MATTHEW BRYZA: THERE IS POLITICAL WILL FOR SOLVING PROBLEM
YEREVAN, JULY 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On July 29, after his
meeting with RA President Robert Kocharian, OSCE Minsk Group American
Co-Chairman Matthew Bryza announced that he is satisfied with that
meeting which was useful for him. “I see that there is a political
will for solving the problem, and the philosophy on the basis of our
suggestions is acceptable”, said Matthew Bryza to the radio Liberty.
Speaking about the details of the suggestions, he said that still
there are problems connected with Kelbajar and Lachin, as well as
with the referendum. Bryza confirmed that as the co-chairmen affirm,
the Karabakh people should solve the problem of the Karabakh status.
“But the question is whom we should consider the people of
Karabakh. There are also inhabitants of 1988, who also want to take
part in the referendum”, said Bryza hinting at displaced Azerbaijani
minority of Karabakh. In his words, “all these problems should be
still worked out as part of the large-scale package of agreement”.
“The principles, that today are on the table, are not an agreement
yet, they are only principles, suggestions. So as it is impossible to
avoid the agreement if there is not such”, said the American diplomat.
“You are the deputy assistant of the U.S. state secretary and so
the most high-ranking official of the United States who has ever
visited Karabakh, aren’t you?. In response to this question of the
radio station, Matthew Bryza said:” Frankly speaking I don’t know
the history who have visited Karabakh, but I go there not as deputy
assistant of the state secretary but as Minsk Group co-chairman. I
will also visit Azerbaijan, and then I will share my impressions with
the other co-chairmen Bernard Fassier and Yuri Merzliakov.”
In response to the question, whether there is a chance to come to
an agreement this year and if this year the problem isn’t solved,
is everything postponed at least until 2009, Bryza said: “Of course,
there is a chance and it would be beneficial for the leaders of the
two countries to participate in the elections after having solved the
problem. But the elections are not an obstacle for the negotiations
process. Simply it is easier to solve the problem at a time when the
political processes have not flamed up yet”.
In response to the remark that the Minsk Group has been functioning
for more than 10 years, but the problem is not solved yet, and to the
question whether that group is ready to function for another 10 years,
the American co-chairman said: “We are ready to function as long as
the sides treat the negotiations process seriously. We see that our
friends in Armenia treat the process seriously.”
In connection with the democratic state in Armenia, M.Bryza mentioned:
“We hope that Armenia has chosen a right way. The ties between America
an Armenia will be as strong as the democracy will be in Armenia. And
Armenia’s participation in the Millenniun Challenge program is the
best way for America to be sure that Armenia moves forward on the
democratic way. Democracy is a process”.
In response to the question whether the expression that there are
more visible tendencies of democracy in Azerbaijan, is ascribed
to him, the American diplomat answered that he did not say such a
thing: “Armenia and Azerbaijan cannot be compared at all. Both have
their advantages and disadvantages. I meant that Azerbaijan doesn’t
correspond to certain standards, but this doesn’t mean that there is
no progress. The tendencies in Azerbaijan are positive over the past
months. The tendencies in Armenia are also positive”.

EXHIBITION OF WORKS OF ARMENIAN, IRANIAN, TURKISH AND
GEORGIAN ARTISTS TO KICK OFF IN AUGUST
Armenpress
YEREVAN, JULY 31, ARMENPRESS: Works by 25 Armenian, Iranian, Turkish
and Georgian artists will be presented at the exhibition entitled
“Art without Borders” which will kick off August 4 at the Center of
Innovative Experimental Art.
The head of the project Eduard Palasanian told Armenpress that 6 of the
artists are from Armenia, five from Georgia, seven from Iran and seven
from Turkey. According to him, the exhibition is a unique phenomenon
of contemporary art and it proves that political controversies do
not influence the cultural life.
Palasanian also noted with regret that their three-year efforts
towards involving Azerbaijani artists in the exhibition failed. At the
exhibition paintings, photos and different equipment will be presented.
The exhibition will last until August 25.

ARMENIAN RED CROSS READY TO RENDER ASSISTANCE TO REFUGEES FROM LEBANON
AZG Armenian Daily #143, 01/08/2006
Regional
At present, already 600 people were forced to leave
Lebanon and Israel for Armenia. 51 of them has turned
to RA Migration Agency to receive the status of
temporary residents. But none of them has appealed to
the Armenian office of the Red Cross yet, though the
organization is ready to render any kind of assistance
to them. “if they appeal to us, we can render them
financial, legal, psychological, consultative aid, as
well as food,” Edmon Azarian, head of Disaster
Management Department of the Armenian Red Cross
Office, said. The office has set the list of monthly
rendered food, including certain amount of oil, rice,
sugar and other products, as well as financial aid
envisaged for a year depending on the social status of
the citizens that turned for help.
The Armenian Red Cross is collaborating with the UNHCR
and is being financed by that. “If the number of the
refugees grows, after evaluating their needs, we will
be able to render aid to as many people as required,”
Azarian said. Certainly, the refugees do not turn to
the Armenian Red Cross, as they have no idea about the
existence of such a source. Besides, as a result of
the tense situation in the region, it is expected that
more Armenians will arrive in Armenia from Georgia.
By Karine Danielian

RA FOREIGN MINISTER AND OSCE MG AMERICAN CO-CHAIR DISCUSS
SOME DETAILS OF PRINCIPLES ON NEGOTIATIONS TABLE
YEREVAN, JULY 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian and OSCE Minsk Group American Co-chair Matthew
Bryza discussed the current state of Nagorno Karabakh settlement
negotiations at the July 29 meeting. The interlocutors discussed some
details connected with the principles on the negotiations table. They
exchanged thoughts about their future tasks and settlement prospects.
After the meeting M.Bryza left for Nagorno Karabakh where his meetings
with NKR leadership are scheduled.
According to the report provided to Noyan Tapan from RA Foreign
Ministry Press and Information Department, this is the American
Co-chair’s first visit to Armenia on his current post and the visit
has a cognitive character.

BRYZA CONTENT WITH PUBLIC DISCUSSIONS IN ARMENIA AND
AZERBAIJAN AROUND PROPOSALS PUBLISHED BY HIM
YEREVAN, JULY 31, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. On July 29,
U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matthew Bryza made his first
visit to Armenia as U.S. OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair. Following his trip
to Yerevan, Bryza visited Stepanakert and Baku, this is mentioned in
the official report provided to Noyan Tapan from the Public Relations
Department of the Embassy of U.S. to Armenia.
“In Armenia, Matthew Bryza met with President Robert Kocharian and
Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian. Bryza discussed the conflict in
Nagorno-Karabakh, noting that he was pleased to see so much public
discussion in Armenia and Azerbaijan about the Co-Chairs’ proposals,
which were made public by all three Co-Chairs at the OSCE Permanent
Council in late June. Bryza emphasized that the Co-Chairs remained
committed to engaging with the parties, but that the key next steps
must be determined by the presidents of Armenia and Azerbiajan. He
remarked that the Co-Chairs join with the presidents who participated
in the G-8 Summit in encouraging the Armenian and Azerbaijani
presidents to make the difficult decisions necessary to put the region
on a path towards peace,” the report read.
According to the report, following his visit to the region, Matthew
Bryza will brief his fellow Minsk Group colleagues on his meetings.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

RA PRESIDENT ADVISER: DAY WHEN ARMENIA HAS OPEN BORDERS WITH TURKEY IS NOT FAR OFF
Yerevan, July 31. ArmInfo. “Armenia will make all the efforts,
especially within the frames of the New European Neighborhood Program
for the issue of release of the border with Turkey to always have
much force in our dialogue with the European Union”, Vigen Sarkissyan,
RA President adviser, told ArmInfo.
According to him, the fact that the EU negotiate with the country,
which grossly violate the ideology of the European family, was
initially unacceptable for Armenia. However, the EU leaders assured
that since Turkey had meet a number of preliminary conditions, it
may be dangerous to raise new issues as it can undermine the whole
idea of the negotiation process and the work with Turkey. “However,
there were affirmations that, when the negotiations start, the issue
of joining is out of question without meeting a number of criteria,
including the issue of borders opening “, V. Sarkissyan said.
Talking of specific terms, when the issue of Armenian-Turkish borders
release enters the agenda of EU-Turkey negotiation process, Sarkissyan
noted that it depends on the duration of negotiation process with
Turkey. “I am sure, the day when Armenia and Turkey have open borders
and normal neighborly relations, is not far off “, Sarkissyan said.

NKR FM: NKR PRESIDENT AND OSCE MG US CO-CHAIR DID NOT DISCUSS
RECENTLY PUBLISHED NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT SETTLEMENT SCENARIO
Stepanakert, July 31. ArmInfo. During the meeting both NKR President
Arkady Ghoukassyan and OSCE MG US co-chair Matthew Bryza showed quite
creative approach. Ghoukassyan has a whole range of new proposals, They
should be coordinated and thoroughly discussed, NKR Foreign Minister
Georgy Pogossyan said after the Saturday meeting of Ghoukassyan and
Bryza in Stepanakert.
He said that the sides did not discuss the co-chairs’ recent statement.

NKR DM REFUTES AZERI MEDIA REPORTS ON CEASE FIRE REGIME VIOLATION AND DEATH OF AZERI SOLDIER
Yerevan, July 31. ArmInfo. Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Ministry refutes
one more report by Azeri media about violation of the cease fire
regime and the death of an Azeri soldier.
Referring to the Azeri DM the Azeri media have reported that Azeri
soldier Galib Ismaylov was killed as a result of cease fire violation
in the direction of Terter July 29. The press secretary of the NKR
DM Senor Asratyan says that no single cease-fire violation has been
registered on the Azeri-NK contact line of late.

“BAZE” HOVERS IN HIGHLANDS OF NAGORNO KARABAKH
AZG Armenian Daily #143, 01/08/2006
Culture
Currently, “Baze” All Armenian Youth Festival is in full swing in
Nagorno Karabakh. The annual festival launched on July 26. This is
the first time that the festival is held in Nagorno Karabakh and
this conditions the utmost encouragement and enthusiasm of NKR young
people. Moreover, most of the NKr young people are engaged in the
sports cultural arrangements within the framework of the festival. 5
teams in the festival represent Artsakh, while Javakhk and Diaspora
have one team each. There are also two other teams shaped from the
winners of the singing, dancing, fashion, and intellectual and sports
competitions.
The festival activities show that the teams spare no efforst to win
the competitions.
Various NKR and Armenian high-ranked officials participated in the
opening ceremony of the festival, namely, NKR and RA Cutlure Ministers,
kamo Atayan and Hasmik Poghosian, General -Lieutenant Seyran Ohanian,
NKR Defence Minister, and many others. Mr. Ohanian stated in his
welcoming speech that the young Armenians should accumulate forces
and braveness to undertake the mission of their homeland’s liberation
and protection from the elder generation. He emphaszied that such
festivals will greatly contribute to achieving that very goal.
NKR President Arkady Ghukasian also welocmed the participants of
“Baze 2006.” In particular, he stated in his welcoming speech that
“the state should support and encourgae any kind of arangemetns or
initiatives that may contribute to the rebirth of national force
among the younger generation, including “Baze” annual festival.”
Artur Soghomian, head of the festival’s board, stated in the interview
to the Public TV of Artsakh that “Baze” arranegements will be held
both in the regions of Armenia and in Javakhk.
“Baze” festival junites the Armenian young people around the idea
of the national unification of the world spread nation. Soem of the
participanst pay their first visit to Artsakh, but there are also
others that visit Artsakh as a sacred tradition. The program of the
festival includes visits to the regions and the sightseeing places
of NKR in the last days of July.
“Baze 2006” is finishing on July 31. It is envisaged that teh
closing ceremony of the festival will take place in Rebirth Square
of Stepanakert. The participants and the winners of the competitions
will be awarded with prizes and medals.
By Kim Gabrielian, Stepanakert

TWO-DIGIT GROWTH IS A COMPROMISE BETWEEN GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE CRIMINAL RESOURCE
Lragir.am
31 July 06
The government of Armenia stopped taking pride in the rate of economic
growth in Armenia long ago. The president of Armenia has not cut red
tapes and visited factories for a long time. In fact, it does not
mean that there is no economic growth or the rate slowed down. By
official statistics, two-digit economic growth goes on, and in the
first half of 2006 it totaled over 11 percent. For the government this
has become something usual, however. So usual that they are already
ashamed of talking about it. Moreover, this shame has two levels. The
first is that the two-digit growth remains the decoration of tables
of a group of people. Hence, it is definitely inappropriate to feed
people with official statistical achievements for the simple reason
that people cannot eat it. After all, the elite must realize that it
is even disgusting to eat meat all the time, let alone numbers. It is
not a secret, however, that only one source of shame is hardly enough
to cause a feeling of discomfort among the Armenian government. It is
even too little. Fortunately, there is the second level, however. By
its two-digit rate Armenia is no longer a tiger in the region, or it
is not the only tiger in the region. Especially, compared with our
main rival, Azerbaijan. The GDP of Azerbaijan grew by 40 percent
in the first half of 2006. It is official statistics, of course,
but we have no reason to state that theirs is a lie, ours is not. In
other words, when the government continues supplying the public with
boring figures about the economic growth, it is sure to find itself
in a curious situation because they arouse a smile whenever they are
compared with the Azerbaijani indices.
Unfortunately, the government continues doing something. It continues
persuading the public that despite oil underlying the Azerbaijani
economy the state of Armenia is the best in the region. This thinking,
which is consistently instilled in the public, pursues an aim which is
clear. It “reassures” the public, guaranteeing unchangeable situation
for the government. Therefore, they have stopped feeding the society
with numbers, for it may cause the opposite reaction. They merely
reconcile them with the situation, in other words, they help to stomach
the figures. But it is the case when successful digestion may deeply
ruin the health of the public, and consequently the country. To stomach
this situation means to agree that the level of corruption, black
economy, protectionism that is now will persist. Therefore, generation
of economic growth becomes almost impossible, remaining on the same
sustainable level. As for the distribution of growth, it is impossible
due to the abovementioned vicious phenomena. Definitely, the same
situation is in Azerbaijan, and it would not cause worries if there
were not for the oil factor and 40 percent growth. According to the
Armenian government, this growth does not have a quality. Maybe. But
considering that the absolute volume of the Azerbaijani economy
exceeds the Armenian economy twice, we may say that 40 percent growth
of that economy is equal to 80 percent of economic growth in Armenia.
In other words, in this comparison we may conclude that the economic
growth in Azerbaijan exceeds Armenia nine times. And this quantitative
difference is sure to become qualitative advantage one day.
In such a situation this “reassurance” preached in Armenia and
reflected in the economic policy of the Armenian government directly
threatens national security. Export of several tons of apricots,
building of several elite buildings and use of several information
technologies is not economic quality. The underlying component of
the quality of economy is the possibilities of the persons who have
the wish and ability to participate in this economy. The quality
of the economy is its agents, consumers and producers, and their
relation generates growth. And the fact that economic growth in
Armenia is between 11 and 13 percent over the past 5-6 years shows
that the relationship between the agents of the economy is highly
conventional and highly limited. And if there is a non-quality economy
both in Armenia and in Azerbaijan, it is clear that quantity will
be deciding. And if everything relies on the quantity, it is clear
in what situation Armenia may appear in several years, despite the
quality of elite apartments. It seems that it should be clear for the
government because only the lazy do not say that Armenia should launch
real economic reforms and democratization of the public life to oppose
to oil. This point seems indisputable, and it can be the only path when
the society will not argue with the society. However, the Armenian
government prefers not to argue with the administrative criminal
resource and make a compromise over 11-13 percent growth. In this
case, there is no way out other than that the Armenian society wage
a liberation war for the economy. After all, we defeated Azerbaijan,
and it reports 40 percent economic growth. Let us imagine what a rate
of growth we would report if we defeated ourselves.
JAMES HAKOBYAN
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress