ARMENIAN FM: NAGORNY KARABAKH IS NOT A MATTER OF SEPARATISM, BUT SELF- DETERMINATION OF THE NATION AND THE CITIZENS
Kiev, June 19. ArmInfo. The situation in Nagorny Karabakh cannot be
characterized as “separatism” and the deputies of the State Duma should
not come out for return of the Crimea to Russia, Vardan Oskanyan,
Foreign Minister of Armenia, said in a press conference in Kiev,
“New Region” Kiev-based branch reports.
“Nagorny Karabakh is not a matter of separatism, but self-determination
of the nation and the citizens,> the minister said. At the same time,
he criticized the statements of the State Duma deputies concerning
the probable return of the Crimea. “Armenia respects the territorial
integrity of the Ukraine. Such statements are inadmissible,” the
minister said. In his turn, Boris Tarasyuk, Foreign Minister of the
Ukraine, said he discussed the conflict over Nagorny Karabakh with
Vardan Oskanyan. “I’d like Oskanyan’s optimism about the situation
in Nagorny Karabakh to come true in the peaceful resolution of the
conflict,> Tarasyuk said. He added that the Ukraine proposed holding
negotiations for Karabakh conflict’s resolution in its territory.
To note, earlier GUAM member-states, Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan
and Moldova, stated that one of the organization’s goal is to fight
“separatism,” including in Nagorny Karabakh.

US CONGRESSMEN: EU SHOULD URGE TURKEY TO RECOGNIZE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
PanARMENIAN.Net
20.06.2006 15:00 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ US Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) has
urged the European Union (EU) to press Turkey to meet its accession
criteria, properly recognize the Armenian Genocide and end its
ongoing blockade against Armenia, reports the Armenian Assembly of
Armenia. The congressional correspondence, addressed to European
Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso and signed by nearly two
dozen lawmakers, states that Turkey’s progress towards establishing
guarantees for democracy, rule of law, human rights and respect and
protection of minorities remains wholly inadequate.
The bipartisan letter states in part: “Of particular concern is
Turkey’s lack of interest in considering improvements in areas that are
of paramount importance for the integrity and credibility of Turkey’s
bid for membership. Principal among such areas is the question of
Turkey’s diplomatic recognition of Armenia, and the removal of its
blockade, as a major impediment to regional security and development
in the South Caucasus. Equally critical is Turkey’s ability to end
its official policy of denial of the Armenian Genocide, and come to
terms with its genocidal legacy.”
The United States has called upon Turkey to restore economic, political
and social ties with Armenia, while the European Parliament has
adopted a resolution urging Ankara to open its border with Armenia,
and recognize the genocide, as a precondition to membership to the EU.

CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS TO LEAVE FOR ISTANBUL
ArmRadio.am
20.06.2006 10:16
The Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II will leave today for
Istanbul. In the framework of the visit the Catholicos will be welcomed
by Ecumenical Patriarch His All-Holiness Bartholomaios. During the
meeting the religious leaders will discuss issues related to the
two Churches.
The Catholicos will meet also representatives of the Armenian community
of Constantinople.

ASHOT HOVAKIMIAN TO TAKE PLACE OF JIVAN TABIBIAN ON POST OF RA AMBASSADOR TO HUNGARY, SLOVAKIA AND CZECHIA
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Jun 19 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. By RA President
Robert Kocharian’s June 17 decree, Jivan Tabibian was discharged
obligations of the RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to
the Republics of Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia and Ashot Hovakimian,
the RA Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Republic
of Austria (residence in Vienna) was pluralistically appointed on
that post. Noyan Tapan was informed about it by the President’s
Press Office.

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE ON “NKR: PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE” TO BE HELD IN SHUSHI
ArmRadio.am
20.06.2006 10:39
NKR Government and the Yerevan State University have imitated a
four-day international scientific conference on “Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic: past, present and future” dedicated to the 15th anniversary
of Artsakh’s independence.
The opening ceremony will take place in Shushi.

TRANSPORT MINISTER SATISFIED WITH PROCESS OF KAPAN – SHIKAHOGH – MEGHRI ALTERNATIVE MOTORWAY CONSTRUCTION
Noyan Tapan
Jun 19 2006
KAPAN, JUNE 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Minister of Transport and
Communication Andranik Manukian paid a visit to Syunik marz on June
16-17 to familiarize himself with the process of constructing the
93.5-km alternative motorway Kapan – Shikahogh – Meghri with RA state
budget allocations. He expressed his satisfaction over the process
of construction work, noting that construction work of 5 bln 599 mln
drams was carried out in 2005, while this year the work will amount
to 6 bln 300 mln drams. The motorway will be put into operation by
late 2006. According to A. Manukian, the motorway’s construction is
in the center of attention of the Armenian President, and he reports
on the construction process to the President every week. “It is a big
project, there will be flaws but they should not impair the quality
of the work. This in a road being built in line with international
standards and should be in line with such standards,” the minister
told reporters.

TODAY IS THE INTERNATIONAL DAY OF REFUGEES
ArmRadio.am
20.06.2006 10:50
Today is the International Day of Refugees. According to the Deputy
Head of the Migration Agency David Hakobyan, there are 311 thousand
refugees in Armenia. Most of them are still homeless.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIA EXEMPLARY AGAINST BACKGROUND OF AZERBAIJAN AND GEORGIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
20.06.2006 13:15 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia is in the center of the region and for the
time being it can control all produce pipelines theoretically, while
if desired – also practically. It is not casual that the BTC is made
longer and it was laid in a roundabout way, skipping over Javakhk,
though along its border, political scientist Hrazdan Madoyan stated
in an interview with PanARMENIAN.Net. In his words, the Armenian
nation’s spirit is raising now. “The national spirit has got rid of
the victim syndrome, there is no separatism problem in the country,
a good combating army, which has passed Karabakh and won, relies
only on itself and is self-confident. You cannot say this of the two
neighbors, who lost and hope one for Turkey, the other for the US,”
Madoyan said. He believes that Azerbaijan and Georgia are not formed
as democratic states, which is proven by coups d’etat and civil wars in
Georgia and establishment of eastern despotic monarchy in Azerbaijan.
“Armenia is exemplary against this background. The OSCE MG, CE, NATO
want friendship with the bear and want to guard its honey. Recognition
of the NKR will be protracted unless everyone puts off with the
status quo, as it is evident that policy of search for compromise has
exhausted itself and one of the parties will lose. Everyone knows
that the right and truth are on the side of Armenian Montenegro,
while oil is on Azerbaijan’s side. If it were 1939, the NKR would
have been annexed long ago on behalf of Hitler Germany, sorry, I mean
Aliyev Azerbaijan, but it is 2006 now.
The world has not become better, but it became more erudite. By the
way, if a referendum is held in Transnistria and its independence is
recognized, it will be a good signal for demanding a similar procedure
in Javakhk. The legal framework for that is present,” the Armenian
political scientist underscored.

IWG CONCLUDED ITS TWO-DAY ACTIVITY IN NAGORNO-KARABAKH
ArmRadio.am
20.06.2006 13:00
International Working Group (IWG) to Search for the Missing People,
Hostages and Prisoners of War in the Karabakh conflict zone concluded
its two-day activity in Nagorno-Karabakh.
IWG Co-Chair Bernard Klassen expressed his satisfaction with the
meetings with NKR Foreign Minister Georgi Petrosyan, NKR State
Committee on Missing People and Hostages, the leadership of the
Stepanakert Office of the International Committee of the Red Cross. He
noted that the meetings were productive.
“Both the Azeri and Armenian sides declare they have no prisoners
of war and hostages, while the other party has. Our task is to check
the authenticity of this information,” The Co-Chair noted.
Today IWG delegation left Stepanakert for Yerevan.

NUMBER OF TAXI SERVICES BURGEONING UP
Armenpress
Jun 20 2006
YEREVAN, JUNE 20, ARMENPRESS; The number of companies offering regular
taxi services has burgeoned out from 724 last year to 1,068 as of May
1. On average each of these companies has 5 cars. Armenian taxation
service said 282 of these companies with 2,500 cars were in Yerevan
and the rest were across the country.
These companies are paying fixed taxes-6,800 drams per one car in
Yerevan and 5,600 drams per one car outside Yerevan a month. This
year they have already paid 103 million drams in taxes.
Robert Kocharian, a deputy head of the taxation service, predicted no
rise in the number of these companies, but he admitted that part of
the cars may avoid taxation. He said the service is going to improve
supervision over this services and detect illegal operations. He also
said there is no document regulating the work of taxis, neither the
list of mandatory requirements is developed.