VIVA CELL WILLING TO STEP BACK FROM SPONSORSHIP OF GOLDEN APRICOT FESTIVAL
Panorama.am
18:10 05/07/06
Viva Cell, the chief sponsor of Golden Apricot festival, warned the
organizers that it will stop funding if the TV companies do not show
the logo of Viva Cell together with the logo of the festival.
Art head of the festival Susanna Harutunyan said today that they have
applied to the heads of mass media outlets but the latter demanded
money for that. The organizers complain that they are not engaged in
commercial activity and cannot pay. Therefore, the organizers have
concluded a contract according to which those companies who would
like to interview foreign film stars have to show the promotional tape
of the general sponsor. Print media, in addition, has to provide 150
copies of their publications to the organizers. The contract is not
valid for internet based information agencies.

GARABAGH CONFLICT HURDLE TO EUROPEAN INTEGRATION: GERMAN FM
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 6 2006
Baku, July 5, AssA-Irada
The unresolved status of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh conflict complicates European Union integration for the entire
South Caucasus region, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier
said after meeting his Azeri counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in Berlin
Wednesday. He called on the parties to the conflict to accept the
needed compromises to reach peace.
Other issues discussed at the meeting included bilateral ties,
economic relations and Azerbaijan’s integration into NATO.
In a news conference after the meeting, the ministers praised the level
of ties between the two countries. Mammadyarov said the Azeri-German
trade turnover has doubled over the past few years, saying Germany
is the largest partner of Azerbaijan in Western Europe.
Steinmeier said energy issues were in focus during the discussions
as well. “Azerbaijan, as an energy exporting and transit country,
plays a special role in ensuring European energy security. It is a
reliable and important partner of Europe in this respect,” the German
official said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERI, ARMENIAN CLERICAL LEADERS TABLE GARABAGH
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 6 2006
Baku, July 5, AssA-Irada
The negotiated settlement to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno)
Garabagh conflict was discussed by the Caucasus Clerical Office
chairman, Sheikh Allahshukur Pashazada and the Armenian Catalicos
Garegin II on the sidelines of a summit of world clerics in Moscow
on Wednesday.
Garegin II said Azerbaijanis and Armenians are neighbors and
both should aspire to live in the conditions of peace and mutual
understanding.
“I am sure that the problems faced by our nations could be solved
only by peaceful means. Meetings and forums like this will positively
affect the development of civilized relations between them,” the
Armenian cleric said.
The summit participants adopted a declaration in conclusion of
discussions. A copy of the document will be forwarded to the leaders
of the upcoming G8 summit in St. Petersburg to be presided by Russian
President Vladimir Putin.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

AZERBAIJAN, ARMENIA ‘LIKELY TO CONCEDE’ UNDER INTERNATIONAL PRESSURE, ANALYST SAYS
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 6 2006
Baku, July 5, AssA-Irada
The latest statements by the OSCE mediators brokering settlement to
the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict over Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh are
aimed to put pressure on the sides, an Azeri analyst says.
“I believe there is good chance that the parties will make concessions
under pressure,” Leyla Aliyeva said while commenting on a statement
issued by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen that outlined the core
settlement principles and caused a great deal of debate.
Aliyeva added, however, that the statements aimed simply to study
public opinion, and that a strong public reaction to this would reduce
the possibility of compromises.
“The statements are also a tool to put pressure on the two
presidents. The co-chairs are thus trying to say that we have done
everything in our power and the responsibility is now yours. This
could be considered as pressure, because if a leader does not accept
concessions, it is usually frowned upon in the international arena,”
the analyst said.

ARMENIANS CONCERNED OVER STRENGTHENING AZERI COMMUNITY
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 6 2006
Baku, July 5, AssA-Irada
The activity of the Azerbaijani Diaspora has come to the forefront
and undoubtedly started to perturb the Armenian lobby, the chairman
of the State Committee on Work with Azerbaijanis Living Abroad,
Nazim Ibrahimov, has said.
Armenian representatives active in many countries of the world are
calling on the their community to step up its efforts, warning that
otherwise the Azerbaijani Diaspora will do away with the work it has
done over the past 100 years, Ibrahimov told reporters on Wednesday.
“Given that Armenians are indeed reacting to our efforts and come
out against them, this means we have tackled serious work. We are
making efforts of strategic importance and advancing the unity of
the Azerbaijani and Turkish Diasporas. Armenians will continue to
be concerned. But we have put forth power that cannot be countered,”
the committee chairman concluded.

AHMADINEJAD MEETS ARMENIAN LEADER
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 6 2006
Baku, July 5, AssA-Irada
Armenian President Robert Kocharian visiting Iran met with his
counterpart Mahmud Ahmadinejad on Wednesday.
The private and broad meetings focused on expanding bilateral ties and
a number of economic projects, including one on building a high-voltage
electricity line to fully provide Armenia with electric power.
Armenia and Iran signed several agreements in conclusion of the talks.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

NEW US ENVOY TO ARMENIA DUE IN TWO WEEKS
Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
July 6 2006
Baku, July 5, AssA-Irada
The new US ambassador to Armenia Richard Hoagland will arrive in
Yerevan immediately after his approval to the post in two weeks,
the US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and the new co-chair of
the OSCE Minsk Group (MG), Matthew Bryza, has said.
“Hoagland is well-versed on the Caucasus history. As for the current
ambassador John Evans, he is an outstanding envoy and it is wrong to
say that he is being recalled or even being estranged from diplomatic
service. This is not true,” the American official said.
“Ambassadors serve the president and should follow his policy. US
President George Bush’s policy on the mass killings of Armenians is
very clear, as he points out in his annual addresses,” said Bryza.
“If someone disagrees with it, they are at liberty to make their own
decisions, but these should not be divulged. Certainly, our job is
also to advise him, but we must support his policy when it comes to
public statements.”
The decision to replace Evans came after he called for recognition
of the “genocide of Armenians” that allegedly took place in Ottoman
Turkey at the dawn of the last century during a meeting with the
Armenian community in California in February 2005.
US officials had never used the “genocide” term before.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT ARRIVES IN TEHRAN FOR TWO-DAY VISIT
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
July 5, 2006 Wednesday 9:13 AM EST
Armenian President Robert Kocharian arrived in Tehran Wednesday to
hold talks on Iran’s natural gas supply to Armenia.
Kocharian will hold talks with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud
Ahmadinejad during the two-day-visit.
Apart from discussions on gas supply, agreements are expected to be
signed in areas including customs, road building, science, education,
culture and environment.
Kocharian will also meet officials of the Armenian society in Iran.
There are about 200,000 Armenians living in Iran.
In 2000, Iran and Armenia started building a 124-million-dollar gas
pipeline – 100 kilometres in Iran and 41 in Armenia – capable of
carrying 1.5 million cubic metres of gas per day from Iran to Armenia.
Tehran and Yerevan also have – together with Greece – a tripartite
military accord which is regarded very critically by Armenia’s arch-foe
Azerbaijan and its main ally Turkey.
The two countries established diplomatic ties in 1992 and Tehran
considers Yerevan to be one of the most advanced technological members
of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

SHIRAK PROVINCE HIT BY DROUGHT AND HAIL
Armenpress
Jul 6 2006
GYUMRI, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS: Officials in the northwestern province of
Shirak are calculating the volume of damage sustained to the region’s
agriculture by hails and drought.
They say the drought alone has destroyed barley planting in 15,000
hectares. Now farmers expect less than 400 kg of crop from a hectare
instead of previously anticipated 2,000 kg. Barley was completely
destroyed in Ani, Akhurian and Artik sub-regions.
Movses Manukian, head of agriculture department at the governor’s
office, said more damages were sustained by hails, hitting hard around
60 rural communities and 3,500 hectares of crops, especially under
wheat.. Officials estimate that the province has sustained 1 billion
drams damages.

JUSTICE MINISTER TO STEP UP POLITICAL ACTIVITY
Armenpress
Jul 6 2006
YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS: Armenian justice minister David Harutunian
has denied today media speculations that he is going to either join
a pro-government party, or set up his own party or contest the 2008
presidential election.
Speaking to journalists in the parliament premises, the minister,
nevertheless, did not rule out that he may contest a parliaments seat
on a ticket of one of the pro-government forces. “One thing is clear,
it is that I shall continue to deal with politics and this does not
mean to have a parliament member mandate or seek the post of the
country’s president,” he said, but ignored questions about what party
he may join.
Though the minister had announced earlier that he had no plans to
join a political party, Harutunian said today he could not restrain
the temptation by watching how political developments were unfolding.
“I have my ideas on various issues and I cannot insist that my
interests are restricted only to justice administration,” he said. The
minister spoke against the single-mandate election system to the
parliament adding that government ministers should also represent
a party.