HOW TO RUN A NASTY CAMPAIGN
By David Zahniser
LA Weekly, CA
June 15 2006
Last week’s primary election left voters with a particularly bitter
aftertaste, and not just because of the highly toxic gubernatorial
campaign. In legislative contests across Southern California, voters
looked in their mailboxes just days before the election and found
some of the most unpleasant accusations of the campaign.
One campaign committee implied that state Assembly candidate Paul
Krekorian, an Armenian who lives in Burbank, had ties to Armenian
terrorists. A second, more shadowy group produced a viscerally
unflattering image of Assemblywoman Judy Chu, her face morphing into
the visage of her husband, who was running for her vacant seat.
But these mailings weren’t created just to make your stomach churn.
Would-be candidates of the future can learn a few things from these
mailers. Do you, gentle reader, want to run for office? And, more
importantly, do you want to take down your opponent without looking
like a jerk? A survey of attack mailers can offer a few lessons for
a candidate who wants to succeed with a good – that is, really nasty
– campaign.
1. Pray that someone else will attack your opponent. This approach
isn’t as passive-aggressive as it sounds. In California, candidates
who don’t want to ream out the opposition can sit back and nervously
wait for a supporter – you know, those independent-expenditure groups
that politicians are always complaining about – to do the dirty work
for them. In the West San Gabriel Valley, a mysterious group known
as the North-South-East Coalition to Reform Local Government warned
residents that Assembly candidate Mike Eng, a Chinese-American city
councilman in Monterey Park, is “not like us.” Voters couldn’t be
sure who “us” was, but it didn’t help, since Eng won anyway.
2. “Big” is always better. If your opponent takes campaign donations,
always assume it’s from somebody big. In the South Bay, business
leaders who favored state Senate candidate George Nakano dinged his
opponent, Assemblywoman Jenny Oropeza, for taking contributions from
“Big Oil.” Consumer advocates, in turn, gave Nakano hell for taking
money from “Big Tobacco.” (Oropeza won.) Once again, neither candidate
wrote or paid for those pieces, leaving the unsavory attacks up to
their supporters. And, of course, such independent-expenditure groups
always keep their distance from the campaigns of their candidates,
as required by law. No, seriously.
Going negative early: George Nakano got schooled by Jenny Oropeza
3. Let the family twist the knife. Why look angry when there’s an
indignant spouse on hand? Nakano, for example, relied on his wife
to tell voters that Oropeza had distorted his voting record. In an
oversize letter to the electorate, Helen Nakano said her husband
couldn’t have voted on a sensitive environmental issue highlighted by
Oropeza since he was in a hospital recovering from prostate cancer
on the day of the vote. “As a cancer survivor herself, I don’t know
why Jenny Oropeza would lie about my husband’s vote,” said Helen,
whose poison pen then also implied that Oropeza had been a bit eager
to trumpet her own bout with cancer to the media. Up in Glendale,
the wife of Assembly candidate Frank Quintero made a similar pitch,
saying her husband had been unduly slimed by Democratic opponent Paul
Krekorian. “I knew this race would be tough… but I never thought
our opponents could sink so low,” wrote Jani Quintero. Krekorian did
indeed send issue-negative ads, but Jani declined to tell voters what
they were.
4. Rely on your friendship network. Okay, so you have no way to pay
for your own negative mail, and there’s not a spouse on hand to help.
That still doesn’t mean you have to look negative! State Assembly
candidate Kevin de Leon found four union leaders who looked especially
grumpy over his opponent, union organizer Christine Chavez. The union
leaders badmouthed Chavez, ironically, for refusing to sign a de Leon
campaign pledge against negative campaigns. After slamming Chavez
for failing to vote in the 2000 election, the union leaders reminded
voters to say “YES to Kevin de Leon and his positive campaign for
the future of California.” The reality was, Chavez had not sent any
hit pieces. But de Leon, who won by 20 points, said on Election Day
that he sent the piece because Chavez had authorized a telephone poll
accusing him of mistreating avocado pickers.
Kevin de Leon, in an ironic twist, criticized Christine Chavez for
not signing his positive-campaign pledge.
Barry Groveman’s attack on Jonathan Levy in the 41st Assembly District
5. Find a zippy symbol to demonize your opponent. Teacher and peace
activist Marcy Winograd zeroed in on a piece of jewelry during
her long-shot campaign to unseat U.S. Representative Jane Harman, a
Democrat running for reelection in a coastal district stretching from
Marina del Rey south to San Pedro. The bling in question was a brooch,
featured prominently on Harman’s lapel, of a B-2 bomber. The bomber
lapel pin neatly established Harman as a little too willing to march
into President George W. Bush’s war in Iraq. Farther up the coast,
Calabasas Councilman Barry Groveman skewered attorney Jonathan Levey
over one of his former law firm’s clients: Philip Morris.
Groveman sent out mailers with Levey’s face, looking slightly demented,
superimposed on individual cigarettes inside a case titled “Jonathan
Levey Extra Lights.” Groveman and Levey canceled each other out,
sending school-board member Julia Brownley to the state Assembly.
o-run-a-nasty-campaign/13783/

TEYMOURIAN IS FIRST NON-MUSLIM PLAYER ON IRAN SINCE ’78
AP
Persian Journal, Iran
June 15 2006
Many soccer players have a habit of routinely crossing themselves as
they emerge onto the field for a World Cup match.
But Anderanik Teymourian is different.
His simple gesture has amazed television viewers around the world
because Teymourian plays on the national team of Iran, one of most
thoroughly Islamic nations in the world.
Teymourian is a member of Iran’s tiny Armenian minority, part of
an Orthodox Christian presence dating back to biblical times. About
200,000 Armenians currently live in Iran, mostly in Tehran and other
towns of the northwest.
Although Iran is an Islamic theocratic state, Christianity and other
non-Muslim religions are not banned as in other strictly fundamentalist
states such as Saudi Arabia.
“I’m the first Christian Iranian player in the World Cup since 1978,”
Teymourian said.
The last non-Muslim player on the national team was defender Andranik
Eskandarian in 1978. He now lives in the United States.
The gangly, 22-year old midfielder, who is seen as one of the great
hopes of Iranian soccer, plays for the Aboo Muslim club from Tehran.
He also has played for Iran at every youth level so far before being
drafted to the national squad by coach Branko Ivankovic.
“He is a wonderful player. Very serious, very committed, I can rely
on him to fulfill any task,” Ivankovic said. “He will definitely play
a big role on the national team for many years to come.”
Teymourian says he gets along very well with his teammates, and that
religious differences don’t affect their relations on the field or
on a personal level.
“I am very happy that as a Christian I am playing for a Muslim team,”
he said. “I will put all my abilities at the disposal of the nation
and the team.”
He said that normally he regularly attends church in Tehran.
“But it’s been impossible to get out of the camp in Germany because
of security, so I haven’t been able to do so here.”
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ASBAREZ ONLINE
TOP STORIES
06/14/2006
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <;HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ. COM 1) UNESCO Requests Removal of Documents from Ottoman Exhibit 2) Oskanian and Sarkisian Participate in North Atlantic Council And Armenia Meeting 3) Toronto Banquet Raises $300,000 for Armenia Fund 4) ARF Has New Parliament Member 5) Turkish Press Says Turkey is Cyprus~R ~QToy~R in EU Talks 6) New Minister Alarmed by Declining Education Standards 1) UNESCO Requests Removal of Documents from Ottoman Exhibit ISTANBUL (Combined Sources)Turkey pulled out of a Paris exhibit of Ottoman archives last week, when organizers requested the removal of five questionable submissions made by the Turkish Government. Before the exhibit, United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which organized the exhibit, requested that five items be removed and two subject to changes. Turkey initially agreed to the request, but later decided to not partake in the exhibit. One of the documents in question is a letter said to be written by the heads of Armenian organizations praising the Ottoman Government, and especially the Sultan, for its treatment of the Armenian people. The letter, which is dated 1898, also says that its writers pledge their loyalty to the Ottoman Empire, despite the actions of [khankarich]s, because of the great pride they have in being Ottoman citizens. UNESCO~Rs request that this and other similar documents be removed from the archival exhibit prompted harsh reaction from nationalist circles in Turkey. Calling the events "a shame," Turkish Institute of History (TTK) President Professor Yusuf Halacoglu said, "Turkey acted in good faith to solve the Armenian genocide. The cases never refer to science or honesty anymore. There are some letters, which Armenians forwarded to the Ottoman Empire from America and Canada, to ask for help. We are face to face with such a big shame." 2) Oskanian and Sarkisian Participate in North Atlantic Council And Armenia Meeting YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian participated Wednesday in the North Atlantic Council and Armenia meeting, during which they discussed Armenia~Rs Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) program with NATO based on the introductory evaluation of NATO delegation. Oskanian and Sarkisian presented reports at the meeting in which they referred to the issues on boosting Armenia-NATO cooperation and implementation of the IPAP. The reports of the ministers were followed by the speeches of ambassadors of North-Atlantic Council~Rs member countries in which they assessed the Armenia~Rs progress in the implementation of the program. Special Representative of NATO~Rs Secretary General to the South Caucasus Robert Simmons said in an interview after the meeting that the introductory report on Armenia~Rs IPAP with NATO is positive. According to him, the complete assessment of Armenia~Rs IPAP with NATO will be given next spring. Sarkisian said he was pleased with the positive results of the report, which detailed the pace of Armenia~Rs Individual Partnership Action Plan implementation. Oskanian described the meeting as useful. 3) Toronto Banquet Raises $300,000 for Armenia Fund Around 500 community members, members of the clergy, local and Canadian officials came together Sunday for a banquet at the AGBU Alec Manougian Center in Toronto, Canada, to raise $300,000 for the Armenia Fund. During Sunday~Rs banquet, Treasurer of the Armenia Fund, Ara Boyadian, presented a report to those present about Armenia Fund~Rs projects in Karabagh~Rs village of Madaghis, which the donated money will help to support. The school in Madaghis, a three story building with eleven classrooms, a computer room, library, and auditorium, will be completed in time for the upcoming school year in September. Boyajian also noted that the Toronto Armenian community has raised 2 million dollars for the Armenia Fund. Representing Prime Minster Stephen Harper, Jason Kenny took the podium to speak about the recognition of the Armenian genocide by the Canadian Government and read a special message from Harper to the Armenia Fund. The keynote speaker of the evening, Baroness Caroline Cox, spoke about the freedom loving spirit of Karabagh~Rs people and its right to self determination. She said that the people of Karabagh have the right to live freely and independently in their homeland. Baroness Cox also brought up the state of Karabagh~Rs dire need of monetary and moral support. In light of her support of Karabagh and its people, the Armenia Fund committee of Toronto decided to name the new school after Baroness Cox, said the Master of Ceremonies Vahan Kololian. 4) ARF Has New Parliament Member YEREVAN (Armenpress)--Armenia~Rs central election commission registered Wednesday Spartak Seyranian as a new Member of Parliament. Spartak Seyranian, Editor-in-Chief of Yerkir Weekly and member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), replaced Levon Mkrtchian who was appointed education and science minister. 5) Turkish Press Says Turkey is Cyprus~R ~QToy~R in EU Talks ANKARA (AFP)--Turkey has turned into a ~Stoy~T for Cyprus as it strives for European Union membership, the Turkish press has said one day after the stormy start of Ankara's detailed entry talks with the EU. "A rough start," wrote the left-leaning Cumhuriyet, referring to the talks, whose beginning was delayed by objections from the internationally recognized Greek Cypriot Government. Cyprus wanted Turkey to recognize it as a state and open its ports to Cypriot ships and planes--EU demands Ankara has yet to meet--before the talks begin. The EU's Austrian Presidency clinched a last-minute deal at a Foreign Ministers' meeting in Luxembourg, narrowly avoiding a new crisis for the bloc. Several commentators harshly criticized both Cyprus for its stance and Turkey for putting up with it. "Turkey has turned into a toy for a country of a few hundred thousand people," said a commentator Tuesday in the mass-circulation Hurriyet, calling on Ankara to end the "mascarade." Many newspapers stressed that Turkey would continue to face veto threats from the Cypriot Government as the EU votes on the opening and closing of each of the 35 detailed policy chapters to be negotiated, plus a final vote when all the chapters are completed. "At least 69 more crises to go with Europe," headlined the liberal Radikal. "Cyprus will continue to be capricious on the political front until the last minute... [inflicting] Chinese torture" on Ankara, a commentator in Milliyet, another liberal daily, wrote, calling for action from Brussels. "The EU should either stop the Cypriot administration from acting capriciously whenever and wherever it wants, or should change its rule for a unanimous vote in order to get work done," he said. 6) New Minister Alarmed by Declining Education Standards YEREVAN (RFE/RL)--The newly appointed Education Minister Levon Mkrtchian pledged on Tuesday to embark on a sweeping reform of Armenia~Rs education sector to reverse what he described as an alarming post-Soviet decline in education standards. ~SThere is a clear decline in our education sector,~T admitted Mkrtchian. ~SArmenia is gradually losing its high level of education. We used to compare ourselves with European countries but are now being compared to Central Asia.~T ~SIf we continue to move down this path, I am sure that we will lose the remaining quality of our education system,~T he said. Mkrtchian, who had already served as education minister in 1998-1999 and 2001-2003, acknowledged that he has also been responsible for the ongoing erosion of that quality. It is widely attributed to a lack of government funds channeled into education as well as the resulting lack of motivation among schoolteachers and university professors. Bribery and nepotism is also seen as a serious problem facing the sector. Government officials have said that Armenia~Rs ongoing transition to 12-year primary and secondary schooling, supported by Western donors, will help to reverse this trend. But according to Mkrtchian, that reform alone will not improve the situation unless it is accompanied by a ~Sradical revision~T of school curricula. The minister, who is a leading member of the governing Armenian Revolutionary Federation, also pledged to crack down on dozens of private universities where education standards leave much to be desired. All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and subscription requests. (c) 2006 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved. ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through mass media outlets.

EVICTED RESIDENTS THREATEN
A1+
[08:20 pm] 14 June, 2006
“Thieves, robbers…” These were the cries of the residents of the
North and Main Avenues, the Koghbatsi street, the Dalma gardens, as
well as the representatives of the “Justice” bloc and the Communist
party who organized a rally of complaint in the yard of the National
Assembly.
The people holding posters which said “Deputies, include the issue of
the Dalma gardens into the agenda”, “The 10% you took was illegal”,
“We are not selling our houses” demanded the deputies to discussed
their problems. They intended to meet the Prime Minister who was to
come to the National Assembly.
“After the decision of the Constitutional Court the evictions still
continue. If the problem is not solved, we will demand change of
authorities,” said Vachagan Hakobyan, the president of the Committee
of protection of the North Avenue residents.
There were as many policemen opposite the Parliament building as
participants of the rally. Nevertheless, there were not incidents
between them. None of the Government members paid any attention to
the people.
Gegham Babayan, the secretary of the People’s Party regional
organization of Kentron community, had also come to support the
citizens. He said, “They have applied to us, and it is our duty to
help them.”
By the way, the representatives of the opposition informed that
they support the people outside, and inside the Parliament Stepan
Demirchyan and the other members o the Justice faction are to raise
the issue of the evicted citizens.

CENTRAL ASIA – CAUCASUS ANALYST
Wednesday / June 14, 2006
ARMENIA’S RULING COALITION UNRAVELS
Grigor Hakobyan Last month, beset by numerous defections of a number of
deputies from the Orinats Yerkir (Law-Governed Country) faction and
mounting differences between Orinats Yerkir and its coalition partners,
the speaker of Armenian Parliament, Artur Baghdasaryan, resigned from
his position. The change in Armenia’s ruling coalition underscored the
immaturity of many political forces in Armenia and created a new
political reality in the country that may also have certain implications
for the foreign policy of Armenia in the region. BACKGROUND: On May
29th, Artur Baghdasaryan officially relinquished his position as the
Chairman of National Assembly of Armenia. His resignation was caused by
growing differences between his party and the presidential
administration, as well as its partners in the coalition, the Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) and the Republican Party of
Armenia. To some external political observers, the history of
disagreements between the outspoken Chair of National Assembly, often
accused by his opponents for engaging in populism, began last year. At
the time, Artur Baghdasaryan accused the ruling government of engaging
in voting irregularities on the eve of the constitutional referendum in
Armenia and forwarded a list of recorded cases of alleged voting
misconduct to the Supreme Court for review.
The tensions between him and the member coalition partners, as well as
the presidential administration, continued to increase when he further
ventured into the foreign policy field and began making statements on
various issues pertaining to Armenian-Russian, Armenian-NATO and
Armenian-Turkish relations. Specifically, he advocated the pursuit of
NATO membership for Armenia, retaliatory actions toward Russia for their
decision to raise gas prices for Armenia by charging the difference in
gas prices for the hosting of Russian military base in the country. The
last straw for Baghdasaryan’s career in the ruling administration came
after he made calls for reviewing the 2001-2003 privatization decisions,
due to various fraudulent tenders that he alleged had occurred during
the implementation of the controversial privatization program.
IMPLICATIONS: Baghdasaryan’s active advocacy with a view to scrutinizing
the country’s recent privatization program caused discontent among many
of his party’s business elite, who benefited from the above-mentioned
privatization program and saw their positions endangered from their
association with the ever more vocal Baghdasaryan, whose criticism of
the ruling administration failed to subside. The defection of nearly a
dozen of parliamentarians associated with Orinats Yerkir resulted in the
decline of the party’s faction in the Armenian National Assembly and
undermined the party’s role in the coalition government. That also
showed the main weakness of the party, which was the lack of a unique
political vision that would attract people regardless of whether the
party is a part of the ruling government or the opposition.
Artur Baghdasaryan was considered the most outspoken politician
advocating NATO membership for Armenia, as well as rapid integration
into European political structures. His pro-European views earned him
the title of `The Best European of the Year’. Very often, he was
perceived by various political observers as the most likely candidate to
earn the largest number of votes in the next presidential elections.
However, his subsequent demise and the party’s positioning as an
opposition force toward the current authorities, coupled with the
desertion of many wealthy businessmen that provided financial backing
for the party, may seriously undermine his chances to win the upcoming
presidential elections in 2008. Very few wealthy businessmen would ever
consider to back a political opposition force, thus undermining their
own access to the ruling administration which provided them with the
opportunity to prosper in the first place.
The Orinats Yerkir party’s past membership in the ruling coalition does
not attract make it appealing to the current opposition forces in
Armenia either, as many of the opposition forces view the transition of
Orinats Yerkir from party of power into a party in opposition as another
calculated political move by the presidential administration of Armenia
to further split the less than cohesive opposition. Meanwhile, other
opposition forces consider the sudden move of Orinats Yerkir party into
the opposition camp as a calculated pre-election move on behalf of
Baghdasaryan, designed to further his personal ambitions by first
distancing himself from the ruling administration and secondly creating
a momentum to recreate himself for the purpose of enlarging his
electorate and creating an opportunity to pick up additional votes from
a portion of Armenian voters who would otherwise have voted for a
mainstream opposition candidate.
Another factor to consider is the potential for the remaining parties in
power, the Republican Party of Armenia and the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (Dashnaktsutiun), if successful in the upcoming parliamentary
elections, to eventually play a decisive role in speeding up the
realignment of political forces in Armenia by consolidating them into a
more cohesive and clear-cut political spectrum where a line between
liberal and conservative ideologists would be easier to distinguish. The
amorphous political situation in Armenia has created a situation where
most political parties lack a clear political vision. They mostly feed
off empty rhetoric, and their would-be members rally around specific
personalities and not specific policies. Parties may pride themselves by
the number of their party memberships, yet this only increases or
decreases depending on whether the party in question is in power or in
opposition and not by any tangible accomplishments for the benefit of
the people. Clearly, this situation is not sustainable.
CONCLUSIONS:The transition of the Orinats Yerkir from a party in power
to a party in opposition was long anticipated, as the disagreements
within the ruling coalition became more transparent after the passage of
the Constitutional Referendum in Armenia. The controversies over voting
irregularities during the Constitutional Referendum, differences over
the country’s foreign policies, and the common belief among the two
junior partners of the government led by the Republican Party of Armenia
` that is Orinats Yerkir and the ARF ` that they were cheated out of
votes during the parliamentary elections could not but undermine the
effective work of the coalition government. Indeed, Orinats Yerkir is
not the only disgruntled party: the continuous tension between the ARF
and the Republican Party could further split the ruling coalition by
resulting in the exodus of another party from the coalition government.
As Armenia’s parliamentary elections of 2007 are fast approaching, it is
expected that further splits, consolidations and the introduction of new
political parties in the nation’s political life will continue to occur.
As a number of well-known oligarchs and government officials rush to
create new political parties to vie for the laurels of power,
strengthening their own positions and advancing their personal agendas,
the common electorate will continue to feel ostracized and further
disfranchised from the entire political process. The situation will
change only if and when people realize that their votes do really matter
and that they do have a power to a make a difference in the life of
their country.
AUTHOR’S BIO: Grigor Hakobyan is a freelance writer based in the U.S.
East Coast.
cleid=4284&SMSESSION=NO

KOCHARYAN SATISFIED WITH CURRENT LEVEL OF ARMENIAN-SWISS RELATIONS
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 13 2006
YEREVAN, June 13. /ARKA/. Armenian President Robert Kocharyan is
satisfied with the current level of the Armenian-Swiss relations. The
press service of the Armenian president reported that Kocharian
reported this during his meeting with Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline
Calmy-Rey.
Kocharian highly appreciated that assistance rendered by Switzerland
with the current reforms in Armenia, and pointed out the country’s
inclusion in the Agency for Development and Cooperation.
In its turn, the foreign ministry of Switzerland stated that the
country closely watches the processes in South Caucasus, showing
especial interest in the problems of stability, security and migration.
According to Switzerland, Armenia enjoys a big “capital of sympathy”
in this country, as well as thanks to the Swiss Armenians.
At the same time, both sides pointed out that the indicators of the
bilateral economic relations are rather inconsiderable. They emphasized
the need in a more systematized cooperation.
In this relation, they stressed the importance on the agreement on
exclusion of double taxation signed the day before, and on the economic
forum currently held in Zurich and the bilateral business contacts.
The President of Armenia and the Swiss Foreign Minister also
highly appreciated the two countries’ cooperation at international
organizations.

DONALD KNUTH: ARMENIA HAS POTENTIAL FOR IT DEVELOPMENT
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 13 2006
YEREVAN, June 14. /ARKA/. Armenia has necessary potential for
developing its IT sector, Donald Knuth, Professor Emeritus, Stanford
University, USA, told reporters.
He welcomed the fact that this sector is considered a priority of
economic development by the Armenian Government.
He pointed out the pleasant fact that programming is valued in Armenia
as much as such classical sciences as mathematics and physics.
Professor Knuth added that the title of Honorary Doctor of the
Armenian National Academy of Sciences is a great honor for him as a
representative of a young science.
Professor Knuth is the authors of numerous works. He is on a visit
to Armenia at the invitation of the RA Academy of Sciences, Yerevan
State University and State Engineering University of Armenia.

“BRAND EXPO 2006” 2ND INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION TO BE HELD IN ARMENIA ON 15-17 JUNE
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
June 13 2006
YEREVAN, June 13. /ARKA/. “Brand EXPO-2006” – the second international
universal exhibition will be held in Armenia on 15-17 June.
The Armenian exhibition company “Expomedia” reported that about 40
Armenian and foreign organizations, representing about 1150 brands,
will participate in the exhibition.
“Brand EXPO-2006” is aimed at giving a consumer an opportunity to
get acquainted both with already known and new national brands, and
an opportunity for brands to demonstrate their innovations, exchange
experiences with local organizations and find new ways for mutually
beneficial cooperation.
Thematic sections of the exhibition are “Well-known Brands in
Armenia (local and foreign), “Image and Advantages of Brand”,
“PR of Organization” and “Legal Services” “Brand EXPO-2006” – the
second international exhibition will be held with the support of
the Armenian Government, Ministry of Trade and Economic Development,
Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and also the National Center for
development of small and big business of Armenia.

LITHUANIA TO AID AZERI EU INTEGRATION
AzerNews Weekly, Azerbaijan
June 14 2006
Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus has said his country is ready to
assist Azerbaijan in its European integration.
“The Azeri economy is developing very rapidly and I believe the
country may be admitted to the EU as early as in five years,”
he told the press after meeting his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham
Aliyev in Baku on Thursday.
Adamkus suggested that by capitalizing on Lithuania’s experience,
Baku could avoid the mistakes that Vilnius made prior to its admission.
President Aliyev said in his remarks that Azerbaijan should take
advantage of Lithuania’s experience in the area of swift integration
into European organizations.
The Lithuanian president said that as a European Union member state,
his country should play a role of a mediator in the speedy settlement
of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh.
“Lithuania has supported Azerbaijan on international issues so far
and will remain its reliable partner.”
The two countries signed agreements on mutual promotion and protection
of investments and a joint statement of the heads of state. The two
leaders also agreed to establish a joint economic commission.

GEORGIA AND THE EUROPEAN UNION: TWO VIEWPOINTS
By M. Alkhazashvili
The Messenger, Georgia
June 14 2006
Slouching towards Brussels: arrival of realism
The government’s statement about the possibility of a quick integration
into the European Union is unrealistic. Currently, the expansion of
the European Union is limited to a small list of countries and Georgia
is not on this list. Georgia and Ukraine will have to continue under
the neighborhood policy with European Union for quite some time.
Interviewed in the Russian newspaper Novie Izvestia, EU Foreign and
Security Policy Coordinator Javier Solana, made it clear that Georgian
and Ukrainian integration was not yet on the agenda.
Solana said that at this stage EU expansion is limited to Romania
and Bulgaria, then Croatia, Turkey the other Balkan republics. The
newspaper Rezonansi quotes Solana as saying that “The discussion of
the new candidates has ceased, although this does not mean that we
don’t want close relationships with other neighboring states.”
According to Solana close relations between neighboring countries
are in the interests of both the EU and Moscow. However, states that
have a close relationship with Russia will find it difficult to have
a close relationship with the EU.
Before Solana’s statement David Bakradze, the Chair of Europe
Integration Committee of the Georgian Parliament, said in an interview
with Rezonansi that the EU should have a much more positive position
on Georgia’s membership. “Georgia has expressed its sincere wish to
become a member of the EU, I think that EU should fix upon a much
more positive position.”
Clearly, Bakradze did not think that Solana would rule out Georgia’s
speedy integration into EU; citing as a positive indicator European
Parliament Vice-Speaker, Edward McMillan-Scott’s statement at an
Armenian press conference that “The South Caucasus countries should
be individually integrated into the EU.”
McMillan-Scott’s position was approved of in Georgia. The three
countries of the South Caucasus could not, like the Baltic States,
simultaneously integrate into the EU owing to their different political
trajectories, cultural differences and (in the case of Armenia and
Azerbaijan) their ongoing conflicts. Furthermore, of all the three
South Caucasus states, only Georgia has unequivocally stated its
desire for EU membership.
Georgia and Ukraine’s EU integration has become an issue of
active discussion, however it seems that the hopes of political
leaders outweigh the chances of integration for the time being. The
neighborhood policy offers a chance to cooperate with the EU at many
levels. With this Georgia can approach EU standards, and has the
chance to try to deepen its interaction with the EU.
Georgia and Ukraine can also deepen cooperation in the frames
of GUAM, which recently became a fully-fledged international
organization. However, the desire of some GUAM members to integrate
in the EU may cloud their chances for overall regional cooperation.