VARDAN OSKANYAN: THE PRINCIPLES PRESENTED MEDIATORS ARE GENERALLY ACCEPTABLE
Tatul Hakobyan
“Radiolur”
03.07.2006 17:47
Today RA Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan once again declared that
official Yerevan considers the latest suggestions of the OSCE Minsk
Group Co-Chairs practically acceptable. Oskanyan expressed the hope
that Azerbaijan will also accept the mediators’ suggestions and
the talks will continue. According to the Foreign Minister, some
comments of the US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza in
his interview with radio “Liberty” were presented out of context. In
particular, Bryza has never advised Armenia to follow Azerbaijan’s
example in the issue of democracy. The Foreign Minister made these
statements during the joint press conference with the Diplomatic
Adviser to the President of France, dedicated to the arrangements in
the framework of the Year of France in Armenia.
“It is completely out of context. Mr. Bryza has never stated that
Armenia is less democratic. He said there has been positive progress
in Azerbaijan and expressed the hope that the same will occur in
Armenia. But he never mentioned the starting points from where this
progress comes from. I cannot infer from this statement that Armenia
is less democratic than Azerbaijan,” Oskanyan said.
The Foreign Minister is confident that Armenia is several steps ahead
of Azerbaijan in regard to democracy. “The advantage of Armenia’s
level of democracy level over that of Azerbaijan is so apparent that
I cannot comment on Bryza ‘s statement in a different way,” he said.
Oskanyan confirmed once again that official Yerevan accepts the latest
suggestions of the OSCE Minsk Group and expressed the hope that Baku
will do the same.
Let’s remind the major points of these suggestions: ” Armenian
military units should be withdrawn from Azerbaijani territories around
Nagorno-Karabakh; special attention should be paid to Kelbajar and
Lachin regions.
For determining the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh it is
envisaged to hold a referendum or a general voting, the terms of which
have not been set so far. The referendum or the voting should come
in the result of a compromise agreement between the two sides. The
parties are obliged to continue the talks to decide upon the terms
and format of the referendum. International peacekeeping forces will
be deployed in the conflict zone.”
“Today the principles on the table of negotiations are generally
acceptable for Armenia, and we are really ready to continue the talks
based on these principles, which, we consider, are all-embracing and
rather balanced, and it seems that a correct choice has been made in
regard to mutual concessions. We hope that the situation in Azerbaijan
will be reassessed, and there will be an opportunity to continue the
talks and achieve positive results,” Vardan Oskanyan noted.
I it the time that the international community should directly impose
peace to the conflicting sides.
“This can be done when the positions of the parties are very close,
and when there remains some little issue, it can be expected that the
international community will be more decisive to bring the issue to
a final solution. I don’t know whether we are in a similar situation
today, but a year ago our positions were completely divergent. Some
rapprochement has been registered during the last year, but at this
point it’s hard for me to say whether the differences are so little
that we’ll reach the resolution of the issue incase the international
community exerts pressure on one or both sides,” Vardan Oskanyan said
in response to “Radiolur” question.
During the joint press conference with the Diplomatic Adviser
to Jacques Chirac Laurent Biliis reference was made also to the
arrangements in the framework of the Year of Armenia in France, which
should start in September. Armenia is the third country, which has
the opportunity to hold its year in France.
Before this honor had been granted only to China and Brazil. Laurent
Biliis said France will spend 1.5-2 million Euros to hold the Year
of Armenia.

NKR PRESIDENT MET WITH PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OSCE CHAIRMAN-IN-OFFICE
ArmRadio.am
03.07.2006 18:00
“Azeri attempts to misinform the international structures do not
promote the establishment of trust between the conflicting sides,”
NKR President Arkadi Ghukasyan declared during the meeting with
the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej
Kasprzyk, commenting on the Azeri rumors on inflammations in frontier
zones.
Arkadi Ghukasyan and Andrzej Kasprzyk discussed also the situation
at the contact line of the Armed Forces of Nagorno-Karabakh and
Azerbaijan.

MEDIATORS URGE ARMENIA, AZERBAIJAN TO SETTLE NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT
AP Worldstream
Jul 03, 2006
International mediators on Monday urged the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan to settle their dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory.
The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s so-called
Minsk Group, chaired by the United States, Russia and France, said
that its proposals discussed at a meeting last month “hold the best
potential for achieving a just and lasting settlement of the conflict.”
Nagorno-Karabakh is in Azerbaijan, but the territory and some
surrounding areas have been under control of Karabakh and Armenian
forces since a shaky cease-fire in 1994 ended a six-year separatist
war that killed about 30,000 people and drove about 1 million from
their homes.
The principles the mediators proposed last month included withdrawing
Armenian troops from the Azerbaijani territories surrounding
Nagorno-Karabakh, according to a statement from the Minsk Group,
but it suggested a corridor linking Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh
would remain under Armenian control.
The principles “could pave the way for the two sides to draft a
far-reaching settlement agreement,” the mediators said. They also
include deploying international peacekeepers, resettling displaced
people and a referendum _ its timing and format to be worked out
later _ on the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh.
In the statement, the mediators expressed regret that Armenian
President Robert Kocharian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliev did
not reach an agreement on the principles when they met in early June
in Bucharest, Romania.
The mediators “strongly believe that it is now time for the two
presidents to take the initiative for achieving a breakthrough in the
settlement process based on these principles,” the statement said. The
mediators are ready to help “if the parties decide to pursue the
talks with the political will that has thus far been lacking,” it said.
Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry officials each indicated
Monday that their governments consider the principles an acceptable
basis for further negotiations, but accused each other of hindering
efforts to reach a settlement.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ASSAILANTS ATTACK ARMENIANS, UZBEKS, KAZAKH MAN IN 3 SEPARATE INCIDENTS IN MOSCOW
AP Worldstream
Jul 02, 2006
Assailants stabbed two ethnic Armenian students, a Kazakh student
and two Uzbeks in three separate incidents in Moscow, Russian news
reports said Sunday.
It was unclear whether any of the attacks would be classified as hate
crimes or were at all connected. But they all occurred amid growing
fears of racism and xenophobia and a sharp uptick in skinhead activity
in Russia.
Two Armenian teenagers were stabbed during a fight on a subway platform
around 5 p.m. (1300 GMT) Saturday, Interfax reported. The two were
hospitalized with various stab wounds; the attackers fled the scene.
The attack was being investigated as “hooliganism, ” city prosecutors’
spokesman Sergei Marchenko was quoted by RIA-Novosti as saying.
Meanwhile, a Kazakh man studying at Moscow’s Military Engineering
Academy was attacked by a group of 10 teenagers, including four women,
Interfax said. He was also hospitalized and was reportedly in stable
condition.
Also Saturday, two Uzbek citizens were hospitalized with multiple stab
wounds after being attacked in southwestern district of the Russian
capital, Interfax said. The two were hospitalized in serious condition,
police officials said.
City police officials could not be reached to confirm the reports or
comment on whether they were connected.
Russia has seen a wave of xenophobia and hate crimes in recent years,
with hundreds of attacks reported, including many on dark-skinned
immigrants from former Soviet Central Asia and the Caucasus Mountains
region.
Rights activists say hate groups are emboldened by authorities’
mild approach to prosecuting hate crimes, and say that neo-Nazi and
extremist literature is sold freely.
Two ethnic Armenian teenagers were fatally stabbed in the Moscow
region this spring in what Armenian officials called blatant examples
of hate crimes in Russia.

ARFD BUREAU CALLS FOR MARKING 15th ANNIVERSARY OF ARMENIAN INDEPENDENT STATEHOOD BY CONCRETE WORK AND RESPONSIBILITY
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jul 3 2006
YEREVAN, JULY 3, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. “This year the
whole Armenian people is going to mark the 15th anniversary of its
independent statehood.
We will mark this holiday with the consciousness of this holiday’s
exclusiveness and resolution to improve, enrich and strengthen our
All Armenian home,” the July 3 statement of the ARF Dashnaktsutiun
Bureau read.
“Independence is a supreme value and everybody’s duty is to make
Armenia a center of justice, democracy, solidarity,” the ARFD Bureau
declared.
The statement authors emphasize that “the Armenia-Spyurk third forum
to be held on September 18-20 in Yerevan coincides with the jubilee
of our state,” “which is one more occasion to unite our potential
and to make it serve for political, economic, spiritual and cultural
development of the Homeland, to solution of national problems, to
overcoming with dignity the challenges resisted by the Armenians and
Armenia in the 21st century.”
Mentioning that this time there is a concrete goal of strategic
importance on the forum agenda – to find funds and to develop
especially the border regions of Armenia, to improve and to modernize
rural infrastructures, to assist solution of the population’s social
problems, the ARFD Bureau calls on all structures, units, individuals
of Armenia and Diaspora, first of all its organization circles and
members to take an active part in the implementation of this program,
to assume a concrete commitment.
“With this step we should also prove that we can have a strong,
independent country and homeland, we can become an influential
presence in the large family of peoples. Let’s mark the anniversary
of our independent statehood by a concrete work and responsibility,”
the ARFD Bureau declared.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NKR MINISTRY OF DEFENSE REFUTES THE RECURRENT MISINFORMATION OF AZERI MASS MEDIA
ArmRadio.am
03.07.2006 15:03
NKR Ministry of defense refuted the recurrent misinformation
disseminated by Azeri mass media on breach of the cease-fire regime
at the contact line of the Armed Forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“The information does not correspond to reality,” declared Press
Secretary of the NKR Ministry of Defense Senor Asratyan, commenting on
the information of the Azeri APA Agency, according to which because of
the violation of the cease-fire regime by the Karabakh side, Gervend
cemetery on the territory controlled by Armed Forces of Azerbaijan
was burnt.
Senor Asratyan reminded that NKR representatives have noted a number
of times that the arsons occur because of the fire opened by the
Azeri side.
“The Karabakh side stays loyal to the maintenance of the peace at
the contact line,” Senor Asratyan remarked.
The report of the APA Agency has not been confirmed by any official
source and is generally based on the statement of the journalist
of the agency. The statement that “all the graves turned into ash”
is also suspicious.

RA DRAM CONTINUES TO APPRECIATE
Noyan Tapan
Jul 3 2006
YEREVAN, JULY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. A 4.3% growth in consumer prices
was registered in 2006 June compared with 2005 December and RA dram
appreciated by 6.4% against USD. According to the data of RA National
Statistical Service, a similar tendency was registered in the same
period of the previous year: a 1.4% growth in prices for consumer
goods was accompanied by a 7.7% appreciation of RA dram against USD.
A 1.2% fall in prices was registered on the country’s consumer market
and a 4.4% appreciation of RA dram against USD was registered in
2006 June compared with May. In 2006 June the average exchange rate
of RA dram against USD made 420.47 drams, which is higher by 6.3%
than the respective index of June of previous year (448.95 drams).
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

PRICES FOR FOOD FALL BY 2.4% IN JUNE IN ARMENIA
Noyan Tapan
Jul 3 2006
YEREVAN, JULY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. A 2.4% price fall was registered on the
Armenian foodstuffs market in 2006 June compared with May. A 19.5-0.1%
price fall was registered in 4 out of the 13 food commodity groups
observed, a 0.1-1.% price growth in 5 groups, and in 4 food commodity
groups prices remained unchanged compared with the previous month.
According to the RA National Statistical Service, a 19.5% price fall
was registered in the fish commodity group in 2006 June compared with
May, which is mainly conditioned by a 23.7% fall in the price for
fresh white fish. A 14% price fall was registered in the potato and
vegetables commodity group in 2006 June compared with May, which was
mainly conditioned by price fall of grean beans (66.3%), green pepper
(56.5%), cucumber (52.2%), tomato (46.1%). In the above mentioned
period price fall for cabbage, egg-plant, onion (5.5-2.1%) and price
growth for garlic, potato, carrot, beet (0.4-37.1%) was registered.
A 2.9% price fall was registered in the fruit commodity group in
Armenia in 2006 June compared with May. Fall in price for strawberry
(57%), cherry (33.1%), apricot (9.1%), as well as among melons and
gourds for watermelon (18.5%) was registered. At the same time,
prices for plum, peach, apple, pear grew by 71.6-3.2%.
Prices for butter and oil decreased by 0.1% in 2006 June compared
with May and in the commodity group of bread products, dairy products,
confectionery, other food, alcoholic drinks and cigarettes the prices
remained unchanged as compared with the previous month.
A 1.1% growth in price for eggs was registered in 2006 June as compared
with May.
A 0.2% price growth was registered in the meat commodity group in
2006 June compared with May, which was mainly due to a 0.3% increase
in the price for mutton, 1.6% increase in the price for beef, 6.4%
increase in the price for poultry. The prices for beef and pork in
the indicated period fell by 0.4% and 3.1%, respectively.
In the commodity group of granulated sugar, coffee, tea, cocoa a 0.1%
price growth was registered in 2006 June as compared with May.

ARMENIAN PARLIAMENT SPEAKER DENOUNCES AZERBAIJAN’S ACCUSATIONS OF NK’s COMMITTING FOREST ARSONS AS LIBELOUS STATEMENT
Arka News Agency, Armenia
July 3 2006
YEREVAN, July 3. /ARKA/. On Friday, Armenian National Assembly Speaker
Tigran Torosyan, speaking at PACE summer session on forest fires
and their damage to environment, condemned Azerbaijan for accusing
Nagorno Karabakh of committing arsons in forests.
The think is that a week ago Azerbaijani side made a fuss over
bush fires saying Armenians are deliberately firing forests along
Karabakh-Azerbaijan border.
Torosyan reminded that three year ago Nagorno-Karabakhi leadership
voiced alarm at the fact of bush fires and, using OSCE Minsk Group’s
mediation, offered Azerbaijani authorities to work out joint measures
to prevent them, but Azerbaijan ignored this offer.
In his words, while Azerbaijani leadership kept venting anger at
Nagorno-Karabakh, the latter asked OSCE to send its representatives
to see the situation on site. “They have found nothing confirming
Azerbaijani side’s allegation”, Torosyan said in his speech.
Torosyan expressed regret at Azerbaijani side’s bent for resorting
to dishonest means in discussing any problem. In his words, even CE
documents are being forged for that purpose.
Hermine Naghdalyan, another member of Armenian delegation in PACE, said
that the fires, first of all, inflicted damage to Karabakhi people,
who can’t fire own crop. She pointed out “Azerbaijani descent of the
photos presented by Azerbaijani delegation.
This is nothing more than a political blackmail aimed at shifting
international community’s attention from facts of Armenian monuments
destruction in Azerbaijan to other things.

FRENCH WAIT FOR HOLDING OF YEAR OF ARMENIA WITH GREAT INSPIRATION, FRANCE CULTURE ORGANIZATION CHAIRMAN SAYS
Noyan Tapan
Jul 3 2006
YEREVAN, JULY 3, NOYAN TAPAN. Issues relating to the program of events
of Year of Armenia in France were discussed at the July 3 meeting
of RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian with Chairman of the France
Culture organization Olivier Poivre d’Arvor.
The Chairman of the France Culture organization, touching upon the
great experience of France in the issue of dialogue of cultures, said
that the French are waiting for the holding of Year of Armenia with
inspiration, and this is an excellent occasion for getting to know
the Armenian culture closer and for rapprochement of the cultures of
the two peoples.
According to RA Foreign Ministry Press Service, the sides emphasized
that rather a serious organization work is being done at present
for Armenia to be able to properly present its cultural wealth with
its history, traditions and modern characteristics and expressed the
hope that the event will promote strengthening of economic contacts
between the countries and tourism development.
The joint press conference of V.Oskanian and O.Poivre d’Arvor took
place after the meeting.