MINISTER OF NATIONAL SECURITY MEETS ICRC PRESIDENT
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
April 4 2006
According to the State Commission on Prisoners of War (POW), Hostages
and Missing Citizens, its Chairman, Minister of National Security
of Azerbaijan, Lieutenant-General Eldar Mahmudov met a delegation of
the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) consisting of its
President Jakob Kellenberger, Head of the ICRC section on operations
in Eastern Europe and Central Asia Isabelle Barras and Head of the
ICRC delegation in Azerbaijan Mary Werntz.
The Minister provided the visitors with information about activities
of the State Commission towards release of the POWs and hostages
and finding the missing persons, enhancing cooperation with the
International Committee of the Red Cross, and joint efforts taken to
resolve existing problems.
He said the comparative analysis of the missing persons’ lists
available at the Commission and provided by ICRC is now underway,
noting that initial results on eliminating of existing discrepancies
have been achieved. Eldar Mahmudov advised that information about
1472 missing persons have been specified by the working group and
submitted to ICRC Baku office.
The Minister pointed out that the draft memorandum on organization
of search of the persons who went missing as a result of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict presented by ICRC in 2005, has been
considered by the State Committee, and relevant proposals have been
submitted to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Eldar Mahmudov said the Commission has reliable information at its
disposal confirming that 783 of 4617 missing persons were taken
hostages and prisoners, and are currently held in Armenia and the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan. He described the release – within
two months – of 8 Azerbaijani and 10 Armenian citizens from captivity
as a striking example of cooperation with the International Committee
of the Red Cross.
ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger thanked the Minister for providing
sincere and comprehensive information, and highly praised the recent
fruitful activities of the State Commission.
The parties pointed to the importance of enhancement of the existing
cooperation.

SOPRANO BAYRAKARDIAN SOARS AT SUNDAY AFTERNOONS
By Enrique Fernandez
Miami Herald, FL
April 4 2006
As she proved Sunday afternoon, Isabel Bayrakdarian is the complete
singer. With talent and beauty to burn, the Canadian-Armenian soprano,
accompanied on piano by her husband Serouj Kradjian, ran through a
diverse repertoire that showcased her range — and not just vocal.
That range is impressive indeed. Not only can she hit the high notes
with apparent ease and run through coloratura passages, like she
did in Rossini’s Una voce un poco fa from The Barber of Seville,
but she is complete control of her instrument.
She can stop dead or turn on a dime. And while some classical
singers appear to be showcasing vocal calisthenics, Bayrakdarian
uses her skills for dramatic purposes. In Plainte d’amour, a Pauline
Viardot-Garcia composition on a Chopin mazurka, the singer’s sudden
stop signaled a sob. She balanced it with another mazurka-inspired
piece, Aime-moi, that was playful and flirtatious. With a voice so
rich in dramatic power, one longed to hear Bayrakdarian in a full
opera role.
The singer can handle a wide array of material with equal virtuosity
and aplomb, swinging from Falla’s folksy Siete canciones populares to
some serious Clara Schumann lieder after the intermission. The Schumann
began with a very lyrical song, but was followed by a dramatic and
earthy one so sensual Bayrakdarian placed her hand not on her heart
but on her hip and pelvis. She ended with a carpe diem themed song,
flashing an occasional wicked gleam from her eyes.
Bayrakdarian is particularly adept at handling Spanish material, like
the Madrid song of the half Spanish, half French Viardot-Garcia, and
of course, the Falla, which included songs from up north in Asturias
and down south in Andalucía. Her roulades in that song mimicked the
wail of flamenco most convincingly, and even more forcefully when
she sang Ernesto Lecuona’s popular Malagueña as an encore.
Two encores she got. And standing ovations. And “bravas!” It is no
exaggeration that Bayrakdarian had the audience eating out of the palm
of her hand. And it is no disrespect to call her an entertainer —
albeit of a very high order. Her dramatic skills are not confined to
her voice. Unlike classical singers who just stand there and sing,
Bayrakdarian acts out her songs.
In Viardot-Garcia’s L’Enfant et la Mre, a dialogue between a dying
child and his mother, the soprano went from a tiny plaintive voice
emanating from her throat to a deep tragic one that poured from her
very core. And with a few contained gestures — the pejorative use
of the word “operatic” could never be applied to her — she conveyed
the full pathos of the song.’
Skepticism is the attitude to assume when one sees on the program
that a classical singer will do material from the American Songbook.
Yet, Bayrakdarian’s treatment of Gershwin walked the fine line between
her classically trained voice and the Tin Pan Alley flavor of the
songs. She seldom veered from what a fine soprano would do with
such material as Someone to Watch Over Me or Love Is Here to Stay,
yet what veering she did, like speaking some of the lines, worked as
beautifully as hitting the high notes built into the compositions.
And when she changed the gender of Embraceable You to “Come to mama”,
she seemed to be channeling one of Elizabeth Taylor’s famous scenes. A
critic could not be blamed for shouting “I’m yours!” were it not for
Bayrakdarian first singing and then speaking boldly “I got my man”
from I got rhythm while pointing to her husband.
Who could ask for anything more?
–Boundary_(ID_adHGiBsMaTw0P+PAXt8KHA)–

U.S. ANNOUNCES MAJOR NEW AID PACKAGE FOR ARMENIA
By Emil Danielyan
Eurasia Daily Monitor, DC
April 4 2006
The United States has officially committed itself to providing $235.65
million in additional economic assistance to Armenia, in a further
indication of its deepening ties with the South Caucasus country. The
sum, substantial by Armenian standards, is to be provided over the
next five years under the Bush administration’s Millennium Challenge
Account (MCA) program aimed at promoting good governance and economic
reforms around the world.
The administration included Armenia on the list of 16 developing
countries eligible for MCA funding when it unveiled the program two
years ago. The cash-strapped government in Yerevan jumped at the
opportunity to meet some of its pressing socio-economic needs. The
MCA compact that was signed by senior U.S. and Armenian officials in
Washington on March 27 is the product of Yerevan’s lengthy negotiations
with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a U.S. government
agency handling the scheme.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza
Rice described the agreement as a “testament to the hard work and
dedication of the Armenian people and their elected government.” Rice
stressed that provision of the aid is conditional on the proper conduct
by the Armenian authorities of parliamentary and presidential elections
due in 2007 and 2008 respectively. “These are important commitments
and the United States stands ready to help Armenia to ensure that
its upcoming elections are free and fair,” she said.
Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian assured her that his
government would do its best to honor those commitments. “Our
task until then is to partner with the United States and European
governments to implement the necessary corrective steps to improve
the conditions necessary for an honest and fair expression of people’s
voices,” he said.
The large-scale aid will be channeled into rural regions of Armenia
that have seen little development despite a decade of nationwide
economic growth. The main segment, worth $146 million, will be spent
on upgrading the country’s malfunctioning irrigation networks, which
date to Soviet times. Another $67 million will be used for capital
repairs of about 1,000 kilometers of battered rural roads. U.S. and
Armenian officials say these two infrastructure projects will directly
benefit 75% of the approximately one million Armenians dependent on
farming. The first major installment of the aid is expected to be
disbursed early next year.
Interestingly, Armenia has already been one of the world’s leading
per-capita recipients of U.S. economic assistance, which is approved
by Congress and has totaled $1.6 billion since 1992. The size of
this “regular” aid is commonly attributed to the strength of the
Armenian-American lobby on Capitol Hill. But finding an explanation
for Armenia’s inclusion in MCA, which is single-handedly decided by
the Bush administration, is a more difficult task. Unlike neighboring
Georgia (the only other former Soviet state covered by MCA), Armenia
has no ambition to join NATO and maintains close military and political
ties with Russia.
Many Armenian observers regard the promised MCA funds as a further
incentive for President Robert Kocharian and his most likely successor,
Defense Minister Serge Sarkisian, to accept a compromise solution
to the Karabakh conflict. U.S. officials say a framework peace deal
may still be achieved this year despite the collapse of a crucial
Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in France last February. In this regard,
local observers consider very significant Rice’s remark that Armenians
have an “elected government.” (The State Department strongly criticized
the 2003 Armenian presidential and parliamentary elections.) Haykakan
Zhamanak, a pro-Western Yerevan daily critical of the ruling regime,
editorialized on April 1 that Washington is thereby “removing all
questions about Robert Kocharian’s legitimacy.”
A commentator for another paper, 168 Zham, went further, speculating
that the Americans are disinterested in Armenia’s democratization
because “our society is overwhelmingly pro-Russian.”
The United States was quite cautious in criticizing reports of serious
fraud during last November’s constitutional referendum in Armenia
(and parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan) — a far cry from its
tough reaction to the disputed presidential ballot in Belarus on
March 19. MCC chief executive John Danilovich expressed concern at the
Armenian authorities’ handling of the referendum but promptly lauded
their “commitment to sustaining the democratic reforms” after receiving
relevant assurances from Kocharian last January. In a March 27 speech
at a conference organized by the Armenian Assembly of America,
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried said Washington is
“taking at face value assurances from the Armenian government” that
the 2007 and 2008 elections will be democratic. Many Armenians are
far more skeptical on this score.
By providing extra aid to Armenia Washington may also be rewarding
the government’s ongoing efforts to forge closer security links with
NATO and America in particular. “We do support Armenia’s efforts to
strengthen its relations with the Euro-Atlantic community,” Fried said,
commending the Kocharian administration for seeking greater “balance in
its relations with the West and the Russians.” Fried’s deputy Matthew
Bryza welcomed “considerable progress made in this regard over the
past year” after holding talks with Armenian leaders in Yerevan on
March 7. “I don’t think that the government of Armenia can move at
a pace that for us is too quick,” Bryza told a news conference. “But
we are very happy with the level of cooperation.
This has been a significant year for U.S.-Armenian security
cooperation.”
(Haykakan Zhamanak, April 1; 168 Zham, March 30-31; RFE/RL Armenia
Report, March 7, 28; Text of Daniel Fried’s address to the Armenian
Assembly of America, )

‘HISTORIC’ RUSSO-GEORGIAN MILITARY TREATIES
Civil Georgia, Georgia
April 4 2006
Georgia and Russia signed on March 31 two agreements – one on the
pullout of the Russian bases from Batumi and Akhalkalaki and the
other giving access to Russian military cargo via Georgia. While the
provisions of the first treaty have already become public, the treaty
over military transit remains unavailable.
Bases Pullout
The agreement on the pullout of the Russian bases was described by
President Saakashvili on April 3 as “historic” and “a victory of
Georgia’s constructive diplomacy.” Although Defense Minister Irakli
Okruashvili also hailed the agreement on March 31, he noted that
Georgia compromised on certain issues, including the timeframe of
the withdrawal.
The agreement over the withdrawal of the Russian bases is mainly based
on a joint declaration signed between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey
Lavrov and ex-Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili in May,
2005 and envisages the withdrawal of Russian bases in the course
of 2008.
“We have compromised while giving our consent to Russia to withdraw
its military bases within three years, because actually such a long
term is not necessary, but we have accepted the arguments submitted by
the Russian side,” Okruashvili said at a news conference on March 31.
Okruashvili also said that although Russia has already formally
transferred the communications relay facility in Kojori and the firing
ground in Gonio, Tbilisi agreed to use these facilities jointly
with Russia until a complete withdrawal of the Russian bases from
Georgia. The joint declaration signed by the Foreign Ministers last
May did not envisage the joint use of these facilities.
But while speaking about “Georgia’s compromises” Okruashvili said
nothing about a provision which refers to the creation of a joint
Georgia-Russian Anti-Terrorist Center.
According to the agreement, Georgia and Russia “at the earliest
possible time, shall complete the elaboration of an Agreement on the
Foundation and Functioning of a Georgian-Russian Antiterrorist Center
and shall prepare it for signing.”
Part of the personnel, material-technical resources and infrastructure
of the Russian military base in Batumi should be used for the creation
of this Center, according to the agreement.
Opponents have already described this provision as a major compromise
by the Georgian side. “It means the presence of a well-equipped and
well-trained unit of the Russian special services [on the Georgian
territory], which will be able to control the political situation in
the country,” MP Pikria Chikhradze, from the opposition New Rights
party, said during televised comments on April 4.
According to the agreement, the withdrawal of the military base from
Batumi, as well as the Tbilisi-based Headquarters of the Group of
Russian Troops in Trans-Caucasus, should be completed in a course
of 2008, while the Akhalkalaki military base should be withdrawn no
later than December, 31, 2007.
To assist with the withdrawal process, Georgia will allow Russia to
use its airspace, as well as will carry out a shipment of armaments,
military equipment and other material resources by railway and road.
A joint Georgian-Russian Joint Commission will be created in Tbilisi
to control and monitor the implementation of the provisions set forth
in the agreement.
“The present Agreement shall be provisionally used from the date of its
signing and shall enter into force upon the exchange of notifications
on the fulfillment of necessary interstate procedures by the Parties,”
the agreement reads.
Mikhail Svirin, a spokesman of the Russian Embassy in Tbilisi, said
that this agreement, as is the case will all interstate agreements,
needs ratification, but an agreement has already been reached over
the implementation of the provisions of this agreement.
“As a result of constructive dialogue between the sides, an agreement
has been reached to implement the provisions set by this agreement
[over the pullout of the bases]. Now only intrerstate procedures
are left to be carried out by the sides,” Mikhail Svirin told Civil
Georgia.
Military Transit
The agreement over the bases’ pullout was posted on the Georgian
Defense Ministry’s web-site in both Georgian and English shortly
after it was signed on March 31, while the other treaty which was
signed between the two countries on the same day has not yet been
made public. The treaty was not available at the Russian Embassy in
Tbilisi either.
Irakli Okruashvili said on March 31 that “the Georgian side definitely
compromised” by giving its consent on an agreement over the transit
of Russian military personnel and cargo that will enable Russia to
gain access to its military base in Gyumri, Armenia via Georgia.
“The transit of Russian military bases to Armenia via Azerbaijan or
Turkey is impossible because of well known reasons and, naturally,
the only way lies through Georgia… However, this does not mean
that we can appear in the situation, when the transit of any cargo
via Georgia will pose a threat to the region,” Okruashvili said.
Russian media sources reported some details of this agreement in
early March, when the document was discussed by the Russian government.
According to these reports, the five-year agreement obliges Russia to
not transfer any armament transited through the Georgian territory to a
third country. The amount of military cargo that will be transited via
Georgia will be agreed between Russia and Georgia one year in advance.
Russia also undertakes the commitment not to transit biological,
nuclear or chemical substances, as well as weapon of mass destruction
or their components.
According to Russian sources, Georgia can refuse the transit of items
if the movement of the military cargo poses a threat to its national
security or if the final destination of the transited military cargo
is a location within a conflict zone or a warring state.

ARMAVIA TO OPEN TWO NEW FLIGHTS
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 4 2006
YEREVAN, April 4. /ARKA/. In the summer of 2006, Armenia’s national
airline, “Armavia”, will open two new flights.
In July 2006, the airline will start regular flights to Anapa and
donetsk.
The airline also intends to increase the number of flights to Paris,
Saint Petersburg, Samara, Odessa, Simferopol, Beirut, Athens and
Aleppo.
The airline planned to increase the number of flights in April,
but the repair of the runway of the “Zvatnots” airport forced it to
launch this program in July.

“ARMAVIA” REPLENISHES ITS FLEET
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 4 2006
YEREVANA, April 4. /ARKA/. The “Armavia” airline has replenished its
aircraft fleet with a new “A-319” plane.
President of the MIKA Limited Company Mikhail Bagdasariv reported that
a new airbus has for the first time come to Armenia. “We had airplanes
8-12 years aold before, whereas this one was produced a year ago,”
he said, Bagdasarov added that cutting-edge technologies are used in
this plane.
“The plane consumes less fuel and reduces the cost of flights, which
may influence the price of air-tickets,” Bagdasarov said.
“I would like to say that Armavia is working toward purchasing new
planes. On May 1, 2006, another new plane will come to Armenia, and
in March 2007 the airline’s fleet will be replenished with a third
plane,” he said.
Bagdasarov also reported that the airline expects a considerable
increase in the number of passengers.
According to him, keen competition exists in this field in Armenia.
“We believe that the latest technologies should be used for surviving
on this market today. Both planes and service must be of highest
quality,” he said.
“So we have almost refused to operate Soviet planes except for Yak-42,
which was produced by a modern technology, does not consume much fuel
and is allowed to carry out flights abroad,” Bagdasarov said. “We
will have two Yak-42 and five airbuses,” he said.
He also reported that “Armavia” started cooperating with “Air
France”. “We will carry out three joint flights to Paris, and Armavia
will carry out 1-2 flights to Paris by itself,” he said.

PROBLEMS ARISING ANXIETY OF VIRAHAYOTS DIOCESE OF ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCH DISCUSSED AT “ROUND TABLE” TAKEN PLACE IN TBILISI
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 04 2006
TBILISI, APRIL 4, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. Issues concerning
present problems of the Virahayots Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, particularly, concerning giving legal status and returning six
churches belonging to the diocese historically were discussed at the
March 30 “round table” held at the International Research Center of
Conflicts and Negotiations. Representatives of the Virahayots Diocese,
the Parliament of Georgia, the Ombudsman’s Office and of a number
of public organizations participated in the meeting. Presenting
the position of the Virahayots Diocese, Levon Isakhanian, the
Assistant of the diocesan primate on legal issues mentioned that the
diocese intends to sign a separate agreement with the Government
of Georgia, according to which, the diocese will be recognized a
legal body and its rights and obligations will be defined. Priest
Narek Ghushchian, the spiritual pastor of the Surb Gevorg church of
Tbilisi expressed anxiety relating to the negative approach of the
Georgian society towards the issue of returning the Armenian churches
of the diocese. He considered it to be also a wrong opinion created
towards the Armenian church. Van Bayburdian, an Armenian Deputy of the
Parliament of Georgia, the editor-in-chief of the “Vrastan” (Georgia)
newspaper expressed sorrow for aspersions and wrong interpretations
addressed to the Armenian Church and Armenian people by mass media
of Georgia. Speaking about giving the legal status to the diocese,
he attached importance to participation of the Georgian Orthodox
Church in that issue and mentioned that Ilya II Catholicos-Patriarch
of the Georgian Orthodox Church is for that traditional religions
of Georgia get legal status. According to Paata Gachechiladze,
a representative of the “Dar 21” public organization, changes made
in the Civil Code don’t correspond to present demands of the society
and aren’t able to regulate problems in which traditional religions
are interested. Appreciating the decision on making amendments, Beka
Mindiashvili, the representative of the Ombudsman’s Office of Georgia
emphasized that there are still a lot of things to do. “One of them
is giving back the six churches belonging to the Virahayots diocese
historically. These churches are under registration of the Ministry
of Culture, Monuments Protection and Sports of Georgia today. As for
the latter, the Ombudsman is ready to presented letter of reference
to the Minister,” he stated. Bishop Andreas Stoekl, the primate of the
Lutheran church participating in the “round table,” expressing sorrow
that the Government of Georgia doesn’t take steps in the direction of
regulating problems of church confessions of the country, stated: “This
may come to the thing that all of us address to the court of Strasbourg
and protect our rights there. In this case the Government will have
to subject to the decision of Strasbourg. Which is more purposeful? To
solve the problem willingly or to subject to anybody’s decision?”

ARMENIA AND RUSSIA MUST COME TO ACCORD ON FIXED PRICE FOR GAS DURING COMING 10-15 YEARS
ARKA News Agency, Armenia
April 4 2006
YEREVAN, April 4. /ARKA/. Armenia and Russia must come to an accord
on fixed price for gas during coming 10-15 years, as the Chairman of
the Christian-Democratic Union of Armenia Khosrov Harutyunyan stated
during the interview with the local “Armenia” TV-company.
“The fact that Russia raises the price for gas is not important today,
it could do this from pure economic viewpoint. In case with Armenia
the important thing is that Russia doesn’t want to see the difference
between its strategic partner and other consumers, which are not in
such allied relations and don’t have strategic agreements with Russia”,
Harutyunyan stated.
“Either Russia has unilaterally reconsidered the essence, content,
degree of its relations with Armenia or it proceeds along this path”,
Harutyunyan finds.
In his words, both of these cases must be taken as a reality and
don’t feel offended by Russia.
At the same time Harutyunyan finds that Armenia must take corresponding
steps, “in order gas price not to hang over it as sword of Damocles”.
“We must have principle approach to this problem and come to fixed
price for nearest 10-15 years”, he stated.

AZERBAIJAN TO ESTABLISH ITS EMBASSY IN ARGENTINA
Azeri Press Agency, Azerbaijan
April 4 2006
Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov yesterday met
his Argentinean counterpart Jorge Enrique Taiana during his visit
to Argentina. Spokesman of the Foreign Ministry Tahir Taghizadeh
told APA that the sides expressed their interests in development of
bilateral relations.
Mr. Mammadyarov told his counterpart that Azerbaijan intends to
establish its embassy in Buenos Aires soon. Mr.Enrique Taiana said
he plans to visit Baku by the end of the year. The Ministers signed
a memorandum on cooperation between the Foreign Ministries of the
two countries, a treaty on traveling of citizens having diplomatic
and foreign policy passport without visa.
Mr.Mammadyarov also had talks with Minister for state capital and
federal services planning, Julio Miguel Devido. Azerbaijani Minister
informed him about reforms carried out in Azerbaijan and said there
is a fruitful situation for foreign investments in the country.
Mammadyarov was also received by Vise-President of Argentina,
chief of the Senate Daniel Stisioli. The Foreign Minister replied
to journalists’ questions, talked about the situation and reforms in
Azerbaijan, situation on settling the Nagorno Garabagh conflict as well
as exploitation of energy resources of the Caspian Sea and Azerbaijan’s
keen interest in development of relations with Latin America countries.
Mammadyarov is in Brazil now and he will leave for the United States
after that.

PRESIDENTS OF AZERBAIJAN AND TURKEY MEET AT ENLARGED FORMAT
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
April 4 2006
After their private meeting, President Ilham Aliyev and President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer met in enlarged format.
Once again greeting the President of Turkey and the Turkish delegation,
President Ilham Aliyev said he attached great importance to this
visit. ‘Out unity is an important factor both for our countries and
for the region’, he emphasized. The historical ties connecting us, the
cultural links play great role in the present. At the same time, our
political relations are high level. The Turkish-Azeri relations also
cover the power sector – one of the important fields for globe. The
large-scale energy projects in this field connect us closely. I am
convinced, President Aliyev noted, that this visit and our meeting
here will fuehrer strengthen out unity, Turkey and Azerbaijan —
the two fraternal countries will come closer.
As you know, we have active political dialogue. All questions are
actively discussed, and our trade links are well developed. We have
reached accomplishments in all fields, and we have joint programs
also in cultural and humanitarian sphere and they are successfully
implemented. I am confident, that and this visit will play certain
role and be very successful.
President of Turkey Ahmet Necdet Sezer expressed deep gratitude for
rendered hospitality and conveyed hi pleasure with the held meetings in
Baku. He, in particular, said the trade turnover between two countries
would make over billion dollars current year. Opportunities for that
are available, he stressed.
Noting the interest of businessmen to Azerbaijan, President of
Turkey said the Turkish businessmen have invested in Azerbaijan some
2,2 billion dollars and ‘we are convinced, that this figure will go
up’, he underlined. In particular, investments of the Turkish “Turk
Petrollari” Company will make 4,5 billion dollars.
In the meeting, also discussed were the questions of peaceful
settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh conflict,
the regional and international projects.