AZERI FOREIGN MINISTRY SEES NO OBSTACLE IN CO-OPERATION IN PREVENTION OF FIRES IN AZERBAIJAN’S OCCUPIED TERRITORY
Author: A.Ismayilova
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Sept 12 2006
Tahir Tagizade, the Head of Press & Information at the Azerbaijan
Foreign Ministry told journalists on 11 September that the Azerbaijan
Foreign Ministry does not face any obstacles with regards to its
co-operation on preventing fires in the Armenian-occupied Azerbaijani
territory, Trend reports.
In response to whether the recent UN Resolution on State in the
Occupied Territory of Azerbaijan awaits the same fate as the
previous UN resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh, Tagizade said that
non-implementation of the resolutions and absence of mechanisms
is not only a problem of the UN, but also to other international
organizations. “Therefore, Azerbaijan supports the reformation of
the UN,” he emphasized.
The diplomat noted that a visit of the mission to investigate the
fact of fires in the occupied territory of Azerbaijan will become a
first step of what is a large-scale ecological operation.
“Azerbaijan, has taken all the necessary measures. The first meeting
of the inter-departmental working group was held last week,” he added.
With regards to reports on the sale of mass destruction arms by
China to Armenia, Tagizade stressed that the Azerbaijan Foreign
Ministry instructed its Ambassadors in Beijing and Moscow to study
and report back the situation. Only then will the Foreign Ministry
be in a position to comment.
With respect to visits of Azerbaijanis to Armenia, Tagizade said
that only upon completion of the first stage of the resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict would such visits be acceptable.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REPRESSION IN THE AGE OF LIBERTY
By Ralph R. Reiland
American Spectator
Sept 12 2006
Imagine if insulting George W. Bush were a crime or if we jailed
writers for being critical of U.S. policies. Half the authors on the
New York Times’ best-seller list would be behind bars.
It’s different in Turkey. For the crime of “insulting Turkishness,”
best-selling Turkish novelist Elif Shafak is facing up to four years
in prison. Her trial is scheduled to begin on September 21.
At issue are several remarks made by a fictional character in Shafak’s
latest novel, The Bastard of Istanbul, already a top-selling book
in Turkey and set to be published next year by Viking in the United
States.
The charges against Shafak involve the word “genocide,” spoken in
her novel by a fictional character of Armenian ancestry regarding
the death of Armenians during World War I.
“I am the grandchild of genocide survivors who lost all their
relatives in the hands of Turkish butchers in 1915,” says the imaginary
character, “but I myself have been brainwashed to deny the genocide
because I was raised by some Turk named Mustapha.”
In the United States, some fictional Apache in a novel could say much
the same thing about the fate of his tribe at the hands of European
settlers and no one would be headed for the courthouse.
A historian at the University of Hawaii, David E. Stannard,
unincarcerated, described the forced removal and killing of native
Americans as “the worst human holocaust the world had ever witnessed,
roaring across two continents nonstop for four centuries and consuming
the lives of countless tens of millions of people.”
No American churchmen went to jail when the National Council of
Churches adopted a resolution that branded the journey of Christopher
Columbus an “invasion” that resulted in the “genocide of native
people.”
In Turkey, however, public comment, even by a fictional character,
about the killing of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians by the
Ottoman Turks during and after World War I is a taboo subject and
potentially illegal.
Article 301 of the Turkish Penal Code, adopted in June 2005, states
that:
* “Public denigration of Turkishness, the Republic or the Grand
National Assembly of Turkey shall be punishable by imprisonment of
between six months and three years.”
* “Public denigration of the Government of the Republic of Turkey,
the judicial institutions of the State, the military or security
matters shall be punishable by imprisonment of between six months
and two years.”
A third section of the Penal Code, applicable to Shafak, a Turkish
citizen and currently an assistant professor in Near Eastern Studies
at the University of Arizona, states, “In cases where denigration
of Turkishness is committed by a Turkish citizen in another country,
the punishment shall be increased by one third.”
Under Article 301, internationally acclaimed author Orhan Pamuk,
Turkey’s most famous novelist, was charged last year with “insulting
Turkishness” after he stated in an interview with a Swiss newspaper
that “30,000 Kurds and a million Armenians were murdered in these
lands and no one but me dares talk about it.”
The Turkish Publishers’ Association reports that more than 60 writers
and journalists have been charged under Article 301 with various forms
of “insulting Turkishness,” including the intellectual transgression
of allegedly insulting Kemal Ataturk (1881-1938), the founder of
modern Turkey.
Five journalists were charged last year for articles they wrote
challenging the decision of an Istanbul court to ban an academic
conference dealing with the killing of Armenians under the Ottoman
Empire from 1915 to 1917. The writers’ crime? Attempting to “influence
judicial procedures” by objecting to the court’s interference with
academic freedom.
The complaints against Pamuk and Shafak were filed by attorney
Kemal Kerincsiz, head of the Turkish Jurists’ Union. “We will not
allow insults and abuse of Turkishness in the name of freedom of
expressions,” explained Kerincsiz.
Less narrow-minded, Shafak portrays her upcoming court battle as
part of an ongoing struggle for modernity and freedom of expression:
“What’s going on right now is a backlash. There’s a clash of opinion.
On the one hand are the people who are much more cosmopolitan-minded,
much more multicultural, who want to keep Turkey as an open society
and who very much support wholeheartedly the European Union process.
But on the other hand are the people who want to maintain Turkey as an
enclosed society, more xenophobic, more nationalistic, more insular.”
Ralph R. Reiland is an associate professor of economics at Robert
Morris University in Pittsburgh.

ARMENIAN EXPORTS DECLINE BY 2.2% AND IMPORTS GROW BY 20.5%
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 12 2006
YEREVAN, SEPTEMER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-July 2006, Armenia’s
foreign trade made 725 bln 817.1 mln drams or 1 bln 654.6 mln USD, with
exports making 228 bln 725.3 mln drams (522.5 mln USD) and imports –
497 bln 91.8 mln drams (1 bln 131.1 mln USD). According to the RA
National Statistical Service, in January-July 2006, exports declined
by 2.2% on the same period of last year, while imports grew by 20.5%.
In the indicated period, Armenia’s foreign trade balance was negative
by 268 bln 366.6 mln drams (609.9 mln USD), that without cargos
received as humanitarian aid – by 254 bln 700.3 mln drams (578.1
mln USD).
In January-July 2006, Yerevan accounted for 47.1% of the country’s
exports, while the index of the same period of 2005 made 54.8%. In
the first seven months of this year, Yerevan accounted for 69.8%
of imports against 65.4% in the same months of last year.
Exports from Armenia to CIS countries made 522 mln 502.5 thousand
USD or by 6.3% more than in the same period of last year. Imports
from CIS countries amounted to 300 mln 249.2 thousand USD or by 45.2%
more. Exports to Russia made 54 mln 778.5 thousand USD (5.8% decline),
imports from Russia – 174 mln 394.5 thousand USD (27.4%); exports to
Georgia made 31 mln 114 thousand USD (15.2%), imports from Georgia –
38 mln 86 thousand USD.
In January-July 2006, exports from Armenia to EU countries made over
271 mln USD (6.4%), imports from EU countries – over 347 mln USD
(4.7%), including exports to Belgium – 70 mln 759.6 thousand USD
or by 8.8% less than in the same period of last year and imports
from Belgium – 90 mln 515.7 thousand USD (11.6% decline); exports
to Germany – 83 mln 689.8 thousand USD (5.8% decline), imports from
Germany – 49 mln 932.8 thousand USD (5.6% decline); exports to the
Netherlands – 72 mln 377.3 thousand USD (11.5% growth), imports –
12 mln 808.5 thousand USD (48.2% growth).
Exports from Armenia to other countries declined by 18.6% in the
period under review to 148 mln 159.1 thousand USD, whereas imports from
these countries grew by 20.8% to 484 mln 844.5 thousand USD, including
exports to Israel of 53 mln 142.7 thousand USD (27.6% decline), imports
from Israel – 56 mln 675.3 thousand USD (13.2% decline); exports to the
US – 29 mln 715.2 thousand USD (10.6% growth), imports from the US –
7 mln 418.7 thousand USD (25.2% growth); exports to Iran – 17 mln
166.5 thousand USD (11.9% decline), imports – 66 mln 578.4 thousand
USD (40.3% growth); exports to Turkey – 1 mln 149.2 thousand USD (0.2%
decline), imports from Turkey – 40 mln 766 thousand USD (43.5% growth).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANDRANIK MARGARIAN: STRENGTHENING OF ARMENIA-IRAN RELATIONS IS FAVOURABLE FOR WHOLE REGION
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 12 2006
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Strengthening of
the Armenia-Iran relations does not only arise of the two countries’
interests but is also favourable for the whole region. RA Prime
Minister Andranik Margarian stated about it, receiving on September
11 the delegation headed by Gholam Ali Haddad Adel, the Majlis Speaker
of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Expressing satisfaction, particularly, with activization of bilateral
mutual visits of different levels, the sides expressed confidence
that the agreements reached during the RA President’s visit paid to
Iran in July, 2006, and signed documents of different characters will
successfully be implemented soon.
In the Prime Minister’s words, the balanced policy of Iran towards
neighboring countries is one of important factors of a peaceful
settlement of conflicts existing in the region, of keeping stability.
The Iran Majlis Speaker emphasized that taking into account
centuries-old traditions of the historic past and political, economic,
cultural generalities, existence of independent and powerful Armenia
is beneficial for his country as well, and assured that Iran is ready
to deepen relations with Armenia in the most different spheres from
now on as well.
As Noyan Tapan was informed by the RA Government’s Information and
Public Relations Department, Andranik Margarian and Gholam Ali Adel
are of the same opinion that the cooperation between the legislative
bodies of Armenia and Iran secures good bases for cooperation of the
two countries’ executive power as well.
The interlocuters expressed satisfaction especially with results of
bilateral cooperation in the energetic sphere, emphasizing importance
of construction of the Iran-Armenia gas pipe, building of hydroelectric
power station on Araks river, high-voltage transmission line,
emphasizing numerous other programs in a number of spheres as well.
The meeting participants mentioned that existence of the Armenian
community of great number in Iran also assist development of the
Armenian-Iranian relations. The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction
with the country authorities’ traditional warm attitude towards the
Iranian Armenian community, one of bright displays of which, in his
words, is presence of two deputies of the Armenian community in the
IRI Majlis. Andranik Margarian particularly mentioned the Iranian
authorities care and attention as well in the issue of keeping the
Armenian historic-cultural monuments in the territory of the country.

G. PETROSIAN: RESOLUTION ON FIRES MAY BE CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE FOR NKR, BUT POSITION OF THIS ISSUE IN UN IS ITSELF NOT ACCEPTABLE
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 12 2006
STEPANAKERT, SEPTEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On the
whole taking into account the final result, namely an intention to
send the OSCE Mission with support of the UN experts to the region
to assess the long-term and short-term threats, which can lead to
ecologic catastrophe in the region, the Resolution can be considered
acceptable for the NKR. NKR Foreign Minister Georgi Petrosian stated
about it, commenting upon the UN General Assembly Resolution of the
60th session concerning fires in the territories under control of the
Republic of Nagorno Karabakh. Moreover, in the NKR Foreign Minister’s
words, it is necessary to emphasize that this process is a logical
continuation of Nagorno Karabakh authorities’ initiative.
The NKR authorities, Georgi Petrosian mentioned, were extremely
alarmed at the situation with the fires as those inflammations caused
damage to the agriculture of our republic. In connection with this
the NKR MFA sent a note to the Office of the Personal Representative
of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office with an urgent request to conduct a
crisis-monitoring in the area bordering with Azerbaijan. Two weeks late
the OSCE Mission conducted a series of monitorings, which resulted in
the report of Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office,
which refuted the accusations of the Azerbaijani side on alleged
burnings of settlements in the NKR security zone.
“Thus, the NKR authorities were the first to address the OSCE for a
dispatch of a monitoring group to the region, which was passed over
in silence by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmen in their report,
which was made public at the General Assembly’s session. However,
if the report of the OSCE high rank needs additional confirmation,
– we are ready to receive a new Mission of the OSCE to discredit
Azerbaijani myths once more,” the NKR Foreign Minister emphasized.
At the same time, in Georgi Petrosian’s words, the position of this
issue in the UN itself and some formulas of the Resolution are not
acceptable. The attempts to transfer the issues which are to be
solved by the OSCE Minsk Group to the UN cannot promote the advance
of negotiation process but only postpone the possible prospect of
the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.
In the NKR Foreign Minister’s words, the fact that the given
Resolution, namely its contents is a result of consensus between
Armenia and Azerbaijan “rare phenomenon for recent years, especially
under the conditions of the absence of confidence between the parties,
is worthy of notice and it can be only welcomed.” “We consider that
such projects are to be discussed with participation of all three
parties to the conflict in order to avoid problems in the course of
implementation of accepted decisions especially because these decisions
concern the territories which are exceptionally under the control of
the Nagorno Karabakh republic’s authorities” Georgi Petrosian stated.
“The NKR’s position remains invariable – we are going to continue
our cooperation with the international structures and are ready to
assist the work of a group of experts sent by the OSCE exclusively
from neutral countries,” the NKR Foreign Minister emphasized.

DASHNAKTSUTIUN NOT TO MAKE PART OF PREELECTION BLOCS AT FORTHCOMING PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
Noyan Tapan News Agency, Armenia
Sept 12 2006
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The ARF
Dashnaktsutiun should take part in 2007 NA elections through
wide cooperation with political forces without making part of any
preelection bloc. Armen Rustamian, representative of the party’s
Armenian Supreme Body, declared at the September 12 press conference,
summing up the results of the ARFD Armenian structure’s 10th Supreme
Assembly.
In Rustamian’s words, the holding of free and fair elections is the
main precondition for overcoming the challenges faced by the country
without shocks and losses.
The representative of ARFD Armenian Supreme Body emphasized that
cooperation with political forces should be built on the basis of
principles of ensuring supremacy of common national-state interests
and solution of current problems, setting themselves the task to
increase the impact and role of political forces in the country,
to raise the political activity of electors, reducing the impact of
electoral bribes and other bad ways on manifestation of people’s will,
to achieve holding of legal elections.
Armen Rustamian reported that in 2007 parliamentary elections the ARFD
proportional list will be compiled in correspondence with the law,
through a special Supreme Assembly.
In Armen Rustamian’s words, the Dashnaktsutiun’s opinion about the
presidential elections is the following: “Taking into consideration
the essential connection between the parliamentary and presidential
elections, it will be possible to clarify the strategy of the party’s
participation in the presidential elections only on the basis of
estimation to holding of NA elections and the results registered by
the party. A regular Supreme Assembly scheduled for the next year
will also clarify the party’s candidate in the presidential elections.”
The Supreme Assembly also touched upon some issues giving rise to
anxiety and having received a wide publicity in the recent period.
The Assembly condemned acts of violence towards journalists and
confirmed that freedom of expression is the main precondition in the
issue of forming a favorable preelection atmosphere.
The representative of ARFD Armenian Supreme Body said that the
resolutions of the Supreme Assembly will be publicized soon.

OSCE MISSION REGISTERED NO TRUCE VIOLATIONS
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 12 2006
According to an earlier agreement with NKR authorities, one of these
days the OSCE Mission carried out planned monitoring at the contact
line of the Armed Forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan near
Seysulan region in Martakert region.
NKR MFA Press Service informs that from the positions of the NKR
Defense Army the monitoring was carried out by Coordinator of the
OSCE Office, Lieutenant Colonel Imre Palatinus (Hungary) and Field
Assistant of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office
Irzhi Aberle (Czech Republic). The monitoring was held according
to the preset schedule, no breaches of the cease-fire regime were
registered. For the recurrent time the Azerbaijani side did not lead
the OSCE Mission to its front positions. From the Karabakh side the
monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of NKR Foreign
and Defense Ministries.

HADDAD ADEL: RELIGION HAS NEVER BEEN A CAUSE OF HOSTILITY BETWEEN PEOPLES OF ARMENIA AND IRAN
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 12 2006
Armenians have been living in Iran for centuries, and religion has
never been a cause of hostility between the two peoples, Chairman of
the Majlis of the Islamic Republic of Iran Gholam Ali Haddad Adel
said during today’s meeting with the students and faculty of the
Yerevan State University.
“Armenians have been always peacefully residing in Iran. They have
preserved their religion, traditions and churches. The Iranian people
consider that Armenians are very honest and diligent,” the Chairman
of the Iranian Majlis stated. Turning to the Armenian-Iranian ties
in the sphere of culture and education, the Speaker declared that he
assesses Armenia as one of the celebrated centers of Iranology. At the
end of the meeting the Rector of theYerevan State University awarded a
“Gold medal” to Gholam Ali Haddad. In his turn, the Chairman of Majlis
presented books to the Chair of Iranology.

RA AUTHORITIES CHARGED WITH CORRUPTION
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 12 2006
The US Embassy in Armenia has received documents, which include
corruption charges connected with the demands of the American Global
Gold Company, charges that reefer to state officials, MEDIAMAX was told
at the Press Service of the Embassy. “We have thoroughly investigated
the documents and seeing that these include serious accusations, we
immediately put the question before our colleagues in RA Government,”
they noted.
The Embassy representatives particularly emphasized that they have
conveyed no records, as media reported. However, they conveyed some
documents received from the Global Gold Company.
“We continue to anticipate that the accusation against state officials
should be taken seriously and investigated, as it is the case in the
United States,” Press Service of the US diplomatic mission noted.
Representatives of the Embassy do not consider it proper to make
further comments on the nature of indictments, since these have not
been confirmed yet. “We keep in touch with the Global Gold Company
and we were told there they posess no information about the further
process of the accusations, and we are very troubled with the fact,”
the Press Service stressed.

EU TRIO TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 12 2006
For the purpose of signing the European New Neighbors Program EU
Trio will arrive in Armenia in the framework of a regional visit,
acting press secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vladimir
Karapetyan informs.
The press Secretary reported that the Trio delegation will comprise
representatives of the European Commission, the Council of Europe,
and the Finnish Chairmanship of the European Union. He added that
he possesses no official information who will represent the “Trio”
sides. However, according to preliminary information, Chairman of
the Council of Europe Havier Solana, Commissioner on Foreign Policy
Benita Ferero Waldner and the Finnish Foreign Minister are expected
to arrive in Armenia.