CONSTRUCTION OF ELITE HOUSES BRINGS 300 PER CENT PROFIT

Lragir/am
21 March 06

The owners of elite blocks of apartments get 300 per cent profit from
sales, said MP Manuk Gasparyan on March 21. He denied the concerns that
the increase of the price of cement will affect the rates of building.

“Two or three years ago the price of reinforced concrete grew by
200-300 per cent. Who learned about it? No one, and the rate of
construction did become slow,” says Manuk Gasparyan. According to
him, there was no need to set a low price on the natural gas supplied
to industry not to allow the growth of the price of cement. “Cement
is required for building, and building is done by rich people. Why
are we reducing the price of gas for industry at the expense of the
population,” says the member of parliament.

Manuk Gasparyan thinks this is a big bluff. Armrusgasard sets the
price of gas for industry in dollars, but sells gas to people in drams.

CRISIS GROUP PREDICTING WAR?

Lragir/am
21 March 06

To guarantee its own security, the EU should become more engaged
in efforts to resolve the three disputes, for Nagorno-Karabakh,
Abkhazian and South Ossetian conflicts have the potential to ignite
into full-fledged wars in Europe’ s neighborhood, is stated in the
new report of the International Crisis Group, informs the news agency
ARKA. In the new report of the International Crisis Group on the role
of the EU in the settlement of the South Caucasian conflicts it is
stated that with the UN engaged in the settlement of the Abkhazian
conflict and the OSCE in NKR and South Ossetia, the talks lasting
for several decades did not lead to signing peace agreements. With an
image of an “honest broker” and the lure of greater integration into
Europe, the EU is going to play a greater role in the region and aid
the efforts of the UN and the EU, states the report. According to
the experts of this organization, the EU plans to create a chain of
countries with effective governance around it to guarantee its own
security. “Geographic proximity, energy resources, pipelines and the
challenges of international crime and trafficking make stability in the
region a clear EU interest,” is mentioned in the summary of the report.

“As the EU is unlikely to offer membership to Georgia, Armenia
and Azerbaijan even in the medium term, it must identify innovative
means to impose conditionality on its aid and demonstrate influence,”
conclude the experts of the International Crisis Group. Nicolas White,
the director of the European program of the International Crisis Group,
thinks the failure of the EU in secure neighborhood strategy in the
South Caucasus would ruin its reputation. Nicolas White thinks the
biggest concern is that the EU will not be prepared to respond to
the military actions among its neighbors in case of escalation of
the South Caucasian conflicts.

ARF condemns Lyon demonstration and calls on French government to fulfill its responsibility

Yerkir
21.03.2006 17:30

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – As reported by the ARF Press service, the
ARF Western Europe Central Committee has condemned the Turkish
demonstration held in Lyon on March 18. The Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF) calls on the French government to carefully watch
the cases of denying the Armenian genocide in France.

The ARF condemns the decision by the Rhone region governor to sanction
this hate and denial demonstration, though he was informed upfront
about the real goal of the demonstration and that Turkish government
had secretly contributed to this demonstration through the Turkish
embassy in Paris and Turkish consulate in Lyon.

He was also aware of the contribution the Grey Wolves, a fascist
organization.

The ARF notes that using the Grey Wolves threatens France and the
French people.

The Turkish government on the highest level has decided to organize
the Turkish communities in Europe. The March 18 demonstrations in
Lyon and Berlin were the first expressions of the Turkish government’s
involvement.

The Lyon demonstration had a clear characteristics of the Genocide
denial, something unacceptable to a country like France. France has
to immediately undertake adequate steps to end the development of
that damaging movement.

We demand that an investigation be launched to find the organizers
of the demonstration and to unveil the involvement of the Turkish
government in the demonstration, as well as to put an end to any
anti-Armenian expression against the French Armenians.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

ANC OF CANADA AND ARF’S ARMEN GARO STUDENT UNION PARTICIPATE IN UNESCO’S CANADA COMMISSION GENERAL MEETING

Yerkir
21.03.2006 12:31

YEREVAN (YERKIR) – UNESCO’s Canada commission held its 46th general
meeting on March 16-18 at the OMNI Hotel in Montreal.

Jean Mkrtchian, representative of the Armenian National Committee
of Canada, Ms. Artemis Mkrtchian as well as Hurik Hayrapetian and
Dvin Topuzian, both representing the ARF’s Armen Garo Student Union,
participated in the March 17 session as observers.

The Armenian delegation and Arpi Hamalian, the director of the
Educational Sector of the UNESCO’s Canada Commission, met with the
Commission’s Secretary General David Valdeni and raised the issue of
the destruction of the Armenian historical monuments in Old Julfa of
Azerbaijan’s Nakhijevan region.

The secretary general was also informed of the miserable state of the
Armenian architectural monuments in the Western Armenia. Mr. Valdeni
said he has sent the ANCC and Armen Garo letters to Paris expecting
relevant solutions.

PRICE OF ELECTRICITY DECIDED

Lragir/am
21 March 06

Now we can be sure to state that the citizen of the Republic of Armenia
will have to pay more not only for gas but also for electricity. The
Thermal Power Plant of Hrazdan and the Thermal Power Station of Yerevan
operate on gas have already submitted a bid with the Commission
of Public Utilities to increase by 90 per cent the tariff of the
electricity they produce. On March 21 Nikolay Grigoryan, Deputy
Chairman of the Commission, announced that the price of electricity
will increase by 3 drams. Though producers on gas have bid a higher
price, the impact will not be visible, since the energy these thermal
plants generate comprises 25 per cent of energy in Armenia, which is
mainly required in winter months.

RUSSIANS NEEDN’T BE JEALOUS

Lragir/am
21 March 06

On March 14 and 15 the tenth sitting of the Russian-Armenian
Parliamentary Commitee took place in Moscow. On March 21 Vahan
Hovanisyan, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, the head of the
Armenian delegation, informed about the results of the sitting.

“The work of the Russian-Armenian Parliamentary Committee is becoming
more effective, this is the evaluation of the Russian party,”
reported Vahan Hovanisyan. The speaker did not say what standards of
effectiveness the Russians applied; however, he told what the Armenians
had explained to Russians rather than what had been discussed. “We
kindle tensions, problems are not a reason to be insulted.” For
instance, they said our bilateral relations do not depend on us only,
because there are two countries between our countries, one of these
has problems with Russia, the other is openly hostile towards Armenia.

They also explained that Armenians have never been happy about ferry
services across the Black Sea, because thus the hope for operating the
Abkhazian railroad fades away. Besides, the ferry is not efficient and
does not justify itself. “Goods are not transported from Armenia. The
prices are too high. The importance of cutting prices was set down
in the document adopted by the committee, which will be extended to
the Russian government. If only the political component is viewed
in the ferry, it will not work. The ferry services must be rendered
profitable.” And the hope for operation of the Abkhazian railroad fades
due to the initiative of the Russia-Iran communication via Azerbaijan.

Armenians are concerned publicly.

The Russians were informed that the Armenian businessmen working
in blockade for 15 years have found alternative ways. In general,
the Armenians have explained and proposed to the Russians not to
feel jealous when Armenia seeks for alternatives in communications,
energy sources and other sphere.

In Russian-Armenian relations Armenia is to blame for education
only. In Russian authoritative universities provide 50 scholarships
to Armenia, but these places remain empty.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

DEPUTY SPEAKER SAYS THERE IS HOPE WITH REGARD TO PRICE OF GAS

Lragir/am
21 March 06

On March 14 and 15 the Russian-Armenian Parliamentary Committee
discussed the price of the Russian gas. The head of the Armenian
delegation Vahan Hovanisyan announced without details that there were
positive moves and there is reason for optimism.

The deputy speaker of the Russian Duma Vladimir Zhirinovsky announced
that if Armenia wants to buy gas at a lower price, it has to enter
the Russia-Belarus Union. Vahan Hovanisyan said this is the opinion
of one person, or the political party he represents, and the Russian
Federation did not offer this to Armenia. The price of gas and the
steps and standpoint of Russia that are far from being pro-Armenian,
have kindled anti-Russian moods both in political circles and among
people. Pro-Russian stance is being replaced by pragmatism, states
Vahan Hovanisyan, who explained to Russians that if “insensible
persons dominate Russian politics, they will bring about changes”
that will not benefit the Russian Federation.

In Yerevan Vahan Hovanisyan elucidated for the Armenian reporters
that the price of gas is boosted by Gasprom and not the Russian
state. “It is not important that the state owns 51 per cent of shares
of Gasprom.” Vahan Hovanisyan believes that the Russian Federation is
becoming a country which lives under the rules of liberal markets,
where the economy dictates policies. In this case there is nothing
left to do but to “make changes in our national interests and introduce
new components in the Russian-Armenian relations.”

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

March 21, 2006

DIOCESE JOINS RELIGIOUS LEADERS SEEKING MID-EAST PEACE

Vartkes Balian, a member of the Legate’s Committee, represented the Diocese
of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern) during a recent gathering of
religious leaders at the U.S. State Department in Washington, D.C.

Christian, Jewish, and Muslim leaders, representing 25 national
organizations, met with Karen Hughes, undersecretary for public diplomacy
and public affairs, on Tuesday, February 28, 2006. The meeting was part of
an organizational appeal urging President Bush to make Israeli-Palestinian
peace a priority for U.S. policy.

During the meeting, the religious leaders expressed the desire to see
continued humanitarian aid to the Palestinians, while agreeing with
President Bush’s insistence that Hamas, the newly elected leaders of the
Palestinian Authority, reject violence and recognize Israel.

They specifically asked the Bush administration to press for an immediate
and comprehensive ceasefire, work to assure that the agreement on Gaza is
fully implemented, press both sides to implement their initial Road Map
obligations, and appoint an on-the-ground envoy to manage and monitor
negotiations.

The gathering was organized by National Interreligious Leadership Initiative
for Peace in the Middle East, which was founded in 2003. In a statement on
the meeting, organizers said that they believe “achieving peace in Jerusalem
and the Holy Land is not only essential for Israelis and Palestinians, but
for reducing the threat of global terrorism and easing tensions among
religious communities worldwide.”

The Diocesan Legate’s Committee, of which Balian is a member, is an advisory
board that works with Bishop Vicken Aykazian, legate and ecumenical officer,
to promote the ecumenical and interfaith efforts of the Diocese.

“It is important that our legate and the Legate’s Committee continue taking
an active interest in the status of the Holy Land,” said Archbishop Khajag
Barsamian, Primate. “As both Christians and Armenians, we have a strong
historical tie to the Holy Land. It is vital that our voice be heard in
Washington, the United Nations, and around the world, for we are also
stakeholders in the lasting future of the Holy Land.”

— 3/21/06

# # #

PRESS OFFICE
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern)
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Contact: Jake Goshert, Coordinator of Information Services
Tel: (212) 686-0710 Ext. 60; Fax: (212) 779-3558
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:

March 21, 2006

DIOCESAN LEGATE BISHOP VICKEN AYKAZIAN ELECTED BY DELEGATES AT ASSEMBLY OF
WORLD COUNCIL OF CHURCHES TO SERVE ON CENTRAL COMMITTEE AND EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE

Bishop Vicken Aykazian, legate and ecumenical officer of the Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America (Eastern), was elected to two prestigious
leadership positions with the World Council of Churches (WCC).

Nearly 4,000 delegates voted in the election during the WCC’s Assembly in
Porto Alegre, Brazil, from February 13 to 24, 2006.

Bishop Aykazian, along with another member of the delegation from the Mother
See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Yn. Paula Devejian, were elected to the 150 member
Central Committee. They were each elected to seven-year terms.

“The Central Committee discusses the questions that concern the churches all
around the world: social, moral, religious, the questions of hunger,
genocide, massacres, injustices,” Bishop Aykazian said.

The Central Committee is the body tasked with creating policies and
recommendations between WCC Assemblies, which happen every seven years.

The members of the Central Committee then elected 20 members for an
Executive Committee, which executes the decisions taken by the Central
Committee. Bishop Aykazian was elected to one of these 20 executive
positions.

“It’s very important that an Armenian has been elected,” Bishop Aykazian
said. “It is an important position within the World Council of Churches and
important for an Armenian to be a part of this committee.”

This is the first time a representative of the Mother See of Holy
Etchmiadzin has been elected to the position. The Central Committee meets
twice a year, and serves as the executive body directing the work of the
WCC.

“CHANGING THE WORLD”

The WCC has members from 348 churches in 100 countries, and claims to
represent 550 million faithful. During this year’s assembly the delegates
focused on the theme: “God in Your Grace, Transform the World.”

“We mean transform the world, bring justice and peace, transform human
beings to be better morally, psychologically, religiously and humanly,”
Bishop Aykazian explained. “We are expecting the world will transform from
good to best.”

The delegates tackled several varied issues, from terrorism to reform of the
United Nations to protecting vulnerable populations. Bishop Aykazian said
one of the highlights of the gathering was the attendance of 700 young
people.

“Youth involvement sent a very strong message saying that the youth are an
integral part of the ecumenical movement,” he said. “Their voice needs to
be heard. Their attendance was a sign of the important role they play in
the life of our churches. They are going to be our future leaders of our
churches and countries and peoples.”

STRONG INVOLVEMENT FROM ETCHMIADZIN

Leading the delegation of 12 clergy and lay leaders from Etchmiadzin was
Bishop Yeznik Petrosian, director of the Department of Inter-Church
Relations; it also included Archbishop Aghan Baliozian, Primate of the
Diocese of Australia and New Zealand; Bishop Bagrat Galstanian, Primate of
the Diocese of Canada; and Fr. Mkrtich Proshian, dean of the Vaskenian
Theological Seminary in Armenia. The delegation was one of the youngest
orthodox groups in attendance.

The delegation from Etchmiadzin took an active role in the assembly.
Archbishop Baliozian served on the Committee for Consensus Decision-Making,
which worked to implement a new procedural method of voting, adopted for the
first time at the assembly. Bishop Aykazian served on the Message Committee,
which developed and presented a document that captured the experience and
hopes of the delegates. Bishop Petrosian served as a moderator during a
three-day workshop on emerging forms of ecumenism, and also served on the
Business Committee, which coordinated the daily business of the assembly.

Fr. Proshian presented a workshop titled “Through the Creation to the
Creator,” which introduced a new concept of ecological education from a
theological perspective, referred to as “Green Theology.”

Another representative from Etchmiadzin, Dr. Karen Nazarian, director of the
Armenian Round Table office, presented a paper titled “HIV/AIDS –
Involvement of clergy in counseling, stigma, and discrimination,” and also
served on the assembly Nominating Committee, responsible for identifying
candidates for the election of presidents and new members of the WCC Central
Committee.

Yn. Paula Devejian served on the leadership team during a three-day workshop
on overcoming health threats to humanity in the context of HIV and AIDS, and
also spoke during the final general plenary session on the topic of “God in
Your Grace, Transform our Societies.”

— 3/21/06

E-mail photos available on request. Photos also viewable in the News and
Events section of the Eastern Diocese’s website,

PHOTO CAPTION (1): Delegates from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin attend
the World Council of Churches Assembly in Brazil from February 13 to 24,
2006.

# # #

Yerevan Press Club of Armenia presents `MediaDialogue” Web Site as a
Regional Information Hub project.

As a part of the project web site is maintained,
featuring the most interesting publications from the press of Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey on issues of mutual concern. The latest
updates on the site are weekly delivered to the subscribers.
************************************* **********************************

============ ================================================== =============
REGION
============================= ==============================================
AMB ASSADOR OF GEORGIA IN ARMENIA VERSUS GEORGIAN INTERESTS
—————————————- ————————————
Source: `Akhali Taoba’ newspaper [March 19, 2006]
Author: Georgi Udzilauri

In the interview to `Azg’ Armenian daily, Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary of Georgia in Armenia, Revaz Gachechiladze stated that
the construction of Kars-Akhalkalaki railway is allegedly unfavorable
to Georgia. Gachechiladze holds that there seems to be no need for
constructing this section of the railway. It would be more efficient
to launch another railway route `Kars-Gyumri (Armenia)-Tbilisi’.

This statement of the Georgian diplomat seemed so unlikely that we
tried to contact both the Georgian Embassy in Yerevan and the Foreign
Ministry of Georgia. Bringing apologies, the Embassy refused to give
comments, while the press service of the Foreign Ministry did not even
do this much, no one answered the phone calls there.

If the Armenian journalists do not make inventions and Gachechiladze’s
statement is not the product of their imagination, that is the
Ambassador really criticizes the state plans on the construction of
`Kars-Akhalkalaki’ railway, he is incompetent. Or may be it is the
Turkish President Ahmed Necdet Sezer, having visited Georgia a week
ago, that is incompetent. He stated that Turkey is interested and
keeps working on the project of constructing
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway.

Almost a year ago, in May 2005 the Presidents of the three countries,
Georgia, Turkey and Azerbaijan – Sahakashvili, Sezer and Aliev agreed
on the implementation of Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku project and
stated in particular that the construction of Kars-Akhalkalaki needs
450 million Euros. They asserted the public that these funds should
immediately be recalled because of the anti-Georgian interests
involved.

In a normal democracy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs tries to give
an up-to-date explanation of such absurd situations. However,
unfortunately our Ministry does not care about the image of the
Georgian state on such a serious issue. If Gachechiladze confirms his
statements in the Armenian press, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Gela Bejuashvili, similarly to the Minister of Interior Vano
Merabishvili, starts defending his staff, the opposition will have the
right to demand resignation of two Ministers at a time.

========================================= ==================================
CONFLICTS
===== ================================================== ====================
“NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE IN A `PLACE CONVENIENT TO ALL…”
—————————————— ———————————-
Source: `Novoye Vremya’ newspaper (Armenia) [March 18, 2006]
Author: Tamara Hovnatanian

The regional visit of American diplomats Daniel Fried and Steven Mann
came to an end, developing into a stage of numerous post-comments,
especially active in Armenia and Azerbaijan. The process will be
underway until the meeting of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairmen in
Istanbul, scheduled for March 20. Why on the territory of Turkey in
particular? The American Co-chairman answered this question as
follows, `there is no political implication here’, simply Istanbul
appeared to be `a place convenient to all’…

In Yerevan, the American diplomats were not very
outspoken. Introducing the purpose of his visit to the region, Daniel
Fried singled out three main points. In Armenia and Azerbaijan, there
was a discussion of Karabagh conflict; further on the issue of energy
security in the face of the January crisis after the explosion of the
gas pipeline was raised. Finally, attention was centered on the future
of the South Caucasus. It is when, as Fried put it, `all the current
conflicts are resolved, the countries of the region enter into a
period of peace and the authorities can make decisions without
external pressure”. All the other implications of the visit seem to
keep to the mentioned frames. Also the agenda of the discussions in
Turkey that Fried preferred avoiding, and the Iranian issue that is
still to be considered. The press conference, given by Daniel Fried
and Steven Mann after the meetings with RA President, Foreign Minister
and the Minister of Defense, as well as the business lunch with the
representatives of Armenian political parties was extremely brief. The
diplomats managed to answer only 5-6 questions. The priority is
Karabagh settlement.

The current stage of negotiation process was characterized by Daniel
Fried as `absence of stagnation”. “On the basis of the meetings
between Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia, we may state with
confidence that the negotiations will continue”, Fried stated.

On his behalf, Steven Mann noted that both Presidents show interest in
the progress, and USA is ready to support them by all means. He
refuted the rumors about the contradictions among the mediators and
assured the assembled journalists that he acts with the support of all
members of OSCE Minsk Group, secured in advance.

Raising the issue of energy security, the assistant to the secretary
of state said, `In the newly-formed situation of diversification of
energy sources, the European Union and USA again started discussing
the prospects of using nuclear energy”.

“For the time being, I cannot really say what conclusions we will make
on the results of these discussions in general and with reference to
Armenia in particular. The people I spoke with in Armenia mentioned
the interest of Yerevan in the new, safe and commercially viable
sources of nuclear energy. I will take these proposals to Washington
and we will attentively discuss these issues’, Daniel Fried noted.

Baku reacted to this quite negatively. `Armenians are very smart –
they are trying to solve the problem of energy supply at the expense
of Americans’, Baku `Zerkalo’ writes. `No doubt, it is reasonable
tactics. If the Americans need conflict settlement and control over
the South Caucasus so much, why not do good bargaining’…

The American diplomats had not left Baku before they again took up the
old record of the military budget growing like mushrooms and the
`limitless patience of Azerbaijani people’.

The issue of patience was raised by the President at the 2d congress
of Azerbaijanis of peace. “Hoping for efficiency of negotiations, we
participate in the talks, but for how long? This process cannot be
permanent. The patience of Azerbaijani people cannot be limitless”,
Ilham Aliev stated.

Taking up the reference to patience, the Azerbaijani press nourished
it with another, no less disputable thesis on the tolerance of its
people. At the same time, it expressed discontent with Lord Russell
Johnson. Making a speech at the recent session of PACE ad hoc
committee on Karabagh settlement in Paris, he stressed the necessity
of `refraining from instigation of enmity”. “Instead of calling for
tolerance, he better mind the fact that Armenia is an aggressor
country”, the Baku press, discarding the thesis of tolerance, brings
its claims to the Lord.

“We are devoted to the peace process, and our participation shows that
we want to resolve this issue peacefully, not by war”, one more
quotation of Aliev, who started his speech at the PanAzerbaijani
congress `to the good health’ of the peace process and came up to `a
bad end’ at the finish. `…However, if we see that the process is of
imitational nature and Armenia is still not sincere at the
negotiations, continuing its attempts to mislead the international
community… we will refuse to participate and will try to return our
territories”.

“What will happen if we start the war?’ the press develops the
topic. `Naturally, we will not be allowed to have a real war given the
interference of the international organizations, cochairmen,
transnational corporations, with a flow of telephone calls from the
capitals of world powers… In other words, the military operations
will have to be terminated, probably very quickly. However, if the
Azerbaijani army is really capable of liberating at least several
occupied regions, why not starting a little blitzkrieg?”

“No war will be quick and decisive”, Steven Mann stated in
Baku. However, apparently they did not hear him or pretend not to
hear, characterizing the regional visit of the representatives of the
Department of State as a `shuttle visit”, in the process of which they
`will try to reanimate the negotiation process, hopelessly blocked
after the obvious failure in Rambouillet”.

Under this approach, the talks about the future, mentioned by the
American diplomats within the visit framework, are left in the fog.

“Neither now nor in 20 years, the military option will be decisive in
conflict resolution’, these are the words Steven Mann said in Baku,
just to remind.

“The resolution of the Karabagh issue by military means is not
possible either now or in 15-20 years”, RA Defense Minister Serj
Sargsian expressed his agreement on this issue.

“Neither in 10 nor in 100 years, will we allow secession of
Mountainous Karabagh”, Ilham Aliev responded.

Still more interesting is the indirect dialogue of RA Foreign Minister
Vartan Oskanian and AR President Ilham Aliev.

“I set a target to equalize the military budget of Azerbaijan to the
Armenian budget in the short term. Armenia will never be able to
compete with us. The sooner the Armenian authorities realize it, the
better for them”, Aliev stated at the PanAzerbaijani congress, which,
judging by the reports from Baku, was almost totally devoted to
Karabagh issue.

“In the civilized world, the volume of military budget has long ceased
to be subject of competition between the countries and the peoples’,
RA Foreign Minister stated in the interview to the Second Armenian
Channel. `For several years, Azerbaijan has daily produced 400
thousand barrels of oil; however, Armenia is still ahead of its
neighbor by the volume of GDP per capita”.

“The Mountainous Karabagh has always been historical Azerbaijani land,
and the Armenians moved to this region in mid XIX century. They came
as guests and then, having acquired numerical advantage, they
instigated separatist trends”, Ilham Aliev assures the delegates of
PanAzerbaijani congress.

“Karabagh is Armenian land. For thousands of years, these lands were
populated by only Armenians, preserving their sovereignty’, Vartan
Oskanian parries back. `Azerbaijan has no moral right for any claims
to Mountainous Karabagh, having lost it in the 90s, when several times
it tried to exert pressure and even start ethnic cleansing. If not for
the resistance of the Armenians, we would not have Karabagh today”, RA
Foreign Minister emphasized.

Aliev also referred to the future of the whole region. “Today one of
our priorities is implementation of the project of constructing
Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. It will promote basic cargo transportation
in the region. This project, similarly to all the other regional
projects, leaves Armenia out. We will never allow a country, having
occupied our territories, to have equal cooperation in the
region. With time, the gap between Azerbaijan and Armenian will keep
growing”.

We should note that Aliev spoke about it at the moment when Daniel
Fried made his speech in Yerevan about the future of the countries of
the region, `when they leave in peace and make their choice themselves
– without any external pressure…’

=================================== ========================================
INT. STRUCTURES
======================================= ====================================
EU WOULD DEPLOY PEACEKEEPING FORCES IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS
—————————————– ———————————–
Source: `Zerkalo’ newspaper (Azerbaijan) [March 18, 2006]
Author: F. Teymurkhanli

According to EU Special Representative Peter Semneby, it is possible
after concrete results on Karabagh issue

“When the sides arrive at concrete results in Karabagh issue, it is
possible that the European union will send its peacekeeping forces to
the region and render assistance in rehabilitation of the war-torn
territories. EU may carry out a peacekeeping operation both by its own
efforts and in coalition with other international structures”, as
stated by new Special Representative of EU in the South Caucasus,
Peter Semneby.

At the same time, he added that EU does not intend to interfere in the
mandate of OSCE Minsk Group, acting as mediator in conflict
settlement. He was also uncertain about the composition and the
concrete location of the peacekeeping contingent.

As for the settlement of Karabagh conflict proper and a possible
`breakthrough’ in this issue in 2006 with a variety of statements
frequently voiced on this issue, P. Semneby said, `I still hope for
the conflict to be settled peacefully, and not all the possibilities
are exhausted. None of the sides needs war”.

At the same time, P. Semneby stated that the high claims put by the
Armenian and Azerbaijani sides prevent reaching a maximum positive
decision. `Definite amendments are essential in the positions of the
opposite sides, the important part is to start the process of peaceful
settlement. In the future, this willingness will help us facilitate
the final resolution of Karabagh issue’, EU Special Representative in
the South Caucasus emphasized.

According to P. Semneby, he intends to continue the activity of former
Special Representative Heike Talvitie, however, his mandate will
include larger powers. In particular, the European Union intends to
allot greater attention and resources to resolution of `frozen’
conflicts in the South Caucasus region.

Besides, if the headquarters of H. Talvitie were in Finland, the
office of the new Euro-Parliamentarian will be based in Brussels. The
new location is not accidental. According to P. Semneby, this
circumstance will help improve coordination of the activity of various
European structures.

Recently, the interest of the European Union in the South Caucasus
region has considerably increased. As P. Semneby thinks, it is
conditioned by two basic reasons. First, two South Caucasus countries
at a time (Georgia and Azerbaijan) aspire to EU membership. Second,
Turkey, now under negotiations for EU accession, has borders with all
the three countries of the South Caucasus region. In his opinion, with
ratification of the European Neighborhood Action Plan, the ties
between EU and the South Caucasus will be intensified.

Answering the question of `whether the EU will support the South
Caucasus countries if they face a tangible threat from the North or
South”, P. Semneby stated that his mandate embraces regional
cooperation, including the relations of South Caucasus countries with
the neighboring states. “Naturally, all the emerging problems interest
EU. However, I am not sure how the EU will act when there is a
concrete problem in place. In any case, we are interested in the
regional stability”, EU Special Representative stated.

As for the issue of human rights and democracy in Azerbaijan,
P. Semneby stated that EU views these aspects as priorities.

Besides, EU Special Representative stated that on his two-day visit,
he met the Head of State Ilham Aliev, Parliament Speaker, Prime
Minister and other officials.

As reported by `Turan’ agency, in the conversation with EU Special
Representative, I. Aliev wished P. Semneby successful implementation
of his mission. I. Aliev pointed to a progress in the cooperation
between Azerbaijan and EU, and expressed hope that these relations
will be strengthened in the future. On his behalf, P. Semneby noted
that he started his mission in the region from the visit to
Azerbaijan. He referred to the growing interest of EU in the South
Caucasus. P. Semneby expressed confidence that the relations between
EU and Azerbaijan will be developing in the future as well.

P. Semneby also met the opposition leaders. During the meetings, they
discussed the social political situation in Azerbaijan, parliamentary
elections of November 6 and the post-election period, paths for
settlement of Karabagh conflict, prospects for developing the
relations between Azerbaijan and EU.

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NEIGHBOURS
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THE WALL STREET JOURNAL: “TURKISH DEMOCRACY ON COLLAPSE”
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Source: `Milliyet’ newspaper (Turkey) [March 15, 2006]
Author:

The article in The Wall Street Journal criticizes the member of the
governing board of the Turkish Lawyers’ Union Kemal Kerincsiz, who
filed a suit against the organizers of the scientific conference on
the Armenian issue, and Orhan Pamuk. Bearing the signature of Philip
Shishkin, Istanbul correspondent of the newspaper, the article
characterizes Kemal Kerincsiz as a person trying to isolate Turkey
from the West.

In his article, Shishkin states that the claims of Kerincsiz to limit
the freedom of expression reduce to zero Ankara’s efforts for raising
the democratic prestige of Turkey in the period of EU membership
negotiations.

Shishkin writes that the actions taken by Kerincsiz fit in the
strategy of nationalistic forces, pursuing the aim of isolating Turkey
from USA and Europe, and transforming it into a regional superpower,
similarly to the Ottoman Empire at the time.

The article stressed that intensive efforts of Kerincsiz have not yet
brought any effect, since civil society is developing in Turkey and
people speak about the necessity of rejecting the archaic means of
accusation in Turkey.

In the article, Shishkin calls attention to the fact that in the
process of Turkey-EU negotiations quite a number of laws and
traditions changed. Overall, the Turks opt for closer relations with
Europe. So the statement of Kerincsiz that Turkey does not need EU,
likely to strengthen its positions in the region, does not enjoy the
support of the majority in the society.

The article mentions that last year Kerincsiz brought suits against
two universities that organized `Armenians in Turkey” joint
conference, writer Orhan Pamuk and Editor of `Agos’ newspaper Hrant
Dink. In particular, the Lawyers’ Union brought charges to the
organizers of the conference and their supporters. Despite all
obstacles, the conference on the Armenian issue was held on September
24-25, 2005 at Bilgi University. The organizers asserted that its most
positive result was `academic freedom”. Last year, lawyer Kemal
Kerincsiz and two other persons in the interview to `Die Welt’ German
newspaper accused Orhan Pamuk of insulting a Turkish soldier. There
was an attempt to accuse Joost Lagendijk, deputy of European
Parliament from Netherlands of insulting the Armed Forces of
Turkey. None of the suits brought the desired result.

The Wall Street Journal also quotes the statement of the Foreign
Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullah Gull that the laws,
directed against freedom of expression, have a negative impact on the
image of the country. However, the newspaper writes that the
government has not yet made any real steps towards supporting freedom
of expression.

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