ARMENIAN PRESIDENT SATISFIED WITH DEVELOPMENT OF ARMENIAN-IRANIAN RELATIONS
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 12 2006
YEREVAN, September 12. /ARKA/. Armenian President Robert Kocharian is
satisfied with the development of the Armenian-Iranian relations. The
president stated that when receiving the Iranian delegation, led by
Iranian Speaker Gholam Ali Haddad Adel.
Kocharian pointed out that the partnership in the sphere of development
of infrastructures binds the two countries with more perspective
programs.
The president also pointed out that the Iran and Armenia display
significant consistency in the timely and qualitative implementation
of joint programs.
They also discussed tendencies of the development of the
Armenian-Iranian relations and the process of joint programs
implementation.
The Iranian speaker said that Armenia occupies a special place among
Iran’s friends that it obtained after the collapse of the USSR.
As incentive for the full use of the cooperation’s potential, the
Armenian president and the Iranian speaker emphasized the importance
of the interparliamentary relations, and pointed out that this sector
gives way to the cooperation in the sector of legislation for the
level of development.

NK STATE BUDGET’S OWN INCOME TOTALS AMD 6BLN IN JAN-AUG 2006
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
Sept 12 2006
YEREVAN, September 12. /ARKA/. Nagorno-Karabakh state budget’s own
income totaled AMD 6bln 97.9mln in Jan-Aug 2006 after growing 33% from
the same period a year earlier, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Financial
Ministry’s press office reports.
The report says the income was mainly ensured by tax receipts, which
made 80.3% of budget income.
The budget expenditures for the mentioned period in 2006 were AMD
15bln 141.5mln.
Own income received by Nagorno-Karabakh State Fund for Social Insurance
between January and August 2006 totaled AMD 1bln 532.8mln.
This result is 11% better than that of the same period in 2005. ($1 –
AMD 391.48).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

MEDIATORS ‘STILL TRYING TO GET KARABAKH DEAL IN 2006′
By Harry Tamrazian in Prague and Karine Kalantarian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Sept 12 2006
International mediators believe that they may still succeed in
brokering a framework peace agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh in the
coming months, Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian said after meeting
them in Paris on Tuesday.
“They believe that it is still possible to make some additional
progress before the end of this year or before our parliamentary
elections [due early next year] at the latest,” he told RFE/RL by
phone after two days of negotiations with the American, French and
Russian co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.
Oskanian described the talks as “very good and effective” but gave
few details, saying only that they focused on ways of reinvigorating
the Karabakh peace process, which ran into trouble this summer after
substantial progress reportedly made by the conflicting parties. The
mediators are trying to arrange a meeting of the Armenian and
Azerbaijani foreign ministers for that purpose, he said, adding that
it might take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in
New York later this month.
The co-chairs, among them U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State
Matthew Bryza, are scheduled to hold similar talks with Azerbaijan’s
Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in London on Wednesday. “The results
[of their efforts] can be assessed only after their meeting with the
Azerbaijani foreign minister and, if there is agreement, after the
two ministers’ meeting,” said Oskanian.
The latest round of Minsk Group diplomacy began amid talk of yet
another Armenian-Azerbaijani summit on Karabakh that could be held
on the sidelines of a CIS summit in Belarus slated for October 16. A
spokesman for President Robert Kocharian did not rule the possibility
of such an encounter on Tuesday. “But before it can happen, there must
be a meeting of the foreign ministers,” Victor Soghomonian told RFE/RL.
“Only after the ministers meet and clarify whether there is a chance
to continue negotiations and make further progress will it be possible
to talk about a meeting of the presidents,” agreed Oskanian.
Kocharian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliev have already
met twice this year in unsuccessful attempts to agree on a framework
peace accord put forward by the mediators. The proposed deal calls
for a gradual settlement of the Karabakh conflict that would culminate
in a referendum on the disputed region’s status.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

IRANIAN SPEAKER PRAISES TIES WITH ARMENIA
By Hovannes Shoghikian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Sept 12 2006
The speaker of the Iranian parliament, Gholamali Haddad-Adel, ended
a two-day official visit to Armenia on Tuesday, reiterating Tehran’s
strong interest in maintaining close political and economic ties
with Yerevan.
“Iran is a big country with a large population and great potential,”
he said after talks with President Robert Kocharian and other Armenian
leaders. “In my view, independent positions adopted by the Republic
of Armenia allow us to use that potential for further developing
and deepening our bilateral relations and making our countries more
prosperous.”
Kocharian’s press office quoted Haddad-Adel as telling the Armenian
leader earlier in the day that Armenia “occupies a special place”
in the list of Iran’s ex-Soviet neighbors. Kocharian, for his part,
praised the current state of Iranian-Armenian relations, pointing to
large-scale bilateral energy projects.
The implementation of those projects seems to have gained a new
momentum since Kocharian’s early July visit to Tehran where he held
talks with Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The most important
of them is the ongoing construction of a pipeline which is due to
start pumping Iranian natural gas to Armenia next year.
Speaking at a joint news conference with his Armenian counterpart
Tigran Torosian, Haddad-Adel indicated that the two governments are
considering building another pipeline that would allow for Iranian
gas exports to third countries. “The main purpose of the pipelines
built from Iran to Armenia is to supply Armenia with gas,” he said.
“But naturally, when Iranian gas starts flowing into Armenia, perhaps
it will be exported to other countries as well.”
Kocharian’s last trip to Tehran also yielded an agreement on the
construction of a third high-voltage transmission line that will
connect the Armenian and Iranian power grids. In addition, the two
countries intend to build a major hydro-electric plant on the river
Arax marking the Armenian-Iranian border.
“Relations between our two countries are exemplary for the entire
region,” declared Torosian.
The Armenian speaker also sounded sympathetic to Tehran’s controversial
nuclear program, taking an apparent swipe at the United States which
has been pushing for international sanctions against the Islamic
Republic. “No country or a group of countries must use their powers
at one or another point to restrict other countries’ rights,” he said.
Torosian went on to repeat Yerevan’s calls for a peaceful resolution
of the Iranian nuclear dispute. “We all hope that issues relating to
Iran’s nuclear program will find solutions within the framework of
negotiations and in accordance with international treaties,” he said.

SUSPECT ARRESTED IN MURDER OF ARMENIAN YOUTH IN MOSCOW SUBWAY
Interfax, Russia
Sept 12 2006
MOSCOW. Sept 12 (Interfax) – The prosecutor’s office of the Moscow
rapid transit system has apprehended a suspect in the murder of an
Armenia youth, Vigen Abramyants, committed at the entrance to the
Pushkinskaya metro station.
Nikita Sinkov, a student at a Moscow college, was detained on charges
of committing the murder, a source in law enforcement told Interfax.
The Cheryomushkinsky Court sanctioned his arrest.
A lawyer for the family of the victim, Simon Tsaturian, confirmed the
information to Interfax. However, he declined to provide more detail,
referring to the ongoing investigation.

DASHNAKTSUTYUN WILL HAVE ITS CANDIDATE FOR THE RA PRESIDENT
A1+
[06:33 pm] 12 September, 2006
The Party Dashnaktsutyun (Armenian Revolutionary Ferderation) will
actively participate in the parliamentary elections.
They are going “to cooperate with other political powers but without
any alliances or blocs.” The question of the RA president’s candidate
will be decided in the next Supreme Assembly after considering the
results of parliamentary elections.
Armen Rustamyan, newly appointed member of the Party’s Supreme Body,
claims that they will observe whether parliamentary elections are
vulnerable or not and then view whether their voice might be decisive
for the country’s future.
At present, Dashnaktsutyun intends to participate in the presidential
elections with its own candidate. “We see certain problems and only our
candidate can guarantee their solution.” This is why Hrant Margaryan,
member of the party, announced that their party will not support
Serge Sargsyan.
Armen Rustamyan attaches great importance to the exclusion of
non-political powers in political life and advises all political
powers to realize their threat.
Mr. Rustamyan maintains the integration of their party into Coalition
was justified but he complains of lingering progress connected with
corruption combat and poverty recovery. Dashnaktsutyun emphasises
just and fair elections and condemns violence (mainly intimidation
of journalists) in all its forms.
Dashnaktsutyun hasn’t got any news on Shahen Hovasapyan’s murder,
who was a member of their party and high-rank tax official. Armen
Rustamyan doesn’t exclude that they may demand the resignation of
the chief of police, if the hearings of the case are postponed.

TURKISH FM: “ARMENIA’S OCCUPYING AZERBAIJANI LANDS KEEPS THE BORDERS CLOSED”
Today, Azerbaijan
Sept 12 2006
Official Ankara announced that at least 40 thousand Armenians are
working in Turkey.
Turkish Foreign Ministry sent a letter related to the report released
by the European Parliament foreign affairs commission on Turkey,
APA’s Eastern Europe bureau reports.
The 22-page letter gives a detailed reply to the report drawn up by
Kamiel Eurlings, Dutch Christian-Democratic Party representative
at the European Parliament. The letter is addressed to European
parliamentarians defending Ankara during the discussion of the report
and to the Parliament political forces’ coordinators on Turkey.
Though it was an informative document, Ankara issued a political
statement declaring that it will not accept any status by full member
of the European Union.
The letter also touches on the Cyprus problem, Armenian problem and
Kurdish matter. It says that Turkey is the second state that recognized
Armenia’s independence after Latvia. It also reads the trade turnover
with Armenia reached to $120 million, and 40,000 Armenians are working
in Turkey.
“Despite all these, Armenia’s position is regrettable. Armenia has not
yet replied to Turkey’s offer to establish a commission of historians
from both countries. The European Parliament can influence Armenia
regarding this matter. As coming to closed border with Armenia, this
is because of Armenia’s occupying Azerbaijani province of Nagorno
Karabakh and refusing to recognize current borders of Turkey,” the
letter underlines.
URL:

ANALYSTS BLAME KARABAKH STALEMATE ON PEACE BROKERS
Armenpress
Sept 12 2006
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS: An Armenian political analyst blamed
today the stalemated efforts to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
on the revised stance of the OSCE Minsk group cochairmen who, he said,
are pressurizing Armenia and Azerbaijan to take appropriate steps.
Sergey Shakariants, an expert with Kovkas think-tank, argued during
a news conference that the cochairmen are well aware that none
of the sides to the conflict is able to take the drastic steps
they demand, key to coming out of the deadlock and making a real
breakthrough. “Therefore, it is obvious that the conflict resolution
process is being delayed by the cochairmen. This is an outside
dictate…. Neither Armenia, nor Karabakh and nor Azerbaijan want
the unresolved conflict to drag on and on,” he said.
Shakariants then argued that the cochairmen are beginning to revise
their approaches to each of the sides through separate meetings with
Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers. He said the process
is being delayed because of disagreements between the cochairmen
from France, Russia and the USA and because of the Iran problem. The
analysts went on to argue that judging by the cochairmen’s statements
the USA is not going to apply the Kosovo model to the Karabakh issue,
while France and Russia demand that the principle of people’s right
to self-determination be applied.
“If an alien nation is allowed to create a state in Kosovo then
the world has to recognize the indigenous nations’ right to build
their state on their native land,’ he said. According to him, the USA
wants to populate some Azeris in Nagorno-Karabakh and create there a
two-community society and ‘to apply the so-called Cyprus model.” He
said given this clashes between the sides would become unavoidable
giving the USA an opportunity for a military intervention and a ground
to carry out anti-Iranian operations.

YEAR OF ARMENIA IN FRANCE EVIDENCE OF EXCLUSIVE RELATIONS BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES
PanARMENIAN.Net
13.09.2006 14:46 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ September 12 Armenian and French FMs Vartan Oskanian
and Philippe Douste-Blazy, Minister of Cultures of the two countries
Hasmik Poghosyan and Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres held a news conference
at the French MFA, devoted to the Year of Armenia in France. During
the news conference the Armenian FM thanked French authorities
for organizing the Year of Armenia. He said the event evidences
exclusive relations between the two countries. For the first time
Armenia is presenting its history, culture and contribution to the
world civilization in a large scale,” Vartan Oskanian remarked.
During a private meeting the FMs discussed matters of development of
cooperation, regional issues, situation in the Middle East, relations
of Armenia with neighboring countries and talks over settlement of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SPEAKER: IRAN TO TRANSFER GAS TO ARMENIA SOON
Islamic Republic News Agency, Iran
Sept 12 2006
Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel said on Tuesday that the first
gas pipeline to transfer gas from Iran to Armenia is scheduled to
become operational in the coming months.
A report released by Majlis Media Department said that the speaker
made the remark while speaking to reporters at a joint press conference
with his Armenian counterpart Tigran Torossian.
Addressing reporters, Haddad-Adel said that the progress of the gas
project is supervised by the presidents of Iran and Armenia.
Haddad-Adel said that feasibility studies on the second gas pipeline
is currently underway.
He referred to projects on transfer of energy, development and port of
industrial machinery as strategies aiming to boost trade exchanges
between the two states and urged that tourism and investment by
private sector should also be facilitated.
Elsewhere in his remarks, the speaker said that establishment of
relations with the Central Asian states and Caucasia has been on the
agenda of Iran’s foreign policy over the past 15 years.
“Meanwhile, Iran-Armenia ties have been quite favorable on account of
the good bonds between Iranian Muslims and Armenian minority,” he said.
Turning to the history of the presence of Armenians in Iran, he said
that they contribute to the construction and development of Iran
along with their Muslim countrymen.
For his part, the chairman of Armenia’s National Assembly pointed to
Iran’s nuclear issue and the relevant developments in the region and
said, “All countries should benefit from equal conditions to access
nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. No country should abuse its
facilities to restrict other states.”
Torossian stated that the terms and conditions of international
treaties should be implemented equally for all world countries.
Besides, he referred to Iran-Armenia commonalties and called for
expansion of cooperation between the two states.