LAURELS FOR A NATIONAL SECURITY CONCEPTION
Lragir.am
19 April 06
Adviser to President of Armenia Garnik Isagulyan announced April 19
that the government decision of 2004 set a goal before the Institute
of Political Studies he heads to work out a conception of national
security. However, there is a problem: the conception is presently
being worked out by another agency.
“You know that the strategy of national security is being worked out
by the commission set up on the order of the president of Armenia,
headed by Serge Sargsyan, the secretary of National Security under the
president of Armenia, but the institute is actively engaged in it,”
says Garnik Isagulyan.
The notable thing is that Garnik Isagulyan had initiated the conception
of national security and he had even suggested that political forces
become engaged and extend proposals. Presently, however, Garnik
Isagulyan is engaged in the work of the agency, headed by Serge
Sargsyan. It is also possible that he makes proposals.

EU TROIKA DELEGATION TO ARRIVE IN ARMENIA APRIL 20
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2006 19:55 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ EU Troika delegation led by Austrian State
Secretary Hans Winkler will arrive in Armenia within regional visit
framework, reported RA MFA press office. The Ambassador of Austria
and Finland to Armenia, EU Envoy for the South Caucasus as well as
representatives of the European Commission and EU Council will serve
on the delegation. Meetings with Armenian President Robert Kocharian,
Parliament Speaker Artur Baghdassaryan and Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian are scheduled.

ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RECOGNITION ISSUE ENTERED NEW STAGE
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2006 20:06 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian Genocide recognition issue has entered
a new stage. Almost all of the leading states recognized this fact and
even the U.S. doesn’t deny it, leader of ARF Dashnaktsutyun faction,
historian Levon Mkrtchian told PanARMENIAN.Net reporter. In his words,
Armenia should take the advantage of the international community’s
positive attitude about the Genocide recognition and pursue a more
precise line towards Turkey. “It’s time to speak of compensations,
since without it the fact of recognition loses sense. For Armenia
the matter concerns not only moral and material side but appears as
a security issue as well,” the ARFD leader said.
Levon Mkrtchian underscored that is the neighbor state doesn’t
acknowledge the crime committed against a whole nation the opening
of the Armenian-Turkish border and the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
settlement can be protracted for an uncertain term.
At the same time the faction leader remarked that the Arab world
and Iran support Armenia in struggle for the Armenian Genocide
recognition. “Iran has not declared it at the state level but it sides
with Armenia. Actually, the majority of states arrived at a conclusion
that the Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Empire should be recognized,”
Levon Mkrtchian said.

CHAIRMAN OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY MET WITH FOREIGN DIPLOMATS
ArmRadio.am
19.04.2006 16:40
Today Chairman of the National Assembly Arthur Baghdasaryan met
representatives of Embassies of OSCE member states and international
structures accredited in Armenia.
Noting that it is the first time all political forces have
agreed upon the draft of the Electoral Code, the Speaker of the
Parliament thoroughly presented the basic changes, informing that
the draft has been already sent to the Venice Commission and OSCE
for expertise. Arthur Baghdasaryan noted that the joint group of
OSCE and Venice Commission experts is expected to visit Armenia in
June. During the visit discussions on the new Electoral Code and
administrative issues will be organized. US Ambassador to Armenia
John Evans, Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan Vladimir Pryakhin,
Ambassador of the Republic of Italy Marco Clementi and UN Resident
Coordinator Consuelo Vidal stressed the importance of the provision
of legal bases and expression of political will for holding the 2007
and 2008 elections in commitment with international standards.

TURKEY SHOULD TAKE APPROPRIATE MOVE TO NORMALIZE RELATIONS WITH ARMENIA
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2006 20:14 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenia sets no preconditions for establishment
of normal relations with Turkey, Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanian said.
“Armenia was ready yesterday, is ready today and will be ready tomorrow
to establish neighbor relations with Turkey without preconditions
and have open borders with it,” the RA FM stated.
“We admit that problems exist but show me two states, especially
in Europe, experiencing no historical problems. However no state
practises the “instrument of closed borders” to force another state
to renounce its history,” the Minister said.
In his words, Turkey should take an appropriate move for the
normalization of bilateral relations. Vartan Oskanian considers that
Turkey doesn’t wish to develop bilateral political relations and
this excludes any progress. “Turkey is incapable to overcome its
narrow-ethnic interests and take a wider approach to the regional
problems,” Vartan Oskanian considers.
According to him, Turkey had the possibility immediately after the
USSR collapse and then at the start of the talks with the EU. “In the
first case it obviously made a mistake and failed, in the second case
the possibility still exists. Anyway it’s not late yet to get proper
orientation and try to establish normal relations with Armenia,”
the Armenian FM said, reported Novosti-Armenia.

AZERI MFA: BAKU INTERESTED IN CONTINUATION OF PEACEFUL TALKS ON KARABAKH
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2006 20:21 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Azerbaijan has not received any proposals on the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement from Washington, Azeri Deputy
FM Araz Azimov stated.
In his words, no official document or draft was presented to
Azerbaijan. “Some ideas on establishment of normal relations with
Armenia for putting an end to the military conflict were advanced,”
he said.
According to Azeri Deputy FM, “the liberation of the Azeri
territories” will become the first step in the conflict settlement
process. “Azerbaijan is not an adherent to war. We are interested
in continuation of peaceful talks on the problem resolution,” the
diplomat remarked.
When touching upon the meetings of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs that
have become more frequent recently the Azimov underscored he expects
little progress from the meetings. “In the near future the mediators
will pay a visit to Yerevan and then to Baku. The purpose of their
visits is to determine further steps after the Rambouillet meeting,”
he said.

KOCHARIAN AND KARASIN DISCUSSED CONFLICT SETTLEMENT IN SOUTH CAUCASUS
PanARMENIAN.Net
19.04.2006 20:50 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian met with Russian
Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, who is in Yerevan to hold
a regional conference of Russia’s Ambassadors to Armenia, Turkey,
Georgia and Azerbaijan. During the meeting the parties discussed
the Armenian-Russian bilateral relations, developments in the South
Caucasus, especially the settlement of the conflicts available in
the region.
They also exchanged views on a number of international problems,
reported RA leader’s press service.

GEORGIA TO DEPLOY MILITARY POLICE IN AKHALKALAKI
Armenpress
Apr 19 2006
AKHALKALAKI, APRIL 19, ARMENPRESS: The defense ministry of Georgia
said it will establish a military police department in the mostly
Armenian-populated town of Akhalkalaki in Samtskhe-Javakheti region,
saying the department is necessary to ensure security in the course
of Russian military base’s pullout, which is expected to leave Georgia
by the end of this year.
The A-Info news agency operating in the region, said the Georgian
authorities intend to deploy a Georgian military contingent in the
base after it is freed by Russians.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT MEMBERS AWAITING AZERI PERMISSION TO VISIT NAKHICHEVAN
Armenpress
Apr 19 2006
YEREVAN, APRIL 19, ARMENPRESS: Members of Armenia-EU Parliamentary
Cooperation Commission who are mandated by the president of the
European Parliament to travel to Azerbaijani enclave of Nakhichevan to
investigate Armenian reports that an old Armenian cemetery there was
destroyed said today in Yerevan they did not receive the permission
of Azeri authorities. They said they would go to Nakhichevan as soon
as the permission were given.
The decision to dispatch a fact-finding mission to the enclave
had been made by the European Parliament on April 6 and members
of the Armenia-EU Commission were assigned to assume the mission
after ending the Commission’s eighth meeting in Yerevan today. The
Commission’s cochairman Marie-Ann Isler Begin, who is also cochairman
of a similar EU-Azerbaijan Commission, said today after learning about
the destruction of the cemetery the European Parliament asked UNESCO
for information, but it had none.
“Now we are working with Armenia, Azerbaijan and UNESCO to specify
what happened in reality,’ she said, adding also that judging by the
evidence presented by the Armenian side the cemetery had been subject
to previous acts of vandalism as well.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on February 16 condemning
the act of vandalism in the cemetery and called on Azeri authorities
‘ to allow a European Parliament mission to trip to the region to
investigate reports on destruction of old Armenian monuments in
Azerbaijani territory.”

“THE NKR ARMY IS THE MOST EFFICIENT IN THE REGION”, SEYRAN OHANYAN CLAIMS
A1+
[01:13 pm] 19 April, 2006
“To our delight the NKR army can defend the borders of the country
without any foreign help. Our army solves that problem not only thanks
to the number but also thanks to their spirit. The army solves all its
problems with the immediate participation of the people”, announced
Seyran Ohanyan, commander of the NKR Defense Army during the meeting
with journalists.
These days in NKR the 2006 military trainings of the Defense Army are
going on with the participation of the armed forces. The Commander
said he considered it his duty to make a report about the NKR army
for Armenia.
“This year too, like the previous year the alertness of the army
departments is at the center of our attention. If the heads of the
structures are competent and have organizational and pedagogical
skill, it will be easier to develop the structure”, Commander Seyran
Ohanyan said.
According to the Minister, there are three preconditions for having a
professional soldier: the knowledge, the beliefs and the customs of
the soldiers. Mr. Ohanyan found the social problems of the soldiers
extremely important. “We try to secure the officers and soldiers who
have devoted their life to the army with houses.”
The commanders of the RA Armed forces with RA Defense Minister Serge
Sargsyan at the head are also present at the military training.