OSKANIAN: TODAY BAKU HAS UNDERSTANDING TOWARDS KARABAKH RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION
Yerkir
19.04.2006 12:20
YEREVAN (YERKIR) – OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and Armenian and Azeri
Presidents discuss prospects of organizing Kocharian-Aliyev new
meeting, Armenian FM Vartan Oskanian stated in Yerevan today. In his
words, speaking of a specific date of the meeting is early.
A meeting of the Presidents will be justified only if mediators’
visits to the region are productive. There will be no sense in the
meeting, if no changes are registered in the situation in the talks
that was formed in Rambouillet,” the Armenian Minister said.
“Today as never the Azeri party has understanding of the rights
of Nagorno Karabakh people’s right to self-determination, though
Azerbaijan is creating obstacles to that,” Oskanian remarked
The Armenian FM said he considers speaking of return of any territories
is early. “As of the issue of return of refugees, it has a bilateral
character and its solution should be adequate to all parties,”
Oskanian remarked, reports Mediamax.

PRESIDNET KOCHARYAN RECEIVED DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER OF RUSSIA
ArmRadio.am
19.04.2006 12:48
President Robert Kocharyan received today the Deputy Foreign Minister
of Russia Grigori Karasin, who arrived in Armenia in the framework
of his regional visit.
The Deputy Foreign Minister informed that he is in Armenia to hold
consultations with Russian Ambassadors to Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan
and Turkey.
The interlocutors discussed issues related to Armenian-Russian
bilateral relations, the developments in South Caucasus and ways of
resolution of the existing conflicts. The parties exchanged views on
a number of urgent international issues.

EU TRIO DELEGATION TO VISIT ARMENIA
ArmRadio.am
19.04.2006 11:30
April 20 a delegation of EU Trio, headed Foreign Affairs State
Secretary of Austria Hans Wnikler will arrive in Yerevan. The
delegation comprises representative of Finland (as next Chair country),
EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Peter Semnebi,
and members of the European Commission. The delegation is expected
to meet high officials of Armenia. The Trio delegation will leave
Armenia for Georgia and Azerbaijan.

RUSSIA IN CHARGE OF CIS AERIAL EXERCISE ON 25 APRIL
Interfax news agency, Moscow
18 Apr 06
More than 70 craft, including MiG-31 and Su-27 fighters, Su-25 attack
aircraft, Su-24 fighter-bombers, A-50 long-range airborne early warning
and control aircraft [Mainstay] and long-range strategic aviation
aircraft will be taking part in an exercise of the CIS Unified Air
Defence System on 25 April, Russian Interfax – Military News Agency
reported on 18 April.
Quoting Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force in charge of
issues relating to the CIS Unified Air Defence System Lt-Gen Aytech
Bizhev, the agency said Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine would be taking part in
the exercises, designed to hone interaction in intercepting aerial
intruders of the CIS airspace and to fight aerial terrorism.
Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Air Force, Army General Vladimir
Mikhaylov, will take charge of the exercises from the Air Force’s
central command post, said the agency.

LEADER OF FRONTIER JOURNALISTS NGO TO ORGANIZE PHOTO EXPOSITION ON MAY 9 HOLIDAYS
Stepanakert, April 15. ArmInfo. Leader of Frontier Journalists NGO
intends to organize a photo exposition of “Navigator” Studio headed by
the famous fill director Karen Gevorgyan on May 9. This day is a triple
holiday for Nagorny Karabakh: Day of the Victory in the Great Patriotic
War, Day of NKR Defense Army, and Day of Liberation of Shushi.
League Coordinator Georgy Ghazaryan informs ArmInfo’s special
correspondent to Stepanakert that similar expositions will be organized
in future as well to show the unbiased picture of military actions of
Nagorny Karabakh conflict on the basis of archive materials. A number
of journalists from Armenia expressed an intention to participate in
the exposition.
A studio of young journalists has recently opened at the NGO. It will
contribute to creative growth of journalists. To support beginners,
seminars, symposiums and other events are planned. A newspaper
“Zarkerak” will be published as well.

ARMENIAN MINISTER ONLY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE FOR 2008 POLLS, POLITICIAN SAYS
Arminfo
17 Apr 06
Yerevan, 17 April: The majority of political parties are pro-Western
in Armenia today, but the West has not its candidate to run for the
forthcoming Armenian presidential election, the leader of the New
Times Party, Aram Karapetyan, has told an Arminfo correspondent.
“Armenian parliament speaker Artur Bagdasaryan is supported by the
West. Look what happened to him. The people who told me in 2005 that
serious cataclysms are expected in the Orinats Yerkir [Law-Governed
Country] Party in 2006, they predict today that only six MPs (less than
one third) will remain in the Orinats Yerkir faction, Karapetyan said.
The voting in the National Assembly on the state property privatization
programme confirm the validity of similar predictions, the leader
of the New Times Party said. He added that Armenian Defence Minister
Serzh Sarkisyan was the only presidential candidate from the Armenian
ruling circles as of today.
Unlike his opponents, Karapetyan denies categorically that the funds
received from the sale of the fifth unit of the Razdan thermal power
plant to the Russian Gazprom were transferred to the Defence Ministry
account and that this meant Russia’s support for Serzh Sarkisyan in
the forthcoming election. “When super powers support their candidates,
they do this unnoticed,” the opposition party leader said.
Aram Karapetyan said that the prevailing pro-Western mood in the
Armenian opposition is linked to the West’s “miraculous” ability to
carry out orange revolutions. “They want to believe in the West’s
active support in the future and meanwhile not to reject its financial
support,” he said.
Russia conducts a pro-Armenian policy today and support for the
Nagornyy Karabakh republic is part of this policy, the leader of the
New Times Party said. He considered the sale of the fifth unit of
the Razdan thermal power plant as the failure of the US Millennium
Challenge Corporation programme in Armenia.
“A total of 235m dollars were intended for the return of seven
districts in a security zone around Nagornyy Karabakh,” Karapetyan
said. He added that the USA would strengthen its pressure on
Armenia and Azerbaijan in the coming months, as a result of which
the geopolitical forces can change their positions in the region,
especially in Armenia.

THE VISIT OF THE ARMENIAN DELEGATION TO ROSTOV CONTINUES
ArmRadio.am
19.04.2006 10:45
RA Minister of Territorial Administration Hovik Abrahamyan and
Governor of Rostov region of Russia Vladimir Chub will sign a memo,
which will define the future directions of development of trade and
economic and humanitarian cooperation between Armenia and Rostov.
To remind, the Armenian delegation headed by Hovik Abrahamyan had
left for Rostov in the framework of the Year of Armenia in Russia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RUSSIAN DEPUTY FM ON KOSOVO PRECEDENT
Yerevan, April 18. ArmInfo. Generally, we don’t agree with the
arguments of those saying that Kosovo’s possible independence will
be non-alternative and unique, Russian Deputy FM Grigory Karasin
says in an interview to Novye Izvestiya, when asked how Kosovo’s
independence may influence Moscow’s position on the four unrecognized
post-Soviet republics (Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Transniestria and
Nagorny Karabakh).
This would make Kosovo just one more example of a self-determined
nation, along with Eritrea and East Timor. Naturally, this would become
a precedent for other unrecognized but de facto existing states. We
can’t prohibit one to act the way the others are allowed to. That
would be illogical.

ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES BREAK CEASE-FIRE AGAIN
Journal of Turkish Weekly
April 18 2006
Azeri news agencies reported that Armenian armed forces violated the
cease-fire in Azerbaijan’s regions of Gazakh and Terter.
The Defense Ministry told APA that the units of the Armenian forces
from their positions located near Mazam village, and occupied
village Ashaghi Askipara, Gazakh, fired on the opposite positions of
Azerbaijani armed forces and Mazam from 00.00 till 00.45 on 15 April.
The enemy forces from their positions located in north-east of the
Berkaber village of Armenia’s region of Ijevan fired on the positions
of Azerbaijani armed forces located near Gizil Hajili village, Gazkah,
with submachine and machine guns. Armenian forces fired on the opposite
positions of Azerbaijan from their positions near Garmiravan village
of Terter with submachine and machine guns from 05.30 till 05.35.
The enemy was silenced by response fire. No casualties were reported.
The experts warn that the Armenian aggressive attitudes may cause
a new war. About 20 percent of Azeri territories have been under
the Armenian occupation and Baku says that it will retake all these
occupied territories by force if Yerevan continues to reject the
withdrawal calls from the EU, OSCE, Turkey and US.
Lenkeran Aliyev: “Our Armed Forces are the strongest in the South
Caucasus”
“Our officers-leading force of the Azerbaijani Army is ready to
fight war. However, we are training more professional officers for
the Azerbaijani Armed Forces,” Chief of Defense Ministry Training
and Education Center (TEC), Major-General Lenkeran Aliyev stated.
Mr. Aliyev said that Azerbaijani Armed Forces were the most trained
and the strongest in the whole South Caucasus. He stressed that
hostile Armenian Army was many times weaker from moral-psychological
and professionalism aspects.
“Armenians depend on the Russian military bases in the country.
Therefore, their national Army is many times weaker than ours,”
the Ministry official underscored.
Aliyev also said youths have begun to show more interest in military
sphere recently. According to him, the young men conscripted into
the army are trained beforehand.
“We have normal base which provides an opportunity to meet NATO
standards in military training. Our military training is many times
professional than that of Armenians. Belarusian officers also confirm
it. But I think the military training is still not in satisfactory
level. Much needs to be done and more professional officers should
be trained,” Aliyev added.
Touching on housing of servicemen, the General said they have
raised this question at the Defense Ministry and the Supreme
Commander-in-Chief.
“Our proposals have been positively responded. The Supreme
Commander-in- Chief is interested in living conditions of out
military men. I made it urgent to provide military trainers in the
center with houses. Most of military trainers have no house to live,”
he underlined.
Lenkeran Aliyev considers it important to publicise truths on the
Army to remove negative stereotypes in the public regarding the Army.
Admitting that there are some shortfalls in the Army, Aliyev said
measures are being implemented to remove these deficiencies.
“You witness the processes in other structures. If to compare, the
Army looks stronger,” the General concluded.

ARMENIAN MINISTER, RUSSIAN DEPUTY MINISTER DISCUSS TIES
Arminfo, Yerevan
18 Apr 06
Yerevan, 18 April: Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan and
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigoriy Karasin, who has arrived in
Yerevan within the framework of his regional visit, discussed ways
to settle conflicts in the South Caucasus.
They exchanged views on dynamically developing bilateral relations,
as well as a number of urgent and promising international and
regional issues of mutual interest. They also discussed in detail
the situation in the South Caucasus, ways to settle conflicts, as
well as possibilities of restoring transport communications.
In this context, the ministers pointed out the importance of peaceful
solutions through talks. They also discussed the situation around
Iran and relations between Armenia and Turkey.