UN MEMORIAL ARMENIEN PROFANE A LYON
Le Figaro
18 avril 2006
Des inscriptions niant le genocide armenien de 1915 redigees en
francais et en turc ont ete decouvertes sur des stèles du memorial qui
lui est dedie a Lyon. Ce monument devait etre inaugure lundi prochain.
–Boundary_(ID_U1YJavmC0sXa8g+Aa3E53Q)- –

ARTHUR BAGHDASARJAN UBER ARMENIEN UND BUNTE REVOLUTIONEN
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
19. April 2006
“Nach Europa oder zuruck?”
Arthur Baghdasarjan ist Fuhrer der Partei Orinats Yerguir (“Land des
Rechts”), welche die zweitstarkste Kraft im armenischen Parlament
und nach eigenen Angaben mit etwa 60 000 Mitgliedern die weitaus
großte Partei in Armenien ist. Der 1968 geborene Politiker ist seit
2003 Parlamentsprasident und gilt als einer der aussichtsreichsten
Anwarter auf die Nachfolge von Prasident Robert Kotscharjan, der nach
zwei Amtszeiten zur Prasidentenwahl 2008 nicht mehr antreten darf.
Mit Arthur Baghdasarjan sprach in Eriwan Reinhard Veser.
Um die Demokratie steht es in Armenien nicht besonders gut. Sie gehoren
zur Regierungskoalition, doch mit Ihrer Forderung nach fairen Wahlen,
nach Rechtsstaatlichkeit und Demokratie horen Sie sich an wie ein
Oppositionspolitiker. Wie ist das zu erklaren?
In der Regierung zu sein heißt nicht, daß man nicht fur die Reformen
kampfen darf. Wir konnen nicht unsere Augen schließen und sagen, daß
wir nicht sehen, was im Land schlecht ist. In der Regierung zu sein,
heißt fur uns in erster Linie Verantwortung zu ubernehmen. Das ist
eine Verpflichtung und keine Lust fur uns. Die Demokratie in Armenien
ist noch sehr jung und sehr schwach. Wir mussen sie starken, denn
sie bedeutet Freiheit und Frieden fur die Region.
Sie werden mit der Äußerung zitiert, in Armenien finde ein Kampf
zwischen alten und neuen Kraften statt. Wer sind die alten, wer die
neuen Krafte?
Es ist ein Kampf zwischen Gestern und Heute. Die alten Krafte sind
diejenigen, die in ihren Kopfen noch die siebzig Jahre der sowjetischen
Ideologie haben. Sie sind bis zu dem Punkt fur Veranderungen, an dem
sie davon betroffen sind. Und sie sind eine starke Kraft in Armenien.
Sind diese Krafte in der Regierung?
Naturlich gibt es sie auch in der Regierung. Unsere Koalition ist so
eine Ehe, in der es mehr Streit als Liebe gibt.
In Georgien war Micheil Saakaschwili und in der Ukraine Viktor
Juschtschenko schon einmal fruher in der Regierung. Als sie gesehen
haben, daß mit den herrschenden Kraften Reformen nicht zu machen
sind, sind sie ausgeschieden und zu Fuhrern bunter Revolutionen
geworden. Werden Sie der Fuhrer einer bunten Revolution 2008 bei der
Prasidentenwahl in Armenien?
(lacht) Ich bin fur Reformen. Alle diejenigen, die gegen friedliche
Reformen sind, tragen dazu bei, daß es Revolutionen gibt. Aber eine
Revolution ist im 21. Jahrhundert nicht der richtige Weg. Wir kampfen
dafur, daß es mit den Reformen weitergeht, und dazu brauchen wir freie
Wahlen in Armenien. Die Parlamentswahl 2007 und die Prasidentenwahl
2008 sind sehr wichtig fur unser Land, sie mussen zeigen, wohin
wir gehen: nach Europa oder zuruck? Die Leute, die noch denken,
daß sie Wahlen falschen konnen, mussen sich daruber klarwerden,
daß diese Zeiten in Armenien voruber sind. Wenn es nochmals solche
Falschungen wie bei den fruheren Wahlen gibt, wird das zu sehr großen
Veranderungen fuhren. Im Lande und außerhalb des Landes kann man solche
Wahlen nicht noch einmal akzeptieren. Was in der Zukunft sein wird,
wird das Leben zeigen.
Sie haben gesagt, Demokratie bringe der Region Frieden. Zu welchen
Kompromissen waren Sie im Konflikt mit Aserbaidschan uber Nagornyj
Karabach bereit?
Die Verhandlungen uber Nagornyj Karabach sind in einer sehr aktiven
Phase. Sie werden vom armenischen Staatsprasidenten gefuhrt,
und Armenien verhalt sich sehr konstruktiv. Unser Prasident Robert
Kotscharian war fruher Prasident von Nagornyj Karabach und kennt das
Problem sehr gut. Nach meiner Meinung mussen beide, die armenische
und die aserbaidschanische Seite, etwas geben, damit der Konflikt
gelost werden kann. Es muß einen Konsens geben.
Glauben Sie, daß die armenische Gesellschaft zu einem Kompromiß bereit
ist, oder wird es dann zu großen Protesten kommen?
Wir Politiker mussen dafur Verantwortung tragen. Unser Volk will
Frieden haben. Naturlich werden sehr viele dagegen sein, etwas
aufzugeben, aber das ist der Weg zur Zukunft. 2006 offnet sich
ein Fenster fur den Frieden, weil es weder in Armenien noch in
Aserbaidschan Wahlen gibt, und 2007 offnet sich mit den Wahlen
ein Fenster fur die Demokratie. Wir mussen das nutzen. Armenien
verhalt sich sehr konstruktiv. Wenn Sie daruber mit jemandem in
Aserbaidschan sprechen, wird er uber die Armenier klagen und sagen:
Die machen es nicht, die wollen es nicht. Ich will so etwas uber die
aserbaidschanische Seite nicht sagen. Wenn ich so rede, werden viele
in Armenien mich nicht verteidigen, aber das ist die Wahrheit.
Ebenso schwierig wie die Beziehungen zu Aserbaidschan sind die
Beziehungen zur Turkei.
Wir konnen nicht den Volkermord an 1,5 Millionen Armeniern vergessen,
aber wir durfen unsere Zukunft nicht durch unsere Vergangenheit
verbauen. Fur mich personlich ist die reale Hoffnung auf einen
Fortschritt viel wichtiger als die traurige Erinnerung an die
Vergangenheit. Das heißt, wir mussen offen und frei mit der Turkei
reden, und diesen Dialog braucht auch die Turkei. Wir mussen an einem
Tisch sitzen und unsere Probleme losen. Diese Meinung wird naturlich
nicht von allen in Armenien geteilt.
Bisher gibt es eine sehr enge Partnerschaft Armeniens mit Rußland.
Ändert sich das, auch unter dem Eindruck des jetzigen Streits uber
den Gaspreis?
Die armenisch-russischen Beziehungen mussen auf ein anderes Niveau
kommen. Wir haben sehr freundliche Beziehungen zu Rußland, aber uber
die Inhalte dieser Beziehungen muß weiter gesprochen werden. Ist diese
Freundschaft nur außerlich, oder hat sie auch einen Inhalt? Es gibt
viele Fragen, die gelost werden mussen. Fur meine Partei kann ich
sagen, daß wir fur eine Diversifizierung der Energiequellen sind.
Energieressourcen durfen keine politischen Waffen werden. Ich bin
einmal gefragt worden, warum Armenien kein Geld fur die russischen
Militarstutzpunkte in Armenien verlangt. Ich sagte, daß diese Frage
sehr schwer zu beantworten ist. Ich bin auch einmal gefragt worden,
warum Rußland Algerien einfach so vier Milliarden Dollar Schulden
erlassen habe, wahrend es von Armenien, das nur hundert Millionen
Schulden hatte, zu deren Begleichung viele Industriebetriebe an sich
genommen hat – und diese Firmen funktionieren jetzt nicht.
Heißt das, daß Sie mit dem derzeitigen Zustand der armenisch-russischen
Beziehungen nicht zufrieden sind?
In vielerlei Hinsicht sind unsere Beziehungen sehr gut. Aber
die Zukunft Armeniens liegt nicht in der Union von Rußland und
Weißrußland. Die Zukunft Armeniens sind die Europaische Union und die
Nato. Auf dem Weg dorthin konnen wir Freunde mit Rußland bleiben,
nicht so wie Georgien, dessen Beziehungen zu Rußland sehr gespannt
sind. Aber Rußland darf unseren Weg nach Europa nicht verstellen.
Haben Sie Hoffnung, daß die EU irgendwann bereit sein wird, Armenien
aufzunehmen?
Ich bin davon uberzeugt, dazu gibt es keine Alternative. Nicht nur
Armenien, sondern auch Georgien – und warum nicht auch Aserbaidschan.
Wir sind kleine Lander, fur uns wird das die beste Struktur fur die
Zusammenarbeit und den Frieden sein. Europa braucht einen sicheren,
konfliktfreien Kaukasus und demokratische Nachbarn.
–Boundary_(ID_U+pZEZvibf5t2cA0gpjRQw)- –

TROUBLE IN TURKEY; FEAR PREVAILS AFTER PRIEST’S MURDER
by Annette Grossbongardt
Translated from the German by Christopher Sultan
Spiegel Online, Germany
12. April 2006
() Christians are a vanishing minority in predominately Muslim
Turkey. The murder of a priest in February shows that the situation
has become precarious — both for Catholics and for Turkey’s EU bid.;
http:/ ,1518,411043,00.html
Father Pierre Brunissen is deeply immersed in thought as he bumps along
in the night bus along the Black Sea coast from Samsun to Trabzon in
northern Turkey. There is, on this trip, little for the priest to be
happy about. He is hurrying to a Christian congregation in Trabzon —
a city of 250,000 Muslims — which boasts barely a dozen members. And
he is needed because the former priest in Trabzon, Father Andrea
Santoro, was murdered in his church.
It’s a church which is now casting about for a caretaker. In the
vicarage, which gives off a distinct air of neglect, a small plastic
tree left over from Christmas gathers dust in the visiting room.
Because no one volunteered to replace the murdered priest, the
75-year-old Father Pierre was instructed to travel the 250 kilometers
by bus from Samsun to Trabzon once a month to look after things in
the city’s tiny congregation.
The Catholic Santa Maria Church was founded by Capuchin monks
150 years ago. Santoro had the church restored, and now colorful
ornaments and images of the saints once again grace the building’s
walls and ceilings. But in early February, Santoro was shot dead by
two gunshots while he was praying in the last pew of the church. The
first shot penetrated his lung and the second went straight to his
heart. In the dark wood of the pew, a splintered mark made by one
of the bullets can still be seen. On this day, Father Pierre will
celebrate the first mass in the church since Santoro’s murder, but
the church bells remain silent — there is nobody there to ring them.
0,1020,610038,00.jpg right
Christians are a tiny, tolerated minority in Turkey, a country which
is 99 percent Muslim, and the Catholic priest is wary of being too
conspicuous. He even advises the members of his congregation in
Samsun not to wear any visible symbols of their faith, such as a
cross dangling on the outside of a blouse or shirt.
“Murdered priests aren’t good for Trabzon”
“We have nothing against Christians,” says Volkan Canalioglu, the mayor
of Trabzon. “On the contrary, we respect other religions; after all,
Turkey is home to many cultures.” A giant Turkish flag hangs in his
office, and he is a member of the Republican People’s Party (Cumhuriyet
Halk Partisi or CHP) founded by Kemal Atatuerk, which promotes the
secular legacy of the founder of the modern Turkish state. “You will
find no one in Trabzon who approves of this horrible deed.”
The vice president of the local soccer team, Trabzonspor, is also upset
about the incident. “We were playing a match in Ankara when the murder
happened. We won the match, but we couldn’t really enjoy our victory,”
says Hasim Sayitoglu. “Headlines about murdered priests aren’t good
for Trabzon or for us.” Sayitoglu grew up not far from the Santa
Maria Church, although he says he doesn’t know a single Christian.
Trabzon, an ancient trading city that now hopes to develop a
thriving local tourist industry, places little value on its Byzantine
heritage. There are many churches and monasteries dating from centuries
of Byzantine Christian rule, although most have since been converted
into mosques. During the great population exchange between Turkey and
Greece in 1923, almost 1.5 million Orthodox Christians were expelled
from Asia Minor and replaced by 356,000 Muslims from Greece. As a
result of the mass murder and expulsion of the Armenians in World
War I, the country had already lost almost a million Christians. The
result was an almost entirely Muslim state.
Turkey is still home to about 100,000 Christians. Their status is
one of the barometers being used to determine Turkey’s suitability
for European Union membership, making the murder of Father Santoro
especially inconvenient for the administration in Ankara, which is
rooted in Islam but is doing its utmost to portray Turkey as tolerant
and liberal-minded. “The gunshots were not just aimed at Santoro,
but also at the atmosphere of stability Turkey enjoys today,” says
Interior Minister Abduelkadir Aksu. Foreign Minister Abdullah Guel
describes the murder as an “isolated case.”
But isolated cases have been on the rise in Turkey.
Churches have few rights
Recently a young man attacked a monk and a priest with a kebab knife
in a Catholic monastery in Mersin, a small city on the Mediterranean.
“We are no longer safe here,” says the Vicar Apostolic for Anatolia,
Luigi Padovese. “Until now, Mersin was one of our most peaceful
congregations.” Nowadays, the bishop never travels without bodyguards,
a precaution the interior ministry has practically forced him to
accept.
Shortly after the murder in Trabzon, nationalist youth attacked a
Catholic priest in Izmir. They grabbed him by the neck and shouted:
“We will kill you!” and “Allahu akbar! God is great!” The priest
barely made it to safety. After the incident, police officers were
routinely posted in front of the church in Izmir, a measure that had
already been taken in other cities.
Turkey’s Christian minorities had hoped that reforms introduced by
the administration of Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan — as part of
its effort to gain EU membership — would not just lead to a few
improvements, but to complete religious freedom. Although Christians
are permitted to practice their faith freely, in many cases their
churches have practically no rights and often have no claim to the
property they stand on.
When Bishop Padovese requested work permits for two church employees
in Trabzon, the interior ministry denied his request, arguing that
because a Catholic Church doesn’t exist in Turkey, it cannot file
requests. “That’s the paradox,” says Padovese, “We are here, but
legally we don’t exist.” It was not until recently that pastors, who
were previously registered as consular employees, have been allowed
to register as members of their own profession.
“The basic level of anti-Christian sentiment has increased,” says
Felix Koerner, a German Jesuit whom the Vatican sent to Ankara to
encourage a Christian-Islamic dialogue. Turkey’s efforts to enter the
EU have triggered nationalist counter-reactions, says Koerner. “Even
in educated circles, people are saying that Turkish unity and national
sovereignty are in danger.”
Risking physical attack
Conspiracy theories have likewise been making the rounds in Turkey
for some time, producing a climate in which Christians distributing
the New Testament risk being physically attacked. In a sermon against
missionaries it distributed last year, the state religious authority
rails against what it calls “modern crusades,” claiming that their
goal is to “turn our young people away from the Islamic faith.”
Priests have been accused of seducing women in their churches or
encouraging young people to engage in sinful acts. Father Pierre
has already won four court cases for libel against defendants
who had spread rumors that he routinely watches porno films with
young people. To protect himself, he now maintains the best possible
relations with the local Turkish hierarchy, routinely paying visits to
the chief of police, the governor and the mufti. “It helps,” he says.
Sixteen-year-old Oguz, Andrea Santoros’s suspected murderer, is
currently being held under high security at the Trabzon prison. Four
bodyguards have been assigned to the boy to prevent him from harming
himself or being silenced by others. He has refused to make any
statements.
Was Oguz truly trying to avenge the humiliation of Muslims who saw
the Danish cartoon controversy as an affront to their prophet, as
his family claims? Or was the murder the work of the Mafia, which
was incensed over the church’s practice of giving shelter to Russian
prostitutes? Or perhaps the boy, apparently a loner, was a willing
tool for nationalist extremists.
According to his family, Oguz, a high-school student, had recently
become “very religious.” “He prayed five times a day,” says his brother
Alpaznar. His father, who runs a dental laboratory in Trabzon, claims
that he first heard about the Muhammad cartoons from his son. “He
was very upset, but I told him that it was none of his concern.”
The father, pale and bald, is constantly jumping up from his chair,
nervously rubbing his hands. He doesn’t have a photo of his son,
holding up a newspaper clipping instead. “I feel bad for the boy,”
he says, sounding almost as if “the boy” weren’t his own child.
Closed for a month
Oguz apparently spent most of his time in an Internet cafe in a
small shopping center in downtown Trabzon. “He was especially fond of
strategy games,” says the owner, Senol Sahin, adding that the boy had
recently become very aggressive. “He would send me e-mails in which he
used vile language. I even hit him once for doing it.” Sahin believes
the boy is “easily influenced.”
On the morning of the murder, Oguz apparently came home and asked for
directions to the Santa Maria Church. Then, according to his father,
he left the house with his younger brother. The murderer must have
known his way around, because the churchyard one passes through to
reach the church lies in the middle of a group of buildings, and is
in full view of half a dozen apartments, many displaying the Turkish
flag in their windows.
The priest’s young Italian housekeeper, startled by the shots, claims
that she saw a silhouette, and that it was that of a man, not a boy.
The church remained closed for one month. Meanwhile, Bishop Padovese
has sent two lay assistants and a visiting Polish pastor to Trabzon,
so that the church can be kept open at least two or three times a
week for the few Christians who still live in Trabzon.

ARMENIAN ACCESSION
by Doug Merrill
Fistful of Euros, Sweden
April 19 2006
The German newspaper whose web site has marginally improved
published an interview today* with Arthur Baghdasarian, leader of the
second-largest party in the Armenian parliament. He has been president
of parliament since 2003, and he is seen as a leading candidate to
be president of the republic in 2008. They talk about whether or
not Armenia needs a revolution, though not what color it might have,
probably because Baghdasarian opts for reform rather than revolution.
More interesting for afoe readers is this quote: “Armenia’s future
is not in the union of Russia and Belarus. Armenia’s future is in the
European Union and NATO.” Later on he adds, “I am convinced there is
no alternative [to EU accession]. Not just Armenia, but also Georgia,
and why not Azerbaijan as well. We are small countries, and for us
that will be the best structure for cooperation and peace. Europe
needs a secure, conflict-free Caucasus and democratic neighbors.”
Whether or not the current 25 members are ready for enlargement, much
less the old 15 (or 12 or 6 or whatever), potential enlargees are
eager. The EU will have to answer these questions one way or another.
My bet is on more members.
* Annoyingly, it is only available online in pay-per-view. It’s on
page 5 of the paper version, if you have access.
.php

FUNDS FROM PRIVATIZATION OF AGRICULTURAL LANDS IN ARMAVIR MARZ AMOUNT TO 1 BLN DRAMS IN 2005
Noyan Tapan
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The work done in Armavir marz in
2005 was summarized, as well as the programs to be implemented
this year were discussed during the April 19 working meeting of the
Armenian President Robert Kocharian and the governor of Armavir marz
Albert Heroyan. The President inquired about how the money received
from privatization of agricultural lands in Armavir is invested
in the local infrastructures. A. Heroyan said that 1 bln drams
(about 2.2 mln USD) from the sale of lands was mainly allocated for
the installation of gas supply system in the villages of Baghramian
region: 14 out of the 15 communities there will be supplied with gas
by late 2006. According to the governor, the land privatization also
allowed to create jobs. According to the RA President’s press service,
the opportunies of setting up small and medium processing enterprises
and improving the irrigation networks and community roads in Armavir
marz with financial resources of the Millennium Challenge Fund were
also discussed at the meeting. In terms of infrastructure development,
the governor attached importance to repairs of Yerevan-Armavir-Gyumri
motorway included in the Lincy program, which may enable to reduce
agriculatural produce sale expenses by nearly 30%.

ARMENIAN PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN MPS DISCUSS REGIONAL ISSUES, REFORMS
Mediamax news agency
19 Apr 06
Yerevan, 19 April: Armenia has a clear position on its relations with
Turkey and is ready to establish practical ties with Turkey without any
preconditions, Armenian President Robert Kocharyan said at a meeting
with participants in the session of the Armenian-EU parliamentary
cooperation commission in Yerevan today, the presidential press
service has told Mediamax news agency.
The sides also discussed the situation surrounding Iran. Speaking
about the importance of approving Armenia’s action plan within the
framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy, Kocharyan said that
this will make it possible to coordinate relations with the European
Union and confidently move forward.
“The future of Armenia, which has taken the path of European
development, lies in effective management, a productive political
system and the economy. We can achieve this only through high-level
and large-scale reforms,” Kocharyan said.
The parties also noted the importance of deepening democratic processes
in Armenia and organizing and conducting upcoming elections in line
with European standards. The Armenian president also briefed the
European MPs about the latest developments in the Nagornyy Karabakh
conflict settlement.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION SET TO FORM NEW BLOC AHEAD OF POLLS – PAPER
Aravot, Yerevan
18 Apr 06
Text of Naira Mamikonyan’s report in Armenian newspaper Aravot on
18 April headlined “There are candidates to the posts of Armenian
president and prime minister from the opposition”.
The formats functioning in the opposition field and the blocs
Justice, 17+ and others seem to have exhausted themselves since
the constitutional referendum held in November 2005. At present the
opposition is searching for new “formats”.
It has recently become clear that a new public organization will
be set up in the opposition field. According to some reports,
this organization will unite some officials from the 17+ bloc who
are trying to form a new format ahead of the [2007] parliamentary
election. The National Democratic Union [NDU] and the Heritage Party
will be the pivot of the new format, and [NDU leader] Vazgen Manukyan
and [Heritage Party leader] Raffi Ovanesyan, who are popular with the
public, will lead it. Some opposition circles are working to bring
closer these two parties. They even say it will be the ideal option
if at the parliamentary and, why not, [2008] presidential elections
Manukyan and Ovanesyan come forward together as candidates to the
posts of president and prime minister.
The secretary of the Heritage Party, Vardan Khachatryan, said it
was very much doubtful: “I cannot say that there are discussions in
place. We have simply discussed the unification of the opposition
forces within 17+ after the constitutional referendum.”
Khachatryan added that at present the opposition was looking into fraud
at the constitutional referendum and was preparing to file cases of
human rights violation at the European Court [of Human Rights].
Vazgen Manukyan said that a possible bloc with Ovanesyan was unreal
and added: “There are different relations between different officials
within the opposition. At present it is senseless to speak about the
elections although we are discussing different formats within the
opposition. I can add nothing.”

KARABAKH MINISTER COMMENTS ON MILITARY EXERCISE – ARMENIAN PAPER
Ayots Ashkar, Yerevan
19 Apr 06
Text of Vaan Vardanyan’s report in Armenian newspaper Ayots Ashkar
on 19 April headlined “The situation is calm”.
The NKR [Nagornyy Karabakh republic] defence minister, Seyran Oganyan,
gave a news conference in Stepanakert yesterday 18 April].
“A command-and-staff exercise has been held involving troops
[on 14 April]. As was the case last year, this year as well we
drew serious attention to the readiness of the senior staff of the
army. Exercises are being conducted for this reason,” Seyran Oganyan
said. He emphasized that measures were being taken to improve the
moral and psychological atmosphere and increase discipline in military
units. “I am happy and proud that the army could resolve its battle
efficiency problems and that we can ensure 100-per-cent call-up with
the participation of relevant structures and departments and all
the unions of liberating soldiers. Soldiers who fought yesterday are
ready to defend borders today as well. It takes us just over seven
hours to mobilize the reserve,” Oganyan added.
Commenting on a sharp increase in Azerbaijan’s military budget,
Oganyan said: “We always take relevant preventive measures. Increasing
the budget is one thing, using the funds correctly is quite another
thing. Our people have always been able to resolve this kind of
problem thanks to them being organized and to economic success.”
Oganyan said the situation on the border was calm. Skirmishes
often happen on the contact line but the Armenian side does not
always respond to them, he added. “The Azerbaijani side did not
attempt to advance positions this year. This process was observed
in 2003-2004. They have improved their positions on their territory,
and in some sectors they have moved close to our positions, but this
has not affected our structure.”
At the same time, Oganyan said that the Azerbaijani party had advances
their positions mainly in lowland sectors of the contact line with
the Karabakh forces. The Armenian party prevented attempts to do so
in the mountain sectors of the border.
“Today the NKR borders lie where a soldier sits in a trench. From
that place we add engineering facilities with relevant deepness and
thickness in order to provide our soldiers with trenches for tomorrow’s
battle,” Oganyan said. Since 2000 the Armenian party has been carrying
out this process in a more intensive and planned manner, he added.
The defence minister preferred not to touch on political problems
saying that he was a serviceman and did not deal with politics. He
only said that he assessed as satisfactory the Karabakh conflict
settlement within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group as the
mediators did their best. But Oganyan said Karabakh’s participation
in the settlement process was important and logical. At the moment
there is no need to deploy peacekeeping forces in the region, he said.

GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES INTEND TO QUARTER TROOPS IN AKHALKALAK
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 19 2006
AKHALKALAK, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN – ARMENIANS TODAY. With the
motivation of providing the security of withdrawal of the troops
from the Russian military base dislocated in Akhalkalak the Georgian
Ministry of Defence is going to establish a subdivision of military
police in Akhalkalak. Meanwhile, according to the information provided
by the A-Info agency, the Georgian authorities are going to quarter
a Georgian military unit in the military base after withdrawing the
Russian troops. Teymuraz Lomsadze, Georgian Deputy Minister on Issues
of Conflicts Settlement, informed about it at the meeting with a
number of employees at the Akhalkalak office of the European Center
on Issues of Minorities.

GEORGIAN ORPHANAGE OF NINOTSMINDA RESTORED
Noyan Tapan
Armenians Today
Apr 19 2006
AKHALKALAK, APRIL 19, NOYAN TAPAN. ARMENIANS TODAY. The building
of the Georgian orphanage of the city of Ninotsminda, Javakhk,
is capitally restored. According to the “A-Info” agency, because
of the construction works, children of the orphanage were moved to
another place that is unknown to inhabiation of Ninotsminda. But
the directoriate of the orphanage informs that after finishing the
restoration works, children will return. Besides, improvement of
conditions will create possibility to bring here other few dozens
of orphans from different regions of Georgia. The agency considers
necessary to mention that the directoriate of the orphanage refused to
accept orphans from Ninotsminda who are Armenians in origin. Children
of exclusively Georgian origin come from other regions of Georgia
live in the orphanage founded in Ninotsminda a year ago.