calling for criminalization of
the Armenian Genocide denial. In his words, One should look into the
future not forgetting about the past. Jean-Louis Debre assessed highly
the visit of French President Jacques Chirac to Armenia within the
context of strengthening bilateral relations. The French parliament
head also pointed out to the necessity of encouraging ties between
businessmen of the two states, attraction of French capitals into
the Armenian economy, development of relations between the Armenian
and French youth in cultural and educational fields.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

TURKISH PARLIAMENT ISSUES DECLARATION CONDEMNING FRENCH DECISION
Anatolia news agency, Ankara
16 Oct 2006
Ankara, 17 October: Turkish parliament condemned the decision of the
French parliament which adopted a resolution criminalizing denial of
so-called Armenian genocide allegations.
A declaration, prepared by the deputy group chairmen of ruling Justice
and Development Party (AKP), main opposition Republican People’s Party
(CHP), Motherland Party, was also signed by True Path Party (DYP)
leader Mehmet Agar and Young Party MP Emin Sirin. It was adopted in
the session.
Recalling that the resolution was adopted with votes of only one-fifth
of the French MPs and many MPs abstained, the resolution said that
all these show that the MPs were affected by the internal policy
discussions and the Armenian minority.
The resolution pointed out that France caused killing of more than
one million innocent people in Algeria, Indochina, Madagascar and some
other African countries, noting that everybody should talk carefully
about historical incidents that occurred in other countries.
“There is nothing in Turkey’s history which makes Turkish nation
ashamed,” the declaration emphasized.
According to the declaration, many historians, including French
historians, have proved that the incidents that occurred during
the World War I cannot be defined as “genocide” under international
conventions. It said that there are many documents in Turkish archives
regarding this matter, and they are open to all researchers.
It will cost too much
The declaration recalled that the Turkish parliament suggested Armenia
to set up a joint commission of historians who would investigate the
historical incidents, and regretted that the Armenian government did
not respond in affirmative.
“With this resolution, the French parliament not only harms our
relations (Turkish-French relations) but also hampers efforts to
normalize our relations with Armenia. It is obvious that adoption
of this resolution will cause irreparable wounds in our political,
economic and military relations. These hostile policies carried out
by Armenia against Turkish nation, by lobbying in France and other
countries, will cost too much for them. Our parliament wants to believe
that the French parliament will act in common sense from now on. The
measures Turkish government will take during this process will show
how France’s interests can be harmed if the resolution is legalized,”
it added.

RA FOREIGN MINISTER PAYS WORKING VISIT TO CANADA
AZG Armenian Daily
19/10/2006
The Press Service of Ra Foreign Ministry informed that Vartan Oskanian,
RA Foreign Minister, has left for Canada to pay a working visit. It’s
worth mentioning that the meeting of Mr. Oskanian with the members of
the Armenian-Canadian Friendship Parliamentary group, as well as with
the representatives of the Armenian community of Canada is envisaged to
take place on October 18. Ra Foreign Minister will arrive in Toronto
on October 19. Here, he is expected to hold a speech at “Peace and
Creation of Development Opportunities: Role of Diaspora” International
Conference. The conference is initiated by the UN University of Peace.
Sheikh Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, Secretary General of the 61st UN
General Assembly, will hold an opening speech for the participants
of the conference.
It is scheduled that on October 21, Mr. Oskanian will leave from Canada
for the USA. He will speak in Washington as the chief reporter at an
event initiated by RA Embassy. The festive event will be dedicated
to the 15th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Armenia.
On the next day, RA Foreign Minister will depart to Paris, where he
is going to meet with the Azeri Foreign Minister Eldar Mamediarov. He
will also hold another meeting with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs
on October 24.

AZERBAIJANI ARMY MOST POWERFUL IN CAUCASUS, ALIYEV THINKS
By Aghavni Harutyunian
AZG Armenian Daily
19/10/2006
Aliyev Either Does Not Know the State of Azeri Army of Caucasus’s
Geography
Azerbaijani army is the most powerful in the Caucasus today. Aliyev
junior’s flatulency have strangely reached a level that permits himself
to make such statements from Al Jazeera’s air forgetting how corrupted
the Azeri army is and military capacity of the other Caucasian states.
Besides praising his own army, Ilham Aliyev told Al Jazeera that the
Prague Process is the final stage of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
and if “Armenia’s destructive policy aborts this stage then there
will be no possibility to continue the negotiations.”
Meanwhile, Aliyev junior understands this stage as a link in
step-by-step regulation – “withdrawal of Armenian occupation forces
from Azerbaijani territories, discussion of Nagorno Karabakh’s status
and of strengthening its security system and peacekeeping activities.”
Day.az agency quoted president Aliyev as saying that if there is
are no negotiations, then Azerbaijan will change its strategy and
tactics and will discuss other options. Interestingly, the recent
talks about the impossibility of a new war forced Aliyev to state
that the military option is Azerbaijan’s last resort.
Applying unique political and economic “logic”, Aliyev concludes
that Armenia has condemned itself to isolation “by carrying out an
aggressive policy towards its neighbors.” “In terms of diplomacy,
Armenia is a losing country,” the Azeri leader says and adds that
Armenia can be of no interest to foreigners. This view of Aliyev is
totally grounded in his oil pipeline. Ilham Aliyev rounds of saying
that neither the Diaspora nor the foreign diplomats can help Armenia.
As to Iranian-Armenian relations, Azerbaijan shows concern about them.

PROCèS CONTRE LES RESPONSABLES DE L’EDITION TURQUE D’UN LIVRE DE CHOMSKY
Agence France Presse
17 octobre 2006 mardi
Le proprietaire d’une maison d’edition, un traducteur et deux editeurs
ont comparu mardi devant un tribunal stambouliote pour avoir “incite
a la haine” en publiant la version turque d’un livre de l’intellectuel
americain Noam Chomsky, a rapporte l’agence de presse Anatolie.
Ce procès est le dernier en date d’une serie de poursuites ouvertes
contre des intellectuels -dont le prix Nobel de litterature 2006
Orhan Pamuk- en raison de l’expression de leurs opinions sur des
sujets sensibles en Turquie comme les massacres d’Armeniens commis
sous l’empire ottoman.
Les quatre prevenus risquent jusqu’a six ans de prison pour “incitation
a la haine” raciale et “denigrement de l’identite nationale” en
raison de leur rôle dans la publication en mars de l’edition turque
de “La Fabrique de l’opinion publique : la politique economique des
medias americains”.
Le livre, cosigne par Noam Chomsky et Edward S. Herman, analyse a
travers l’exemple de plusieurs pays les influences dont font l’objet
les individus et les medias.
Il contient des references au traitement impose a la minorite kurde
de Turquie dans les annees 1990 -au plus fort de la lutte entre les
separatistes kurdes et les forces de securite turques- de manière
jugee insultante par le ministère public.
Les prevenus -Fatih Tas, le proprietaire des editions Aram, les
editeurs Omer Faruk Kurhan et Taylan Tosun et le traducteur Ender
Abadoglu- ont recuse les accusations.
Le juge a ajourne l’audience pour leur permettre de disposer de plus
de temps pour preparer leur defense.
“Personne ne devrait s’etonner si les distributeurs, les libraires
et les lecteurs sont poursuivis prochainement”, a commente M. Tas a
la sortie de la salle d’audience.
M. Tas avait deja ete poursuivi et acquitte en 2002 pour avoir publie
un autre livre de Noam Chomski qui critiquait deja l’attitude d’Ankara
a l’egard de ses Kurdes et les ventes d’armes par les Etats-Unis a
la Turquie.
Le professeur de linguistique avait alors assiste a une des audiences
a Istanbul pour manifester son soutien a l’editeur et donner des
conferences a Diyarbakir, la principale ville du sud-est anatolien
a la population majoritairement kurde.
–Boundary_(ID_QvWy2X1CNCC96z6fmPBfig)–

ARMENIAN, RUSSIAN SECURITY SERVICES SIGN COOPERATION ACCORDS
Regnum, Russia
Oct 17 2006
16 October: The heads of Russian Federal Security Service [FSB] and
the Armenian National Security Service have signed two protocols
on cooperation in the fight against international terrorism, a
representatice of the Russian Security Service delegation has told
a Regnum correspondent.
The protocols were signed in Stavropol Territory’ resort town of
Yessentuki. The protocols envisage the development of cooperation
between the two organizations in the fight against international
terrorism and other manifestations of extremism.
During the signing ceremony, the head of the Armenian National Security
Service, Gorig Akopyan, said that 18 protocols to the main agreement
have been signed by the two organizations so far. He also expressed
his satisfaction with the development of cooperation with Russia’s
FSB and that the Atom Antiterror-2006 joint staff and command exercise
held recently in Yerevan could serve as an example of that.
At the 4th conference of the delegation in Yessentuki, Akopyan pointed
out that today Russia and Armenia are at the level of equal strategic
partnership, and social and political conditions in the Caucasus pose
various threats to the security of the two countries.
To this effect, Russia’s FSB and the Armenian National Security
Service need to cordinate their actions.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION DELEGATION HEAD APPOINTED
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.10.2006 16:00 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Pier Ikland was appointed new head of the European
Commission Delegation to Georgia and Armenia, former chief of mission
Torben Holtze told reporters in Yerevan. He said the term of his
office has expired, reported newsarmenia.ru
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress