AZERI, ARMENIAN FMS TO MEET WITH OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS IN STRASBOURG
Author: E.Huseynov
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
May 10 1006
The Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia will meet with the
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs n Strasbourg. The Foreign Ministry told
Trend the meeting will be held in Strasbourg on 18-19 May within the
framework of a meeting of the Council of Europe Political Committee.
Elmar Mammadyarov, the Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, has recently
stated that the mediators had some interesting ideas on the peaceable
resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Minister noted that
the results of discussions would clarify the necessity for conduct
of a meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents.
Next-in-turn meeting of the Presidents can be held in the end of May
in a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of NATO in Paris.

NKR PRESIDENT AND DELEGATION OF RUSSIAN “STRATEGIC CULTURE” FUND DISCUSS PROSPECTS OF KARABAKH SETTLEMENT
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 10 2006
STEPANAKERT, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. NKR President
Arkadi Ghukasian received on May 9 Vladimir Maximenko, the Director
General of the Russian “Strategic Culture” fund and experts Alexander
Krilov and Andrei Areshev.
As Noyan Tapan was informed by the NKR President’s acting Press
Secretary, participants of the meeting touched upon the present
approaches and viewpoints among the Russian experts’ and information
circles, concerning the essence of the Karabakh conflict and prospects
of settlement.

RA FOREIGN MINISTRY’S PRESS SECRETARY HAMLET GASPARIAN APPOINTED ENVOY TO FRANCE
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 10 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Hamlet Gasparian,
the Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia
was appointed the envoy to France. In 1999-2002 he also officiated
in France as the RA Embassy’s Advisor. H.Gasparian has occupied the
post of the Press Secretary since autumn, 2003. In 2005 he, at the
same time, coordinated works of organizing days of Italy to Armenia.
During his this mission trip, H.Gasparian will participate in holding
the Year of Armenia in France. According to the information submitted
to Noyan Tapan by the RA Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information
Department, H.Gasparian combined during his activity professions of a
journalist and diplomate. In 1991-1995 he was the editor of the “Azg”
newspaper, in 1997-1998 he headed the National Television of Armenia.
He is an author of numerous articles, which were published in press
of Armenia and Diaspora, he formed and edited books, has translations
from French as well. By the RA President’s decree of late last year,
H.Gasparian was confired the dimplomatic degree of the RA Envoy
Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary. Obligations of the RA
Foreign Ministry’s Press Secretary are provisionally put on Vladimir
Karapetian, the Chief of the Department for Ties with Media of the
Foreign Ministry’s Press and Information Department.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

CASPIAN COUNTRY RICH IN PETROLEUM
By Ryu Jin
Korea Times Correspondent
Korea Times, South Korea
May 10 1006
BAKU, Azerbaijan _ The Republic of Azerbaijan is a petroleum-rich
country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. It gained independence from
the former Soviet Union in 1991 amid political turmoil and against
a backdrop of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Dubbed the “Land of Fire,” the country has been famed for its oil
and natural gas resources since ancient times, when Zoroastrians _
for whom fire was an important symbol _ erected temples around burning
gas vents in the ground.
At the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, Azerbaijan is
bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia
to the northwest, Armenia to the west and Iran to the south.
In the 19th century, the country experienced an unprecedented oil boom,
which attracted vast international investment. At the beginning of
the 20th century, it was supplying almost half the world’s petroleum.
Since the 1990s, Western companies have invested millions of dollars
in developing the country’s oil and gas reserves, though critics say
the economy as a whole has not benefited as much as it might have done.
The period has also been marred by bloody conflict. As the Soviet
Union collapsed, the predominantly Armenian population of the
Nagorno-Karabakh region stated their intention to secede from
Azerbaijan.
War broke out and the Armenians of Karabakh took control of the region
and surrounding territory. A ceasefire was signed in 1994.
Azerbaijan lost 16 percent of its territory and must support some
528,000 internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict.
Some one-seventh of its territory remains occupied, while 300,000
other refugees are scattered around the country.
Azerbaijan has been a member of the Council of Europe since 2001,
although 93 percent of its 8.4-million population is Muslim,
three-fourths of them Shiites.
The country is formally an emerging democracy, but under strong
authoritarian rule. Often accused of rampant corruption and
election-rigging, the country’s ruling circles walk a tightrope
between Russian and Western regional geo-strategic interests.
South Korea established diplomatic relations with Azerbaijan in March
1992, but did not have a diplomatic mission there until last March.
A senior official accompanying Roh on his trip to Baku said
the president’s three-day official visit to Azerbaijan has great
significance since it will lay the cornerstone of Seoul’s diplomatic
efforts in the region.
Roh’s Azerbaijan visit is the first by a South Korean head of state
to the Caspian country.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ORINATS YERKIR PARTY TO PRESENT ITS EXACT POSITION ABOUT PROCESSES INSIDE PARTY AND FACTION IN COMING DAYS
Noyan Tapan
May 10 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. In the coming days the Orinats
Yerkir (Country of Law) Party will present its exact position
about the processes going on inside the party and the parliamentary
faction. Mher Shahgeldian, party’s Vice-Chairman, Chairman of RA NA
Standing Committee on Defence, National Security and Internal Affairs,
informed about this preferring to refrain from any commentaries for
the present. According to him, as of May 10, in the recent 4-5 days,
5 businessmen MPs put in applications on leaving the party and the
parliamentary faction. They are Melik Manukian (electoral district
N 45), owner of the Bellagio restaurant complex Grigor Margarian
(electoral district N 13), Kotayk Governor’s brother Samvel Shahgaldian
(electoral district N 43), Arshak Mkhitarian and shareholder of
the MAP company Alexan Petrosian (the last two were elected by the
proportional system). To recap, earlier one more businessman MP,
owner of the SAS supermarkets’ network Artak Sargsian, was expelled
from the party for voting “for” the report on fulfilment of the state
property privatization program, against the party’s position. The MPs
who left the party according to their own application abstained during
the voting with the exception of M.Manukian who was absent from the
voting. According to M.Shahgeldian, no reason for leaving the party and
the faction was mentioned in the applications of the above-mentioned
MPs. To recap, according to some rumours, other businessmen MPs also
have serious intentions to leave the party and the faction, faction
head Samvel Balasanian is also mentioned among them. As Noyan Tapan
correspondent was informed by Hovhannes Margarian, member of the
party board, Vice-Chairman of RA NA Standing Committee on State and
Legal Issues, personally he “does not see any tragedy or shock if,
for instance, 61995 or 61994 out of over 62 thousand members of the
Orinats Yerkir Party remain”.
He also mentioned that they have passed a 3-year joint way with the
MPs who left the party and there is “a mutual confidence and respect
towards one another”. According to him, “black agitation campaign, a
crusade” has started by different political forces towards the Orinats
Yerkir Party in the recent month, but “they have obtained immunity
towards all this”. He assured that henceforth the Orinats Yerkir
Party will protect the principles adopted by it and the estimation
given by its electors will be the most important for the party.
“Not being for suppositions and prognoses” the MP said that he has
no apprehension that in the near future the party can found itself
among the minority, according to the rumours, having only 5-6 instead
of 21 MPs included in the party in advance.

JOINT SITTING OF COMMISSIONS ON DEMARKATION AND LIMITATION OF ARMENIAN-GEORGIAN STATE FRONTIER HELD IN TBILISI
Noyan Tapan
May 10 2006
TBILISI, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. A joint sitting of Armenian and Georgian
commissions on demarkation and limitation of the Armenian-Georgian
state frontier was held on May 9-10 in Tbilisi. After the sitting
the Chairmen of the commissions, RA Deputy Foreign Minister Gegham
Gharibjanian and Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister Georgi Manjgaladze,
stated that the sides have came to an agreement on most part of the
outline of the state frontier between the two countries and reached
agreements about doing further works. Gegham Gharibjanian met with
Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili, conveyed him RA Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian’s greetings and presented the result of the
joint sitting. G.Gharibjanian also met with his Georgian counterpart,
Georgian first Deputy Foreign Minister V.Chechelashvili and discussed
urgent issues relating to bilateral relations.

ZORI BALAYAN INFORMS ARKADI GHUKASIAN ABOUT RE-START OF REGULAR STAGE OF “CILICIA” SAILING VESSEL’S NAVIGATION
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 10 2006
STEPANAKERT, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. NKR President
Arkadi Ghukasian received on May 9 writer and publicist Zori Balayan
who informed about re-start of the regular stage of the “Cilicia”
sailing vessel’s navigation and programs to be implemented during
it. As Noyan Tapan was informed by the NKR President’s acting Press
Secretary, Arkadi Ghukasian asked in his turn to pass his wishes
of happy journey and new and new successes to Armenian navigators
and expressed a hope that the “Cilicia” staff will this time as
well implement its high mission of re-start of Armenian navigation
traditions.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

THEATER FIGURES MARK KIM ARZUMANIAN’S 80th BIRTH ANNIVERSARY
Noyan Tapan
May 10 2006
YEREVAN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The jubilee evening held on May 10 at
the Theater Figures’ Union of Armenia was dedicated to the 80th birth
anniversary of RA Honored Art Figure, prominent producer, theatrical
pedagogue, professor Kim Arzumanian. As Honored Art Figure Alexander
Kocharian mentioned, Kim Arzumanian started his stage activity from the
Theater of Young Spectator, then continued at the Gabriel Sundukian
National Academic Theater and at Hakob Paronian Theater of Musical
Comedy. Later, in 1951, he worked at the Armenian radio where he staged
34 radio performances. Then, starting to work at the television,
he produced 40 TV performances, which have not lost their freshness
now, many years later. Several generations of Armenian producers were
formed during the pedagogical activity of the talented art figure. As
A.Kocharian estimated, Kim Arzumanian, coming to TV from the stage,
was able to skilfully see the essential difference between the stage
and the video camera: “The very first performance produced by him made
it clear that the theater producer naturally became a TV producer”. The
prominent producer has always been the apologist of the classical,
traditional and realistic. “In his theatrical works he has been loyal
to the principles of the realistic theater and has not accepted the
temporary “tricks” penetrating into the art the course of time,”
A.Kocharian emphasized. Kim Arzumanian has staged 17 performances
for the theater, among which the most noteworthy are the “Mijnord
Ter Papa” and the “Madame San-Jem”. Kim Arzumanian’s “Sayat-Nova”
film is being warmly spoken about by the people up to this day. It
was repeatedly shown on TV at the viewers’ request.

ALLEGED MEMBERS OF ARMENIAN GROUP OF CRIMINALS ARRESTED IN GERMANY
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
May 10 2006
BERLIN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. The Police of Germany
arrested on May 9 three men who are suspected in being a member of
the Armenian group of criminals engaged in sale of narcotics and
implementation of murders.
According to Radio Liberty, two other people are also arrested on
this case: they are accused of having killed four Caucasians in
Eastern Germany, and the Police will attempt to find out if they
have any connection with six other murders committed in Europe. The
German DPA agency informs that the group of criminals functioned
in Germany, Belgium, Great Britain and Armenia. Persons’ names and
other data are not mentioned. It is informed that one of members of
the group of criminals is already taking his punishment in one of
prisons of Germany, another has been arrested in France and waits
for to be sent to Germany. According to the DPA, the investigation,
as a result of what arrests were implemented on Tuesday in the cities
of Gera and Halle of Germany, has started three years before when two
dead bodies and parts of clothes were found in the forest zone. One
of the victims was recognized as a 47-years old Armenian, identity
of another has not been found out yet.

BLACK SEA AIR CRASH SEARCH TO FOCUS ON BLACK BOXES THURSDAY
RIA Novosti, Russia
May 10 2006
SOCHI, May 10 (RIA Novosti) – Recovery teams are expected Thursday
to focus on the search for the flight data recorders of an Armenian
airliner that crashed off Russia’s Black Sea coast last week, emergency
services said Wednesday.
The search effort will be restarted when the hydroacoustic equipment
brought by French Airbus experts have been prepared, said Vladimir
Yerygin, who oversees technological support for the operation to
recover the black boxes. They are seen as the key to explaining why
the Airbus crashed killing all 113 people on board.
“The French experts brought the equipment yesterday, which will help
locate the A-320 flight recorders,” Yerygin said, adding that the
four beacons were at the Sochi seaport at the moment and it might
take six hours to deliver them onto boats and tune them.
In all, 51 bodies have been recovered so far.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress