RIA Novosti. Russia
April 28 2006
Suspect in Armenian student killing released from custody
17:27 | 28/ 04/ 2006

MOSCOW, April 28 (RIA Novosti) – A high school student detained in
connection with the killing of an Armenian teenager in Moscow last
weekend has been released from custody, a lawyer for the student’s
family said.
Sixteen-year-old Denis Kulagin had been detained for 72 hours in
connection with the fatal stabbing of Vagan Abramyants, a 17-year-old
student at a Moscow manager training institute, at Pushkinskaya metro
station in downtown Moscow on April 22.
But his attorney Simon Tsaturyan said, “Prosecutors found no grounds
to charge [the suspect], so he was released.”
However, he added the status of his client remained unclear, as
investigators had to establish whether he was a witness or suspect.
The lawyer, though, said the dropping of charges showed that
prosecutors were inclined to probe further into a race-hate version.
The other version under consideration was that a row had broken out
between the two young men over a girlfriend.
“Our version that the crime was racially motivated has taken the
upper hand,” the lawyer said, adding that prosecutors were pursuing
another line that a group of young men had carried out the fatal
attack.
“Whether Kulagin was a suspect or an eyewitness is a question that
investigation will have to answer,” the lawyer said.

AzerTag, Azerbaijan
April 28 2006
PRESIDENT MEETS WITH AZERBAIJAN COMMUNITY
[April 28, 2006, 17:35:55]
President Ilham Aliyev on 27 April in his residence in Washington has
met with members of the Azerbaijan community in the United States.
Ambassador of Azerbaijan to USA Hafiz Pashayev, opening the meeting
said Heydar Aliyev constantly took care of the Azerbaijan Diaspora
and regularly met with them during his visits to foreign countries.
Noting that currently the Azerbaijan state gives great importance to
relations with Diaspora, the Ambassador expressed gratitude to
President Aliyev to meet with compatriots. Hafiz Pashayev said the
compatriots had become very active last years, taken part at the 2nd
Congress of World Azerbaijanis in Baku, held a meeting of protest in
the United States, including on the Khojaly genocide.
President Aliyev gave speech at meeting, noting Azerbaijan is quickly
developing country. Its ties with world countries expand day by day.
Azerbaijan has efficient cooperation and with the United States and
these relations rapidly develops, he stressed.
President said along with diplomatic means Azerbaijan also needs
strong Diaspora to rise image and hold up Azerbaijan’s position over
the world.
Head of the Azerbaijan state said the main efforts are directed to
settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict. He
stressed necessity of strengthening activity in this direction. To
this end, President of Azerbaijan said activity of the embassies in
foreign countries becomes very important. The establishments should
communicate the world with the truth about the conflict and its
sequences, the reason of the Armenian claims. `Our propaganda should
base on reality’, he stressed.
President of Azerbaijan also necessitated the close coordination
among the Azeri communities and act on common plan, from common
position.
President of Azerbaijan Society of America (ASA) Tomris Azeri,
President of America-Azerbaijan Council Ceyhun Mollazade, the
American representative of the World Azerbaijanis’ Congress and
others spoke of the importance of meeting, and told their
suggestions. President Ilham Aliyev appreciated the offer on creation
of America-Azerbaijan Federation.
The President once again emphasized the importance of coordination of
efforts for common goals, gave his recommendations to set in motion
the more and more people around the Diaspora.

BIA, Turkey
April 28 2006
Prosecutor Appeals Against Four Columnists
Bagcilar prosecutor’s office appeals against court decision dropping
charges for four prominent Turkish columnists for criticizing a
decision to ban 2005 Istanbul conference on Ottoman Armenians. Murat
Belge to be tried on June 8 under separate indictment
BIA News Center
28/04/2006 Erol ONDEROGLU
BÝA (Istanbul) – Istanbul’s Bagcilar district prosecutor’s office has
appealed against an April 11 court verdict dismissing a high-profile
controversial case against four prominent Turkish columnists who were
charged with attempting to influence the outcome of a trial though
their writings by criticising a court order halting a September 2005
Istanbul conference on Ottoman Armenians.
The court decided then that according to article 26 of the Press Law,
charges against the four were subject to statue of limitation due to
the time lapse between the date of alleged offence and when a case
was launched.
While it ruled to drop the charges against them, the court decided to
continue the trial of Radikal newspaper columnist and writer Murat
Belge as the only defendant in a new trial, concluding that the
statue of limitation did not apply to his case.
This week, the Bagcilar prosecutor’s office took the verdict for
journalists Hasan Cemal of the daily Milliyet and Haluk Sahin, Erol
Katircioglu and Ismet Berkan of the daily Radikal to the Court of
Appeals asking it to be overruled.
Belge himself is to stand trial under a separate indictment on June
8.
The four defendants were charged in December under Article 288 of the
Turkish Penal Code with “attempting to influence the outcome of a
fair trial” through their writing. All except Berkan also faced
prosecution under Article 301 for “publicly degrading the judiciary”.
If the trial had not been dismissed and they were convicted, all of
the defendants could have faced prison terms of six months to 10
years under the charges.
Belge Trial Details
Journalist Murat Belge’s hearing at the Bagcilar 2nd Court of First
Istance will be held on June 8, at 10.30 local time. Belge is being
charged with violating articles 288 and 301/2 of the Turkish Penal
Code.
He is geld responsible for a September 24, 2005 article titled “The
murder of law” and the October 15, 2005 dated commentary titled “A
Court Decision. ” While the first article was subject to statue of
limitations, the Bagcilar court had decided that he should stand
trial for the second one. (EO/II/YE)

Anatolian Times, Turkey
April 28 2006
Press Review
CUMHURIYET
LITHUANIA CALLS FOR `INSIGHT’ ON SO-CALLED GENOCIDE
Lithuania President Valdas Adamkus, currently visiting Yerevan,
Armenia, said yesterday that a Turkey which wants to enter the
European Union should act more `insightfully’ about the so-called
Armenian genocide. Adamkus said that if his country’s relations with
Turkey suffer due to Ankara’s current stance, they would call on
Turkey, an EU candidate country, to observe the principle of `mutual
respect.’ /Cumhuriyet/

Civil Georgia, Georgia
April 28 2006
Russian Senator Offers to Resume Meetings of `Four Speakers’

Chairman of the Council of Federation of Russia Sergey Mironov
called on April 28 for resumption of regular sessions in frames of
four parliamentary speakers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and
Russia.
`I have discussed this issue with my Azerbaijani and Armenian
colleagues and they have welcomed [this initiative]. I hope Nino
Burjanadze [the Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson] will not be
against,’ Sergey Mironov told reporters on the sideline of ceremonies
marking the 100th anniversary of the Russian State Duma.
A session of the four parliamentary speakers was last held in
September, 2005 in Moscow.
Meanwhile, unofficial reports say that Chairman of the Russian State
Duma Grizlov has canceled a meeting with visiting Georgian
Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze, which was scheduled to
take place on April 28 on the sidelines the ceremony marking the
Duma’s anniversary.

Regnum, Russia
April 28 2006
Armenian MP calls for impeaching the speaker
During the next week’s parliamentary session the member of the
Armenian parliament Hamayak Hovhannissyan is going to call on the
political coalition (Orinats Yerkir, Republican Party and ARFD –
REGNUM) to impeach the speaker of the parliament Artur Baghdassaryan.
`Artur Baghdassaryan is not a private person or a company director to
express private views during official visits. He is the speaker of
the parliament and, when at international organizations, must
represent the position of the parliamentary majority that elected him
to his post. If today the president, the Republican Party and the
ARFD say that when speaking about the country’s priorities
Baghdassaryan did not represent their position, they must demand that
Baghdassaryan resign, which is exactly what I propose. Artur
Baghdassaryan is not a dissident or a revolutionary to make
statements contrary to the country’s foreign policy, and the Armenian
people should be confident that the first figures of its state are
unanimous on the issue of national security. If the coalition wants
to make the country’s national security an object for external
speculations, then they and Robert Kocharyan must leave Baghdassaryan
in his post; but otherwise, he has no more right to represent the
parliamentary majority,’ says Hovhannissyan.
He says that `in an interview to a German newspaper the speaker has,
in fact, slapped the country’s leadership and the coalition in the
face, and if the majority fails to dismiss him, it is politically
incapable,’ reports Haykakan Zhamanak daily.
To remind, in an interview Frankfurter Allgemaine Zeitung,
Baghdassaryan said that `Armenia’s future is the EU and NATO’ and
`Russia must not stand in the way to Europe.’ Commenting on the
speaker’s statement, President Robert Kocharyan quoted Armenia’s
Constitution: `Armenia’s foreign policy is determined by the
President.’ `The speaker’s statement might reflect his own changed
position,’ Kocharyan said. Meanwhile, when in St. Petersburg Artur
Baghdassaryan said that `Armenia’s aspiration to enlarge its
relations with the EU and NATO is not aimed against Russia, and
Armenia has no aim to join NATO.’
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Today, Azerbaijan
April 28 2006
Ilham Aliyev: “Azerbaijan won’t be place for US-Russian
confrontation”

28 April 2006 [15:30] – Today.Az

“If the United States of America and Russia want a place for
confrontation let them choose not Azerbaijan, but other place,”
visiting the Unites States of America Ilham Aliyev, President of
Azerbaijan told at Business and Investment Meeting of the
US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce (USACC).

Later the President, Ministers of Economic Development, Finance,
Information Technologies, Culture and Tourism reported to the
audience. A special video roller devoted to the Azerbaijan was
broadcast as well. The most interesting was the interrogation at the
conference. But the American community was more interested in Nagorno
Karabakh conflict and happenings around Iran.
President expressed in his speech that Azerbaijan would participate
in the anti-terror coalition operations under the command of the USA
aiming to create peace in Iraq. As response to the question of the
audience the Head of the state said that Azerbaijan sends to Iraq
military forces, but not “drivers” as Armenia.
Later President met with Robert Zoellick, Deputy Secretary of State.
This meeting lasted more the half an hour than planned. Energy
security, transportation of oil and gas to the international market
was the topics of the discussion. The Head of the state noted in
meeting with the representatives of Azerbaijan Diaspora the Armenian
lobby spreads negative opinions about Azerbaijan. Because their main
purpose is spot Azerbaijan and introduce it as an anti-democratic
country so that Armenians cannot live as minorities. As if they can’t
live in security here.
Ilham Aliyev called Azerbaijan Diaspora to be more active and for
close cooperation with one another. President Ilham Aliyev will meet
with the US president George Bush, Dick Cheney, vice-president and
Donald Rumsfeld, the chief of the Pentagon, ANS reports.

URL:

Regnum, Russia
April 28 2006
`Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity has nothing to do with Nagorno
Karabakh’: Tigran Torossyan
`The territorial integrity of any country, and Azerbaijan, in
particular, should be respected, but it has nothing to do with
Nagorno Karabakh. Only one principle is applicable to Nagorno
Karabakh – the right of a nation to self-determination, which the NK
people exercised in full compliance with the Constitution of the
former USSR. And the OSCE Minsk Group also shares this view. So, here
we have no problem – Nagorno Karabakh is already self-determined,’ a
REGNUM correspondent in Stepanakert reports Deputy Speaker of the
Armenian Parliament Tigran Torossyan as saying at a briefing in the
capital of Nagorno Karabakh.
He said that today nobody disputes the right of the NK people to
self-determination. `I think that nobody doubts that, if held, a
repeated referendum on NK’s status will give similar results. And
even though NKR is yet not recognized de jure, it has excellent
prerequisites for that if it acts consistently,’ says Torossyan.
He considers absurd Azerbaijan’s talk about giving autonomous status
to Nagorno Karabakh. `Aliyev Senior, Aliyev Junior, and many Azeris
have kept saying from year to year, and, if not tired, may do that
for many years more, – even after the recognition of NKR’s
independence – that they are ready to give NK `a wide autonomy’
within Azerbaijan. Today Ilham Aliyev represents only Azerbaijan’s
position, which does not reflect the positions of the European
structures,’ Torossyan said. He noted that the European structures
have recently begun to actively discuss the Karabakh problem –
directly or indirectly. `In 2005 PACE passed resolution 14-16 on the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Just a few days ago they adopted a
resolution on refugees and are drafting a resolution on missing
people. All these issues are directly or indirectly related to the
Karabakh conflict. Besides, PACE has an ad hoc committee on the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Naturally, this work should be continued,
and it is very important that our parliaments keep in constant touch
with one another. We are ready to discuss any proposals by the NKR
parliament,’ Torossyan said.
Even though the European structures and PACE, in particular,
constantly say that they are not going to search for solutions to the
Karabakh problem, the Council of Europe notes that its task is to
create a favorable atmosphere for its resolution – as this is in line
with its general mission. `These tasks are formulated in Resolution
14-16, containing an urge to stop militarist statements and hatred
propaganda, and the PACE ad hoc committee will watch how this
resolution is fulfilled,’ Torossyan said. He informed that in October
2006 the committee will come to Stepanakert on a fact-finding visit.

Fox News
April 28 2006
Bush, Azerbaijani President Talk Iran, Energy Security
Friday, April 28, 2006
WASHINGTON – President Bush told the president of Azerbaijan on
Friday that his oil-rich country has “a very important role to play”
in guaranteeing energy security around the world. The two leaders
also discussed Iran, an area of potential difference.
Bush said he assured President Ilham Aliev that the United States
wants to resolve a crisis over Iran’s nuclear program through
diplomacy. Aliev has made it clear that he would not allow his
country to be used for any operations against its neighbor.
Bush and Aliev met in the Oval Office after the White House
acknowledged that parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan have not met
international standards.
Bush said he told the president that “democracy is the wave of the
future.” Aliev said, “We share the same values.” He said Azerbaijan
is a “secular, democratic country.”
Energy was a major issue. “I appreciate the vision of the government,
the vision of the president, in helping this world achieve what we
all want, which is energy security,” Bush said. “Azerbaijan has got a
very important role to play and we discussed internal politics and we
discussed the politics of the neighborhood as well.”
In a personal note, Bush congratulated Aliev on the wedding of his
daughter this weekend.
Ahead of the meeting, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov
called Iran “our big neighbor” and emphasized that the two countries
“share history, culture and religion.” He said Iran guarantees
Azerbaijan transit rights for land shipments and provides gas
supplies to its Nakhichevan enclave, cut off by Armenia and
Nagorno-Karabakh.
“All this plays a great role when we speak about the situation around
Iran,” he said.
Mammadyarov said the Bush-Aliev meeting signified the two countries
were entering a new level of cooperation as Azerbaijan becomes a key
energy transit country. The newly built Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline,
which provides an alternative to Russian routes and energy sources in
the volatile Middle East, is scheduled to deliver the first shipments
of Caspian Sea oil to Western markets this June. In the fall, the new
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzerum gas pipeline will provide a new source of energy
for the Turkish market.
“This answers our national interest and signifies the strengthening
of Azerbaijan’s independence, of our position on the international
arena and the region,” Mammadyarov told The Associated Press in an
interview.
Azerbaijani officials also hope Bush and Aliev will discuss the
18-year-old conflict over the ethnic Armenian-dominated enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh. At least 30,000 people were killed and 1 million
made refugees during six years of war that ended with a shaky
cease-fire in 1994. Ethnic Armenian forces occupy the enclave inside
Azerbaijan.
The United States, together with Russia and the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe, is trying to mediate a
resolution.

Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 28 2006
GLO issued statement denouncing foreign minister Vardan Oskanian’s
visit to Khankendi
[ 28 Apr. 2006 14:42 ]
Today Garabagh Liberation Organization (GLO) has issued a statement
denouncing Armenian foreign minister Vardan Oskanian’s visit to
Khankendi, GLO press service has informed APA.
GLO evaluated in the statement Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian’s
visit to Nagorno Garabagh as position in the settling of the
conflict: ` The visit of foreign minister’s visit to Khankendi in
this level of the negotiations shows their not being withdrawal from
their occupation intention. Continuing the talks leads to nothing.’
In the statement it is demanded from Azerbaijani state to stop
negotiations: `Taking into consideration the position of Armenia,
Azerbaijan should continue negotiations and launch anti-terror
operations to free the occupied lands in military way. Not any state
can deprive Azerbaijan from this right.’/APA/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress