ARAM KHACHATRYAN’S MONUMENT TO BE OPENED IN MOSCOW
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 27 2006
In October acknowledged Armenian composer Aram Khachatryan’s monument
will be opened in the area next to the Moscow Conservatory. Head of
the Department on Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports of Yerevan City
Hall Kamo Movsisyan told “Armenpress” that it was envisaged to open
the monument in early September in the framework of the Days of Yerevan
held in Moscow. However, it was postponed due to objective reasons.
The opening of the monument has been initiated by Yerevan and Moscow
municipalities.

OLLI REHN CALLS ON TURKEY TO RECONCILE WITH ARMENIA
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 27 2006
EU Commissioner on Enlargement Olli Rehn called on Turkey to undertake
precise steps for reconciliation with Armenia.
The Commissioner said this speaking in the European Parliament during
the discussion of the report on Turkey, MEDIAMAX agency informs.
“Turkey needs to have an open and constructive exchange of ideas,
including the most sensible questions. It is necessary for both
continuation of democratization processes in Turkey and reconciliation
with its neighbors, including Armenia. Reconciliation is a principle,
which is simultaneously considered the start of the European
integration project and results. That’s why I call on Turkey to
undertake precise steps in this direction,” Olli Rehn declared.

PETER SEMNEBY: ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN MISSED A VERY IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 27 2006
EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus Peter Semneby said that this
year Armenia and Azerbaijan missed “a very important opportunity”
for resolution of the Karabakh conflict.
“If I’m to speak about the greatest disappointment during my tenure
in office as EU Special Envoy for the South Caucasus, I will point
out the incapacity of Armenia and Azerbaijan to reach resolution of
the Karabakh conflict. I do believe that a very important opportunity
was missed,” Semneby said.
He is not particularly optimistic now. Not willing to offend any of
the sides, Semneby noted that Armenia and Azerbaijan should think
about the dangers and losses, which the unsettled conflict embraces.
“In case of Armenia great losses are obvious. Armenia’s relative
isolation is the direct consequence of the Karabakh conflict,” Peter
Semneby said.

WORKS ON FIRES IN KARABAKH TO START IN OCTOBER
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.09.2006 16:35 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Since the day of the adoption of the UN resolution
“On the seized territories of Azerbaijan” the OSCE leadership has been
carrying out a big deal of work, OSCE CiO’s Personal Representative
Andrzej Kasprzyk said. He remarked that a document based on the
discussions in the UN has been drawn and works will start in early
October. The expert group will include specialists representing
the sides of the conflict and the international organizations. They
will examine the situation during several days and then prepare a
report in the work done. Ambassador Kasprzyk voiced hope that the
sides will fulfill the recommendations filed by the expert group,
reports Azertag news agency.

GEORGIA’S INTENTION TO SETTLE CONFLICTS BY FORCE TO HARM RUSSIA AND ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.09.2006 16:51 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Georgian leadership aims at “a military
resolution of so-called frozen conflicts,” Secretary General of the
Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) Nikolay Bordyuzha
considers. “The actions of the Georgian leadership and especially of
the Defense Ministry are targeted at tensing the situation,” Bordyuzha
said when addressing the 11th All Russia 2006 forum. He explained it
by the fact that “Georgia wishes to join the NATO but it’s impossible
without the settlement of the frozen conflicts.” “That is why the
Georgian leadership wishes to resolve the Abkhazian and South Ossetian
problems by any means,” he added. According to the CSTO Secretary
General, the Georgian authorities should understand that appliance
of force will cause escalation of the conflicts and this will harm
not only Georgia nut Armenia and Russia as well. “The most important
task now is to avoid speeding up the events and aggravation of the
situation,” he said, reported RIA Novosti.

RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE NOT PRECONDITION, BUT CONDITION FOR TURKEY EU ACCESSION
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.09.2006 17:30 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The European Parliament adopted the report on
Turkey by a vote of 429 for, 71 against and 125 abstained. As head
of the Hay Dat Office Kiro Manoyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter,
paragraph mentioning the Armenian Genocide as a precondition to
Turkey’s EU membership is withdrawn from the report.
However, recognition of the Genocide, as well as opening the border
with Armenia, remains a condition for EU accession. In his words, MEPs
insist on compulsory changing of article 301 of the Turkish Criminal
Code, which limits the liberty of expression in the country. Manoyan
also said that talks between Turkey and EU can last infinitely.

ARMENIA READY TO INTEGRATION IN CIS AND BSECO COMMON ENERGY SYSTEM
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.09.2006 18:19 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ CIS countries are ready to conclude long-term
contracts for Russian gas supplies and provide their transit
capacities. When addressing the meeting of energy ministers of BSECO
member states in Sochi, Deputy Energy Minister of Armenia Levon
Shahverdyan stated that Armenia is ready to provide its transit
capacities for transporting fuel and energy resources. Besides,
Armenia is ready to integration in CIS and BSECO common energy system,
reports IA Regnum.

AYVAZYAN: ARMENIA CANNOT BE SERIOUS FACTOR FOR EU NOT ACCEPTING TURKEY
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.09.2006 18:22 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia and Armenians themselves can be a serious
factor for EU accepting or not accepting Turkey, political science
doctor, historian Armen Ayvazyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In
his words, it is a problem of Europe, not Armenians.
“Armenians are lately raffled off as small change for the sake of
interests of European countries. Even countries, whose parliaments
recognized the Armenian Genocide do not observe norms according
to the law adopted. E.g. France, which recognized the Genocide at
the Senate level. No conclusions are made out of it to apply to the
current situation, the government, which committed the Genocide, is
not indicated. Even largest information agency as France Presse never
utilizes the word “genocide”. They write “massacre and slaughter,”
the Armenian political scientist remarked.
Ayvazyan is convinced that one should leave euphoria from recognition
of the Armenian Genocide by various countries. “Turkey even today
pursues a hostile policy regarding Armenia: the blockade, full support
to Azerbaijan in all fields. Armenians cannot seriously contribute to
improvement of the geopolitical situation in the region. I believe
that one should deal with this issue more seriously and in a more
balanced manner,” he said.

APPLYING TO OMBUDSMAN OF GEORGIA WITH REQUEST TO ASSIST TO ARMENIANS ARRESTED IN GEORGIA
By Aghavni Harutyunian
AZG Armenian Daily
28/09/2006
We have already informed the readers of our newspaper about the arrests
of some of the Armenian citizens. In particular, the Georgian officials
have arrested Armenian citizens who visited Abkhazia or South Ossetia,
accusing them of illegally passing the state border of Georgia. They
Georgian officials also imposed the arrested Armenian citizens with
huge penalties. On grounds of a number of appeals and publications
in the printed press, RA Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian sent a letter
to his Georgian colleague Sozar Soubari with the request to spare no
efforts for rendering any available legal defense and assistance to
the Armenian citizens.
It’s worth mentioning that in Tbilisi in an unofficial conversation
with “Azg,” Sozar Soubari stated when representing his position that
in the given case the abovementioned Armenian citizens have violated
the legislation of Georgia. As for excluding visits to Abkhazia or
South Osetia in the given case, Mr.
Soubari stated that the measures applied were quite normal and legal,
as in the criminal forces rule Abkhazia and Tskhinvali.

VENICE COMMISSION EXPERTS HOLD CLOSED DISCUSSIONS WITH ARMENIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS
By Marietta Khachatrian
AZG Armenian Daily
28/09/2006
Yesterday, behind-door discussions on electoral code were held at the
gilded hall of the National Assembly between the Venice Commission
of the Council of Europe and Armenian parliamentarians. To remind,
due to exclusion of some principal clauses from the code Justice
Party reclaimed its signature and National Unity as well as Rule of
Law Party promised to do the same. In Shavarsh Kocharian’s words,
there is agreement over a few clauses but Armenian deputies do not
want to agree to Venetian experts ideas in 6 other clauses. Kocharian
said that the issue of majority vote or party-list elections as well
as different approaches of Armenian deputies on formation of electoral
committee were not put on the agenda.
Venetian experts keep saying that there is obvious progress though
there are still issues to be settled.
Those issues are connected to the regulation of complaints during the
elections, creation of a mechanism of recalling committee members,
election of CEC president and adoption of the system of electorate’s
finger inking.
No document enclosing the discussions is expected to be adopted.