Czech News Agency
April 4, 2006 Tuesday
STETINA TO SUBMIT BILL ON RECOGNITION OF ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
Prague, April 4 (CTK) – Senator Jaromir Stetina (for the Green Party)
wants to submit a bill by which the Czech Republic would recognise
violence committed against Armenians in the Ottoman empire in 1915 as
genocide, he told an international conference on the Armenian
genocide that was held in the Senate today. Turkey has refused to
recognise the extermination of Armenians as genocide and some Czech
and foreign politicians view this as a possible obstacle to Turkeys
admission to the European Union. Armenians consider April 1915 when
the government of the Ottoman empire arrested more than 2,300
Armenian leaders as the beginning of the genocide in which up to 1.5
million Armenians were killed in the following months and years.
Turkey denies that the Armenian genocide happened and links these
events with the fight against Armenians who, it says, collaborated
with the Russian army. It says that the accusation of the genocide is
supposed to delay its entry to the EU. According to Turkey, some
300,000 to 500,000 Armenians were killed during these events. “This
is the denial of the genocide by the whole nation. Europe should put
certain obstacles to Turkeys entry to the EU. Europe is based on the
principles that would be threatened if such Turkey joined the EU,”
chairwoman of the European-Armenian federation Hilda Tchoboian from
France said at the conference. “No government in Europe, except for
France, has recognised the genocide. The parliaments of some
countries are an exception,” Vahakh Dadrian, an expert pn genocide
who cooperates with Harvard University in the USA, said. Armenian
Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Kirasosyan said that Armenia had not
registered any real changes in the position on the genocide as
efforts to deny it continued. “This prevents us from settling our
relations with Turkey,” he said. Stetina said it was important for
Turkey that seeks to join the EU to come to terms with its past. He
said that the recent passage of a similar law in Slovakia inspired
his activities. Former Slovak prime minister Jan Carnogursky told the
conference about Slovakias experience. By passing such a law, the
Czech Republic would join some two dozen countries that have passed
such legislation, including France, Russia, Italy, Switzerland,
Canada and Slovakia. The European Parliament recognised the killings
of Armenians as genocide in 1987. vv/dr/ms

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 7 2006
Evidence on phone talks between Azerbaijan, Armenia
Baku, April 6, AssA-Irada
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technologies has
enough information on phone talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia,
Minister Ali Abbasov has said.
Abbasov said the Ministry of National Security is monitoring the
conversations. He also confirmed that Internet users from both
countries are communicating via e-mails and electronic chat.
`It is extremely difficult to exercise control over this. However,
the needed facts have been submitted to the National Security
Ministry,’ Abbasov said.*
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 6, 2006 Thursday 10:23 AM EST
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be solved by compromise
by Natalia Simorova, Yulia Nemchenko
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict “should be resolved by compromise,”
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanyan said in Moscow on Thursday.
“We will gain nothing if the sides will each continue to insist on
its own stand,” he said. “The conflict has lasted for 15 years,”
the minister recalled. “We have not progressed an inch toward its
solution.”
He remarked, “Over this period of time people of Nagorno-Karabakh
proved that they can govern themselves.” “This is the main
criterion of the judgement that the method of self-determination will
be effective,” Vartan Oskanyan said.

SKRIN Market & Corporate News
April 6, 2006
Gazprom and Armenia sign long-term agreement
Gazprom and the Government of the Armenian republic signed a 25-year
long-term agreement envisaging ArmRosgazprom to purchase a 40-km long
section of the pipeline between Armenia and Iran and the fifth power
unit of Razdan TES, as well as construction of a 197 km section of
the pipe line between Armenia and Iran.
The agreement fixed price for Russian gas at $ 110 per 1,000 cubic
meters till January 1, 2009, Gazprom’s press service told SKRIN.

Prime-Tass English-language Business Newswire
April 6, 2006 Thursday 7:09 PM EET
Gazprom inks deal to freeze gas price for Armenia, buy assets there
MOSCOW, April 6 (Prime-Tass) – Russia’s natural gas monopoly Gazprom
has signed an agreement to freeze its natural gas price for Armenia
at U.S. $110 per 1,000 cubic meters until January 1, 2009 and to buy
natural gas and electric power assets from the Armenian government,
Gazprom said Thursday.
Under the agreement, Armenia’s natural gas monopoly ArmRosgazprom,
which is affiliated with Gazprom, will buy the fifth generator of the
Hrazdan thermal power plant from the Armenian government, Gazprom
said. The plant’s four other generators are owned by Armenia’s
government and managed by Russia’s electric power monopoly UES. The
plant has an annual capacity of 1,100 megawatts.
Additionally, Gazprom is expected to increase its stake in
ArmRosgazprom to “a qualified majority” from the current 45%, Gazprom
said in both press releases. The Armenian government also holds 45%
in ArmRosgazprom, while Russian independent gas producer Itera holds
10%.
The agreement is considered preliminary. Gazprom said that by April
14 it plans to sign other preliminary purchase deals, which will
elaborate on the current agreement.
Under the agreement, Gazprom’s acquisition of the assets must be
completed by January 1, 2007, Gazprom said.
Gazprom also retracted Thursday an earlier press release, which said
that under the agreement, ArmRosgazprom is expected to buy a gas
pipeline between Armenia and Iran from Armenia’s government, and
published a “revised” press release, which referred to “Armenian
natural gas assets” without mentioning the pipeline.
In the retracted press release, Gazprom said that ArmRosgazprom would
buy a 40-kilometer stretch of the Iran-Armenia pipeline, which is
currently being built, and would also order the construction of
another, 197-kilometer stretch of the pipeline.
Earlier this month Gazprom hiked its gas price for Armenia to $110
per 1,000 cubic meters from $56 per 1,000 cubic meters.
Gazprom used to subsidize gas exports to former Soviet countries but
has recently hiked gas prices for Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan and
Georgia.
The move followed the pro-Western “color revolutions” in Ukraine and
Georgia in 2003-2004, which soured their relations with the Kremlin.
Gazprom said earlier that its gas prices for former Soviet countries
would be constantly revised depending on the market situation.
Gazprom is also in talks on increasing its gas price for Belarus next
year, which was believed until recently to be exempt from price
hikes, being Russia’s closest ally.
Last year Gazprom exported 1.7 billion cubic meters of gas to
Armenia.

The Signal, CA
April 7 2006
Bringing Home a Bit of the Middle East
Only open less than a month, Hayk International Market already
expects growth.
4/7/2006
Adam Clark / Signal Staff Writer
For Zohrab Getikian, opening a Middle Eastern grocery store in
Valencia was more a matter of practicality than a desired career
choice. He simply became tired of driving to the San Fernando Valley
for groceries, he said. And he wasn’t about to stop eating the food
he was raised on.
`You can’t escape it,’ Getikian said with a smile. `I tried to
get other people to do it, but no one did, so I finally opened the
store myself.’
Thus, Hayk International Market was born. Whether it’s Armenian,
Assyrian, Greek or any other sort of Middle Eastern cuisine, the
store has something for everyone, Getikian said.
Stocking unique items such as Armenian wines, Middle Eastern
pastries and Russian chocolates are some of the things Getikian is
proud.
`You can’t get a lot of this stuff anywhere else in Santa
Clarita,’ he said. `We even have marinated shish kabobs that you
can’t find (around here).’
Having been open less than a month, the store is already starting
to experience growing pains, Getikian said.
`I don’t think there is necessarily enough people for a second
store,’ he said. `But expanding this one would be a possibility.’
The bakery, produce and meat sections will be the first to
expand, he said.
The market is also beginning to generate buzz among ethnic
communities.
`We have a lot of new people coming in,’ he said. `And not just
from advertising, but from word of mouth.’
`I’m not just trying to reach Armenians or Assyrians,’ he said.
`I’m also trying to concentrate on the American market.’
For Getikian, this means getting Americans interested in ethnic
foods, rather than stocking American items.
Mostly though, the store is about meeting a need.
`It was hard to get exact demographics, but looking at this
community I knew that there was a need for it,’ Getikian said. `Hayk
International Market offers one-stop shopping for all Mediterranean,
Armenian (and) Middle Eastern food lovers.’

Hayk International Market is located at 23310 Cinema Drive in
Valencia.
ryID`80

Baltic News Service
April 5, 2006 Wednesday 11:56 PM EET
NEW OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED TO LITHUANIAN BUSINESS IN ARMENIA
VILNIUS Apr 05
New opportunities are offered to Lithuanian business in Armenia – an
honorary consul-led consular institution is planned to be opened in
the country in April.
Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus is scheduled to pay an official
visit to Armenia this year. The visit agenda includes a business
mission, the Lithuanian Foreign Ministry has reported.
The Lithuanian Embassy to Russia has also initiated business and
culture missions in Kaluga, Smolensk, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod and
Rostov-on-Don.
A new member of Lithuanian Business Club, Company ISC, was presented
at a meeting of Lithuanian Business Club held at the embassy’s
initiative in Moscow on Tuesday.
Russia is one of the main foreign trade partners of Lithuania. In
terms of direct investments in Lithuania, Russia ranks third after
Denmark and Sweden.

ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
April 6, 2006 Thursday 03:54 PM EST
Strategic relations with Russia of much importance to Armenia
by Yelena Protopopova
Strategic relations with Russia are now of special importance to
Armenia, holds Vartan Oskanyan, the Armenian foreign minister. “The
question of security is now the main question for Armenia, so it is
very important that we have strategic relations with Russia,” the
minister said. “We treasure good relations with Russia,” he said.
During a conversation with students of Moscow State University of
International Relations, (University – MGIMO), the minister also
touched upon railway transport communication with Russia. He said the
opening of the Abkhazian stretch of the Russian-Georgian railway to
traffic would be of positive importance for Armenia and Russia.
“With the opening of the Abkhazian stretch of the railway to
traffic, trade turnover between Armenia and Russia will increase,”
the minister said.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Assa-Irada, Azerbaijan
April 7 2006
US stepped up Garabagh settlement efforts, Azeri official says

Baku, April 6, AssA-Irada
The United States has stepped up its efforts to achieve settlement of
the Armenia-Azerbaijan Upper (Nagorno) Garabagh conflict after the
latest high-level meeting between the two countries’ leaders, Deputy
Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said.
The parties failed to agree upon the issues of principle during the
negotiations held by Presidents Ilham Aliyev and Robert Kocharian in
Rambouillet, France in February, which was followed by mutual
threats.
`The visit by US co-chair of the [mediating] Minsk Group Steven Mann
to Baku after the Rambouillet round of talks and my discussions with
him in Washington show this,’ Azimov told a news conference Thursday.
He said Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov who is currently in
Washington will hold discussions with Steven Mann and US Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice on the issue. `The appropriate steps continue
to be taken although no progress could be expected.’
The diplomat underscored that French co-chair Bernard Fassier will
visit the region next week to discuss further steps in the
negotiations.
Azimov added that Azerbaijan’s firm position on the Garabagh conflict
remains unchanged.*

Deutsche Presse-Agentur
April 7, 2006, Friday
11:28:26 Central European Time
Russia charges Armenia more for natural gas
Russia Friday announced it was raising the price of natural gas
delivered to Armenia to 110 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres from the
earlier 56 dollars.
The new prices were set by agreement in Moscow with visiting Armenian
Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan.
As part of the agreement, Russia guarantees not to raise the prices
again for three years, and will receive in return control of all
Armenian pipeline projects.
A 25-year cooperation agreement also will see Russia invest up to 800
million dollars into the Armenia gas industry, according to estimates
out of Moscow.
Armenia has a strategic importance for Moscow as a possible supply
route for Iranian natural gas.
The Russia gas monopoly Gazprom has raised prices for all the former
republics of the Soviet Union.
At the beginning of year, there was a week-long row with Ukraine,
which refused to accept a price rise to 230 dollars per 1,000 cubic
metres from 50 dollars. A price of 95 dollars was finally agreed.
>From 2007, Moscow will attempt at least to triple prices for close
ally Belarus which currently pays 47 dollars per 1,000 cubic metres.
dpa so mga sc