KARABAKH CONFLICT SHOULD BE SETTLED FOR NORMALIZATION OF ARMENIA-TURKEY RELATIONS
PanARMENIAN.Net
26.04.2006 23:48 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis
stated that for the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations
it is necessary to settle the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. “This is an
urgent issue but as a matter of fact it’s a verge of the problem. We
should deal with the main problem, that is the future of Nagorno
Karabakh. So, let us proceed to the core of the problem but no go
around it,’ Terry Davis said, reported Mediamax.

COE: KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT MEETS INTERESTS OF WHOLE WORLD
PanARMENIAN.Net
26.04.2006 23:45 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ CoE Secretary General Terry Davis stated he
closely watches everything what happens over the Nagorno Karabakh
problem. “It’s regretful that the problem resolution takes so much
time, since the settlement is in the interests of Armenia, Azerbaijan
and especially Nagorno Karabakh,” the CoE Sec.Gen. said.
When asked about the possibility of regional cooperation before the
settlement of the conflicts available. Mr. Davis said “cooperation
is always possible however the existence of conflicts limits its
volume and level.” When commenting on the CoE’s engagement in the
Nagorno Karabakh settlement Terry Davis said, “The OSCE Minsk Group
plays a leading role in the process. I sincerely wish success to the
Russian, American and French Co-chairs. The conflict settlement meets
the interests of the whole world. But as I have already said, the
leading role belongs to the OSCE but not to the Council of Europe,”
reported Mediamax.

IN U.S. ALIYEV WILL BE OPENLY SAID OF INADMISSIBILITY OF KARABAKH CONFLICT MILITARY RESOLUTION
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.04.2006 00:18 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ It will be Aliyev’s first visit since becoming head
of the oil-rich state bordering both Russia and Iran, and Teheran’s
nuclear ambitions are undoubtedly one of the main reasons Aliyev
has been invited to the White House.” International Crisis Group
Caucasus project director Sabina Freizer has told APA while expressing
her attitude to Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev’s visit to the
US. Sabina Freizer stated that if the U.S. is keen to protect its
energy and security interests, the main issue on the table should be
the unresolved conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. For more than a decade,
only a shaky cease-fire has kept Armenia and Azerbaijan from resuming
their full-scale fighting over the small mountainous territory wedged
between them and Iran.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline and soon to be completed
Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline, which Washington sees as critical
to the West’s energy security, pass within 30 miles of this flashpoint.
In the past months, President Aliyev has intensified his bellicose
rhetoric, threatening to withdraw from peace talks and to militarily
recapture all territories currently occupied by Armenian backed
forces. He doubled the 2005 military budget to $600 million in 2006,
over 16% of Azerbaijan’s total budget. He has also pledged to make
military spending equal to the entire state budget of Armenia, and,
propped up by oil revenues, the Azeri leader’s threat is very real.
In Washington President Aliyev should be told clearly that a military
resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is unacceptable. Instead,
the U.S. Government should – while making clear that it will be
pressing Armenia equally strongly – push Azerbaijan to accept now
the principles of a comprehensive peace deal which would include
the renunciation of the use of force, the incremental withdrawal of
Armenian-backed forces from all occupied territories around Nagorno
Karabakh, the safe and voluntary return of all displaced persons,
the reopening of all transport and trade routes closed as a result
to the conflict, and a guarantee that the people of Nagorno Karabakh
will be given the right to self-determination based on a referendum
to be held after clear conditions are met.
This is close to what the Organization for Security and Cooperation
in Europe proposed in February, but there was little international
pressure on Armenia and Azerbaijan to encourage them to sign the
deal. As a first step President Aliyev should allow people-to-people
contacts between the Armenian and Azerbaijani sides.
Until now, the Bush Administration has claimed to have a
three-dimensional approach to Azerbaijan, focusing on security,
energy, and freedom through reform.
President Aliyev was not granted an earlier visit to the White House
because the 2003 presidential elections were considered to be seriously
flawed and were followed by a violent crackdown on the opposition. The
2005 Azerbaijani Parliamentary Elections were another disappointment,
which should have precluded an invitation to Aliyev less than six
months after they were held. Some of the three dimensions are clearly
more important than others.
Even as democratic reform was lagging, Secretary of Defense Donald
Rumsfeld traveled to Baku three times in 2003-2005. Most observers
in Baku consider these visits to be cementing the relationships that
could ease the way for the possible deployment of American troops
in Azerbaijan to be used in actions against Iran. Today’s invitation
may be part of the Bush Administration’s attempts to ratchet up the
pressure on Tehran. Interestingly, however, Aliyev is preparing to
welcome Iranian President Ahmadinejad in Baku in May, the second such
meeting in Azerbaijan after the two countries signed a non-aggression
pact last year.
According to Sabina Freizer, if the US wants to ensure Azerbaijan’s
long-term support of its policies towards Iran, and overall regional
security, its best bet is to first focus on securing a peaceful
resolution of the existing Nagorno Karabakh conflict. While the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict remains unresolved, Azerbaijan can ill
afford to undermine its improving relations with Tehran. At the same
time, if Azerbaijan makes good on its threat to take military action
against Nagorno Karabakh, close to Iran’s northern borders, it will
undermine U.S. energy and security interests and cause the flight
of foreign investment from Azerbaijan. The volatile South Caucasus
region, plagued also by unresolved conflicts in Georgia, risks being
completely destabilized, dragging into the fight neighboring Russia,
Turkey and Iran. This perilous scenario is worth talking to Aliyev
about as much as the threats of a nuclear Iran, reported APA.

PHOTO EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN MONUMENTS OPENED IN WASHINGTON
PanARMENIAN.Net
27.04.2006 00:30 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ A photo exhibition dedicated to the state of Armenian
historical and cultural monuments in Turkey and Nakhichevan opened
in the Armenian Embassy in Washington on April 24. Several dozens
of photos testify of consistent destruction of Armenian churches and
other historical monuments. The exhibition organized by an organization
studying the Armenian architecture functions under the slogan “cultural
genocide” and draws the attention of the international community to the
necessity of protection of Armenian cultural and historical monuments.
Opening the exhibition RA Ambassador to the U.S. Tatul Margaryan
highly assessed the activities of the Armenian architects and
noted that it’s very important today to preserve the tradition of
the Armenian architecture for the coming generations and raise
the issue of barbarian destruction of the Armenian khachkars in
Nakhichevan. The exhibition will function 10 days. It has already
been attended by hundreds of Americans including officials, reported
the RA MFA press office.

UNION OF ARMENIANS OF RUSSIA TO SEE TO MURDERERS OF ARMENIAN STUDENT GET HEAVY SENTENCE
AZG Armenian Daily
27/04/2006
Chairman of Russia’s Union of Armenians, Ara Abrahamian, made a
statement in Moscow on Saturday on occasion of murder of 17-year-old
Armenian student Vigen Abrahamiants. “The Union of Armenians of Russia
expresses resentment over cruel murder of first-year student of Moscow
Management University. We, as well as many other Russian citizens,
are extremely concerned over the rampant crimes committed out of
nationalistic intolerance,” Ara Abrahamian said.
“Manifestations of fascistic aggression are the result of connivance
from the authorities and law enforcers and the inability to protect
a citizen’s basic right to life. We demand from the law enforcing
structures to find and strictly punish the criminals.” Ara Abrahamian
has no doubt that nationalistic groups stand behind the crime. He
told daily Azg that a preparatory committee was set to see to the
investigation, the Union has hired a lawyer and took care of the
funeral expenses. Today, a roundtable with the participation of
national and non-profit organizations will be held in Moscow to discuss
further steps of prevention of such crimes. Mr. Abrahamian believes
that organizations and the state should join in united front and not
leave the task to Russian structures only. “There are almost 700.000
Armenians in Russia that hold passports of both countries. Vigen
Abrahamiants was registered in Moscow region. The number of racist
murders has doubled as compared with figures of the last year,” the
chairman said. Raging intolerance is also the result of inadequate
assessment of situation by the authorities and the police. Such
behavior of the officials breeds new crimes. Nationalism is an evil
that is directed first of all against Russia itself.
By M. Hovsepian
P.S. On April 25, Vigen Abrahamiants was laid to rest at the Armenian
cemetery in Moscow. At the subway station where the Armenian student
was murdered his picture was put up, and his fellow students and
ordinary people who condemn intolerance placed flowers.
On the night of April 26, around 100 Armenians closed the crossroad of
Novi Arbat and Sadovoye Koltso in Moscow protesting the investigation
results of the murder. The Armenians were resentful at the opinion
that the student chased a girl at the underground and that’s why he
was murdered. They are sure that the law enforcers try to conceal
the real cause of the crime.

AZERBAIJAN LEADER SAYS HE WON’T ALLOW HIS COUNTRY TO BE USED FOR OPERATIONS AGAINST IRAN
Barry Schweid
Associated Press writer Aida Sultanova contributed to this report
AP Worldstream
Apr 26, 2006
President Ilham Aliev of Azerbaijan opened a three-day visit to the
United States on Wednesday by saying he would not allow his country
to be used by the U.S. for any operations against neighboring Iran.
Aliev, scheduled to meet with President George W. Bush on Friday,
cited a “very clear” agreement with Iran that the two countries would
not permit their territory to be used for operations against the other.
His visit comes at a time of rising U.S. tensions with Iran over its
nuclear program, and Aliev said he would remain at arms’ length from
that conflict.
“Azerbaijan will not be engaged in any kind of potential operation
against Iran,” he said in remarks at the private Council on Foreign
Relations.
The Caspian Sea nation, which shares a border with Iran and Russia,
is strategically important to the U.S. because of its location and
its role in supplying the West with oil.
Azerbaijan wants to remain an “island of stability” in the region,
Aliev said. At the same time, he said Azerbaijan had sent troops
to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, and would “do its best to stand
shoulder-to-shoulder” with the United States on security.
The president, who took office in October 2003, has the potential to
be an intermediary between the Bush administration and Iran. Iranian
Defense Minister Mustafa Mohammad Najjar, on a visit to Baku last
week, said Aliev could use his talks in Washington to “explain”
Iran’s views to the United States.
Aliev said he did not think Iran would be a “major aspect” of his
talks in Washington, which are due to include a meeting with Vice
President Dick Cheney. But he said “if the question of regional
security arises we will discuss it.”
Azerbaijan is committed to peace in the region, he said. “We need to
try to provide peace and stability.”
“At this time,” he said, “it is best to concentrate on a peaceful
resolution” of the dispute over Iran’s nuclear programs, which the
United States and European allies say seek development of a nuclear
bomb.
On another issue, Aliev conceded there was need for political reform
in his country, a former Soviet republic of 7.9 million that became
independent 16 years ago. Referring to Azerbaijan’s energy boom, Aliev
said “economic reform without political reform will lead to severe
problems.” He said his country was moving forward on both fronts.
Human rights groups have criticized the nation for restricting
political and human rights and questioned whether U.S. criticism
would be muted due to Azerbaijan’s role in supplying the West with oil.
Freedom House on Tuesday said Azerbaijan restricts political and human
rights and is among the lowest-ranked countries in the private rights
group’s annual surveys.
“President Bush has made democracy promotion a priority of his
presidency,” Freedom House executive director Jennifer Windsor said
in a statement. “His upcoming meeting with President Aliev presents
an important opportunity for him to discuss Azerbaijan’s democracy
deficit.”
Aliev, in response to questions Wednesday, rejected the description
of his government as a “regime” and said, “We have all the major
freedoms.”
In his remarks, Aliev spoke most about a dispute with Armenia over the
Nagorno-Karabakh enclave of Azerbaijian. Ethnic Armenian forces hold
the region, in what Aliev called an occupation. He said Azerbaijan’s
recovery of the territory was not subject to negotiations.

‘I HAVE NO WORDS TO DESCRIBE WHAT I SAW’
By Gohar Gevorgian
AZG Armenian Daily
27/04/2006
President of Lithuania at Armenian Genocide Memorial
It’s hard to express one’s feelings while seeing a man’s cruelty
towards other man. Perhaps there is no language that could offer
words justifying such acts.
These were the words of Valdas Adamkus, president of Lithuania, that
he wrote in the memory book of the Armenian Genocide Museum after
visiting it with his wife Alma Adamkine and the Lithuanian delegation.
Justice minister Davit Harutyunian and Yerevan mayor Yervand
Zakharian accompanied the Lithuanian delegation at the Armenian
genocide Memorial.
Head of the Genocide Museum Lavrenti Barseghian presented the Armenian
history at large, the atrocities by the Turkish government and lives of
some of the genocide victims. The leader of the state that recognized
the Genocide on December 15 2004 presented the museum a gift saying:
“This is simply our symbolic appreciation as we have no words to
express what we saw.”
After lying a wreath at the Memorial the Lithuanian president planted
his second tree in the area of the Museum promising to visit time
after time to see how it grows. Lavrenti Barseghian, on his part,
promised to take care of the tree.

BUSH USES ‘MASS KILLING AND FORCED EXILE OF AS MANY AS 1.5 MILLION OF ARMENIANS’ ‘GENOCIDE’
By Aghavni Harutyunian
AZG Armenian Daily
27/04/2006
“Today, we remember one of the horrible tragedies of the 20th century:
the mass killing and forced exile of as many as 1.5 million of
Armenians in the final days of the Ottoman Empire in 1915. This was
a tragedy for all humanity and one that we and the world must never
forget,” US President George Bush said in his annual speech on the
occasion of April 24, the day of commemoration of the victims of the
Armenian Genocide.
Though Bush didn’t use the term “genocide,” he stated about the mass
killings and the forced exile of 1,5 million of Armenians in 1915.
Praising the individuals in Armenia and Turkey who have sought to
examine the historical events with honesty and sensitivity, Bush
encouraged dialogues directed to normalized relations between Armenia
and Turkey through shared understanding of the tragic events.
“Today, we look with hope to a bright future for Armenia. Armenia’s
Millennium Challenge Compact reflects our confidence and the
importance we place in Armenia making progress on democratic reform
and advancement of free markets. We remain committed to securing a
peaceful and lasting settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and
hope the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will take bold steps to
achieve this goal,” Bush stated.
In fact, touching upon the settlement of Nagorno Karabakh conflict, he
urges resolute steps from the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. This
factor may be imparted with great importance from the viewpoint of
USA activeness in Nagorno Karabakh issue.

KPMG HOSTS WELCOME EVENING FOR NEW PARTNER
AZG Armenian Daily
27/04/2006
A cocktail reception was held at the Golden Tulip Hotel Yerevan on
Tuesday 18th April to welcome Andrew Coxshall and his wife Fiona to
KPMG’s Yerevan Office.
Andrew will be the Partner in Charge of Audit for Armenia and Georgia.
Attending the event were leading members of the business community,
diplomats and government ministers. Special guests included the
Chairman of the Central Bank, Chairmen of several leading Banks,
representative from the British, US and French Embassies, Roger
Robinson, Head of the World Bank in Armenia and Roger Munnings,
CEO for KPMG Russia/ CIS.
Andrew Coxshall, a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants
in England and Wales set out that he expects to utilize his extensive
international audit experience to build KPMG’s Audit Practice in the
region. Speaking about Armenia he stated that he is excited about
its future – the current higher than average growth, the investment
potential and the growing opportunities for its people. Impressed by
the high quality of KPMG Armenia’s staff and the excellent educational
standards he anticipates that he will lead KPMG Armenia’s growth in
size and stature, not only in terms of revenue, but also in terms of
its people and the quality of services rendered to clients. Andrew also
commented on the investments that KPMG will be making in the future
including hiring graduates and experienced staff; a scholarship fund
and the extensive staff training program.
Roger Robinson, Country Manager for the World Bank in Armenia commended
KPMG on taking such an important step and welcomed KPMG’s assistance
in developing Corporate Governance structures in Armenia. Roger went
on to emphasize the importance of building capacity in the audit
sector and improving transparency in the wider business community to
underpin confidence of investors as the economy grows.
Roger Munnings expressed his confidence in the continued success of
the Armenian economy and commented that KPMG was proud of the team
of professionals in the Yerevan office. Increasingly they spend time
in KPMG offices around the world, bringing back their experience and
skills to assist in economic development in Armenia. He concluded the
formal addresses by stressing that KPMG’s commitment to Armenia and
that Andrew Coxshall’s appointment in Yerevan was a demonstration of
that commitment.
KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax
and Advisory services. It is the only one of the ‘Big 4’ Worldwide
Accounting and Consultancy companies operating in Armenia and currently
has over 70 staff to provide audit and assurance services on tax and
financial issues to major Armenian, Georgian and global companies
as well as to a wide range of non-governmental organizations and
financial institutions. KPMG takes pride in its ability to listen to
the opinions of its clients and analyze the challenges they face,
helping it to offer a wide range of high quality services meeting
the specific needs of each and every client.

REJECTION OF TURKISH GOODS A WAY OUT?
AZG Armenian Daily
27/04/2006
“According to our data, about 30% of the total cost of a consumer’s
basket is spent on low quality goods,” Armen Poghosian, head of RA
Association of Consumers, said this at a press conference on April 25.
He explained this by the consumers’ unawareness of their own
rights. Poghosian emphasized that during the shopping the consumers
should pay attention to the existence of cash check or the guarantee
ticket. “If the consumers have these two proofs, they will be able
to protect their rights by the law,” he said. He reminded that RA
Association of Consumers has been carrying out “No Turkish Goods”
campaign since 2001.
Abgar Yeghoyan, head of NGO for protection of consumers’ rights,
added that there is no relevant regulating system for removal of
low quality goods that are dangerous for life. “Our organization
has elaborated the draft of that system and have already submitted
that to the bodies of state management,” Yeghoyan said. Besides,
he added that in collaboration with RA Agriculture Ministry they are
elaborating a new draft law “On safety of our products.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress